Talk:Maokai/@comment-41.132.76.66-20110918113258/@comment-3486816-20110918162328

If you're really getting zoned (which is likely when you're top 1v2) and don't mind getting a mana-heavy item early, that's the time to rank up saplings, yeah. Other than that I've found Q to be better for the damage to mana ratio; saplings just cost too much at higher ranks. Do what works for you though :).

For Sunfire vs. Aegis, imo both are good, it really depends on the rest of your build. If you're missing a little of everything, go for aegis. If you can't fit in enough health and need some armor too, go for sunfire. I'd like to recommend spirit visage as a core early item though; early CDR is really fun (assuming you have the mana for it).