Maokai/Strategy

Skill Usage

 * Maokai can farm using . The Sapling deals damage twice- once upon impact and another after a short delay. It can also be used to damage enemies in brush safely.
 * Use to harass enemies in the lane. Try to overshoot your target slightly, just enough to get the impact damage and allowing for the enemy to dodge into the explosion.
 * Maokai is a great initiator and has good tower diving/chasing capability thanks to, and his is also able to chase retreating enemies past their towers and possibly kill them.
 * Maokai can have a support role similar to, being able to deal decent damage and still protect allies, or , being able to disrupt enemy positions and set-up kills for his allies while still remaining relatively tanky.
 * is not a channeled spell, so Maokai is free to use other skills while supporting his teammates.
 * is very useful when the battle ground is stationary, such as during a Tower push or defense. Using it in the open will usually cause enemies to run out of it, wasting its potential. But during a push, the designated fighting grounds remains around the tower, which forces the enemy team to fight on your terms.
 * Also, small skirmishes in the jungle or even the occasional team fight are good times to use, as escape routes are few and the fighting ground is often crowded and fast paced.
 * The damage output from is very powerful with some AP. Using it in team fights to hit as many enemies as possible can turn the tide greatly in your teams favor.
 * is also good for small skirmishes in laning as well. If you aren't sure you can kill your enemy with the normal E-W-Q combo, throw down maelstrom to add that extra bit of damage you may need.
 * Used close enough, causes knock-back, use this to interrupt channeled spells and cancel their casting, such as 's  or 's.
 * You can use Maokai's ult to counter other champs' AoE ults. Activate during a channel such as  or  to absorb some damage and retaliate with some of your own.
 * Maokai's passive, gives him a lot of staying power during the lane phase, especially if facing champions that spam skills, like , and.
 * Maokai's typical initiation is using, rooting them near the sapling with , and finishing off with . Waiting until the root is just about to end before using his knockup increases disable time on them as well. If a team battle is about to start, use after you jump in with your , positioning its location to net as many enemies and allies as possible.
 * Maokai's damage output early game is very high. harass a squishy enemy to about 1/3 of their health using . When they get low enough, use the above combo and you should easily have a kill.
 * Flash spell and can make a surpise grab and provide an oppurtunity to open a team fight.

Build Usage

 * Maokai suffers from naturally low MR and benefits greatly from CDR, so is a perfect defensive item as it provides a nice amount of both along with synergizing well with.
 * If using a, It is possible to save your until after you've resurrected, as the stacks stay with you even through death. Doing this could save your life if a Champion decides to wait around until you've revived.
 * Using a provides great Synergy with, applying the slow with it's initiate hit and then again after it chases down/explodes near an opponent. It also stacks nicely with your  slow.
 * Using a or  can offer great results due to Maokai's high base attack damage and low cooldown on.

Gameplay

 * Maokai's passive activates often while he is in team fights, so be sure to be in the thick of the fight.