Maokai’s passive is “Leach Magic” and ensures that Maokai’s next autoattack deals additional damage at regular intervals (scaling down from 30 seconds at the beginning to 20 seconds later) and also heals him. When Maokai uses an ability or is hit by an ability, the cooldown of this passive is reduced by 4 seconds. If he is hit by an attack or ability from a large or epic monster, it is reduced by 1.5 seconds. Thanks to this passive, Maokai has quite good sustain and can counter-heal a certain amount of Poké damage. In teamfights, he can also often proc it multiple times, allowing him to heal up again and again and stay alive for longer.

At level 1, you skill the Q “Thorn Strike” with Maokai, in which Maokai strikes back at nearby enemies with a shockwave that deals magic damage and slows enemies hit. This ability deals additional damage against jungle monsters, is your main source of damage and the most important ability for clearing your camps. You therefore maximize it first. The Q animation can also be buffed with Flash, so you can surprise your opponents with the Q-Flash combo.

At level 2, you put your first ability point into the W “Twisted Advance”. Maokai bends into a mass of moving roots, can no longer be targeted and charges towards a target. When he reaches the selected enemy, he holds them in place and deals magic damage. You maximize this ability second, as the cooldown is reduced, the duration of the hold is increased and the damage is increased. You can also combine W with Flash by clicking on an opponent with W who is out of range and then flashing them within the maximum distance of the ability. This will cause the W to be cast immediately after the Flash and prevent your opponent from dodging the Engage with a reactive Flash. Once your W has been cast, it will always get through and follow your opponent even if they dash or flash.

The last basic skill you can use at level 3 is E “Sprout Throw”. Maokai throws a sapling to the target area, which stands guard there for 30 seconds. Nearby enemies are briefly pursued by the sapling until it detonates. It deals magic area damage and slows all enemies hit by 45% for 2 seconds. If the sprout hits an enemy champion or an epic monster, it reduces the cooldown of Maokai’s passive by an additional 4 seconds. In addition, the sapling grows when placed in a bush, increasing the duration of its guard, the damage it deals and the slowdown. It is also important to know that your saplings give you visibility inside bushes and can therefore be used not only to zone enemies, but also to safely check bushes. You maximize the E last, as its cooldown does not benefit from additional ability points.

Maokai’s ultimate ability “Root Catch” can be leveled as usual at levels 6, 11 and 16. When activated, Maokai summons a huge wall of bushes and thorns that slowly moves forward, dealing damage to all enemies hit and holding them in place. The duration of the hold increases depending on the distance the roots have traveled. Maokai also gains additional movement speed when hitting enemy champions. Keep in mind that your ult can be blocked, e.g. by an enemy tank standing in front of his carry and being hit by the root in his place. If you want to hold someone immediately with the ult, it can be worth casting it sideways instead of forwards so that the opponent is hit directly by a spawning root and doesn’t have the chance to dodge the roots rolling towards them.

For your standard combo, throw a sprout at your opponent and then dash at them, whereupon you give them an autoattack, the Q and another autoattack: E->W->AA->Q->AA. If you start your Engage with the ult, you can run to your opponent with the additional movement speed and autoattack him once: R->E->AA->W->AA->Q->AA.