Maokai Counters: Who Beats Maokai

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Maokai counters are supports who block or cleanse his roots, shut him down mid-engage, or poke him with attacks instead of spells. He’s a 125-range tank support with a knockback, an untargetable dash that roots on arrival, saplings that guard brush, and a wall of brambles that roots everyone it rolls over.

The five picks come from reading Maokai’s patch 26.21 abilities next to theirs. Win rates weren’t consulted.

Why is Maokai hard to counter?

• Sap Magic (passive): on a moderate cooldown, his basic attack heals him and deals extra damage. The cooldown drops each time he casts a spell or gets hit by an enemy spell.
• Bramble Smash (Q): a shockwave that knocks back nearby enemies, dealing magic damage and slowing them. Cooldown 7/6.5/6/5.5/5.
• Twisted Advance (W): he turns into moving roots, becomes untargetable, dashes to the target and roots them on arrival. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Sapling Toss (E): a sapling thrown to an area to stand guard, more effective in brush. Cooldown 18/17/16/15/14.
• Nature’s Grasp (R): a huge wall of brambles that slowly advances, damaging and rooting enemies in its path. Cooldown 130/110/90.

Look at the passive first, because it explains the matchup. Every enemy spell that hits Maokai shortens the cooldown on his healing attack. So the classic plan against a tank, poke him with abilities until he can’t engage, partly feeds him. Then there’s Twisted Advance, which makes him untargetable during the dash and roots you when he lands, and Nature’s Grasp, which roots a whole line. What beats that? Something that prevents the root, cleanses it, or stops him casting at all. Or poke with plain attacks. Sap Magic’s text only mentions spells shortening the cooldown.

Which champions are the best Maokai counters?

Morgana

Morgana’s E is a starfire bubble for an ally, and while it holds, roots, slows and magic damage simply bounce off. Both of Maokai’s roots, Twisted Advance and Nature’s Grasp, are disabling effects, and Bramble Smash’s knockback and slow are too. Put Black Shield on the marksman he’s about to dash at, and, to be fair to Maokai, he still arrives, but his engage lands on nothing. Dark Binding (Q) roots him in return, Tormented Shadow (W) deals magic damage over time that grows as the target’s Health drops, and Soul Shackles (R) stuns champions who don’t break the chains in time. Honestly, it’s the cleanest answer on the list.

Lulu

Cast Whimsy (W) on an enemy and, for a moment, they’re a tiny animal with no attacks and no spells (yes, even a giant tree). A polymorphed Maokai can’t use Twisted Advance, can’t throw a sapling and can’t drop Nature’s Grasp, and the timing is easy because he has to walk toward your team to engage. Glitterlance (Q) heavily slows enemies it hits, Help, Pix! (E) shields an ally, and Wild Growth (R) enlarges an ally, knocks nearby enemies into the air and gives the ally a big chunk of bonus Health, which is a decent answer to a rooted carry. Pix (passive) adds homing bolts to the attacks of whoever he follows.

Janna

Maokai engages. Janna sends engagers back. Howling Gale (Q) grows while charged and knocks away enemies in its path, Monsoon (R) throws everyone around her back and then heals nearby allies, and Eye of the Storm (E) shields an ally while adding Attack Damage. Twisted Advance still roots its target on arrival, so Janna’s job is to undo what comes after: knock him off the rooted carry, shield them, and walk away. Zephyr (W) slows and adds passive Move Speed for repositioning. The catch? Her knock effects are long cooldowns, and Maokai’s root comes back faster.

Ashe

600 range against 125, and her damage comes from attacks, not spells. Sap Magic only shortens its cooldown when an enemy spell hits Maokai, so basic-attack poke doesn’t feed his healing the way ability spam does. Frost Shot (passive) slows every target she attacks and makes her deal more damage to slowed targets, Volley (W) fires a cone of arrows that applies the same slow, and Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R) stuns the first champion it hits, longer the farther it travels. Thing is, Ashe is a marksman playing support here, so she needs her lane partner to cover the moment Maokai dashes in.

Senna

600 range to start. Absolution (passive) then adds Attack Range as she collects Mist. Like Ashe, she pokes with attacks rather than spells, which keeps Sap Magic on its normal cooldown. Her W, Last Embrace, latches on and roots the victim plus anyone beside them after a beat. Piercing Darkness (Q) passes through a target, healing friends and hurting foes on the way, while Curse of the Black Mist (E) cloaks Senna and any ally stepping into it as fast, unselectable wraiths. Unselectable is a strong answer to a dash that needs a target. Dawning Shadow (R) shields her whole team globally.

How do you play the lane against Maokai?

• Stay out of brush he’s seeded. Sapling Toss is more effective in brush, so the saplings he throws there hit harder.
• Track Twisted Advance. At 14 seconds on rank 1, it’s his engage, and he’s untargetable while dashing, so trade right after it’s used.
• Poke with attacks where possible. Every enemy spell that hits him lowers his Sap Magic cooldown.
• Walk sideways from Nature’s Grasp. It advances slowly in a line, so stepping out of its path is usually possible.
• Don’t stand next to your marksman when he engages. Bramble Smash knocks back everyone nearby at once.

Which items counter Maokai?

Crowd control answers first, Wounds second. Mercury’s Treads give 30% Tenacity, which shortens the roots from Twisted Advance and Nature’s Grasp, along with 20 Magic Resist against Bramble Smash. Quicksilver Sash removes crowd control debuffs except Airborne for 1,300 gold, and the root is not Airborne, so a carry can cleanse it right away. Supports can buy Mikael’s Blessing, whose Purify cleanses an ally champion. For the healing from Sap Magic, Oblivion Orb applies 40% Wounds for 3 seconds on magic damage to champions, and Executioner’s Calling does the same with physical damage. Our items database has every one of these with full stats.

When is Maokai at his weakest?

Right after Twisted Advance. It’s his only gap closer, a 14 second cooldown at rank 1, and once he’s used it he’s a 125-range tank standing in the middle of your team with a knockback and nothing to get him out. That’s the window. In practice, punish him then, or ignore him and hit his carry.

He’s also weaker against teams that don’t feed Sap Magic. Spells that hit him shorten its cooldown, attacks don’t (at least according to the ability text). A lane built on basic-attack poke keeps his healing attack on its normal timer, which is why marksman supports like Ashe and Senna work here.

Never played support before? Start with the guide to LoL roles, which explains why tanks like Maokai end up there. Other champions are in the guides index (handy if Maokai isn’t the only problem in your lobby). Every Maokai cosmetic is listed on the Maokai skins page. Playing him on one lane with random teams? That’s the Maokai ARAM guide. Put simply, Maokai counters stop the root from mattering.

FAQ

Who counters Maokai the most?

Supports who block, cleanse or punish his roots, or poke with attacks: Morgana, Lulu, Janna, Ashe and Senna.

Does Morgana’s Black Shield block Maokai’s roots?

Yes, until it breaks. Black Shield absorbs magic damage and disabling effects, which covers the roots from Twisted Advance and Nature’s Grasp.

Is Maokai targetable during Twisted Advance?

No. Twisted Advance makes Maokai untargetable while he dashes to the target, and he roots the target on arrival.

Does poking Maokai with spells help him?

Partly. Sap Magic’s cooldown is reduced each time an enemy’s spell strikes him, so spell poke brings his healing attack back sooner.

How were these picks made?

From Maokai’s patch 26.21 ability descriptions set against each counter’s kit. No match statistics were used.