Astronaut Maokai

First time I saw Astronaut Maokai load into my game I genuinely laughed. A giant tree in a spacesuit. Riot could have phoned this in and made it a joke skin, but they actually committed to the concept hard enough that it works. Been running this as my default Maokai skin since around mid-season 11 and honestly its grown on me more than I expected for an Epic tier cosmetic.

How the skin actually plays

The model is where most of the budget went. Maokai’s bark texture is replaced with this smooth astronaut suit material, white and orange panels, a helmet with a visor that shows his glowing eyes underneath. His saplings get tiny space helmets too. Tiny helmets on saplings. That alone sold me.

Q slam has this spacey blue-green shockwave effect that reads cleaner than base in teamfights. Not gonna lie, the W root-dash VFX is subtle but the cosmic particle trail looks solid when you’re diving the backline. E saplings leave behind little star trails when they chase, and the ult sends out these space-debris roots across the ground. Nothing groundbreaking for 1350 RP but the VFX package is consistent across all abilities.

The recall animation is the highlight for me. Maokai plants a flag on the moon surface, full Neil Armstrong energy. Played maybe 40 games of support Maokai last patch specifically because I wanted to see that recall animation more. Worth it? Probably not for my LP. Voice lines stay base, no new VO, which is standard for this price point.

(Random aside: my duo partner calls this skin “Space Broccoli” and now I cant unhear it.)

The Astronaut line and release context

Astronaut Maokai dropped July 1, 2021. Mid-season 11. The Astronaut skinline is one of Riot’s more wholesome thematic sets. Corki, Bard, Veigar, Gnar all got Astronaut skins at various points. Maokai fits the vibe surprisingly well because his bulky silhouette translates into this chunky spaceman look that reads clearly on the Rift.

Terence ‘Terrylefruit’ Cantal and West Studio handled the artwork. They captured something playful in the splash without making it feel like a meme skin. Maokai floating in zero gravity with saplings orbiting around him. Clean composition.

8 chromas total. Tanzanite is my go-to, the deep purple on the suit panels gives it a more serious vibe compared to base. Sapphire runs a close second if you want that classic NASA blue aesthetic. Catseye is bright yellow and honestly looks like a hazmat suit, which is either a plus or minus depending on your taste. Could be wrong here but I think Ruby might be the most popular one I see in my Diamond games, people love red chromas across the board.

Maokai mains, should you grab this?

Real verdict: Astronaut Maokai is a solid mid-tier Epic skin. 1350 RP feels fair for what you get. The VFX are clean, the model is creative, the recall slaps. It doesnt reach the level of something like Meowkai for pure personality, but it’s a more polished product visually.

If you play Maokai support or jungle regularly, this skin earns its spot in your rotation. I keep coming back to this over Worldbreaker and Victorious honestly. The sapling helmets alone add enough charm to every bush check, every lane brush setup, every dragon pit trap. Last week around 1 AM I was spamming saplings in the enemy jungle and my Kayn pinged the little helmeted saplings like six times. People notice this skin.

Might be overthinking it but Maokai doesn’t have a massive skin catalog, so your options are limited anyway. Between this, Meowkai, and Victorious (if you have it), Astronaut is the cleanest modern option. Shop has it, permanent availability, no vault shenanigans. Top pick for Maokai mains who want something fresh without going full silly. The space theme just works on a tree. Simple change – huge impact on how the champion feels in game.