Maokai is a vengeful tree giant who excels as a CC-heavy tank in League of Legends, perfect for both engage and disengage scenarios. His straightforward kit makes him an excellent choice for beginners.

Core Strengths

• Multiple crowd control abilities (3 Hard CC, 1 Soft CC)
• Strong team fight initiation and peel potential
• Excellent sustain through passive healing
• Easy-to-land abilities

Abilities Breakdown

Passive - Sap Magic

• Auto-attacks heal Maokai every 20-30 seconds
• Cooldown reduces by 4 seconds when using or being hit by abilities
• Monster hits reduce cooldown by 1.5 seconds

Q - Bramble Smash

• Primary damage ability
• Deals magic damage and slows enemies
• Can be Flash-buffered for surprise engages
• Max this ability first

W - Twisted Advance

• Point-and-click root ability
• Makes Maokai untargetable during dash
• Follows targets through Flash/dashes
• Max this ability second

E - Sapling Toss

• Throws a sapling that guards an area
• Deals increased damage in bushes
• Provides vision control
• Max this ability last

R - Nature's Grasp

• Summons a wave of roots that snare enemies
• Root duration increases with travel distance
• Grants movement speed when hitting champions

Standard Combo E → W → AA → Q → AA

Extended Combo R → E → AA → W → AA → Q → AA

Optimal Matchups

• Strong against: Sion, Tahm Kench, Cho'Gath
• Weak against: Quinn, Gwen, Olaf

Maokai excels in extended fights where he can utilize his passive healing and multiple CC abilities effectively. He becomes particularly strong after completing two core tank items, though he may struggle against aggressive lane bullies and tank shredders early game.

This champion is most effective when played as a frontline initiator, using his reliable CC to create opportunities for his team while absorbing damage through his natural tankiness and healing abilities.

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