Who counters Maokai in Wild Rift?

Maokai's strongest Jungle counters in Wild Rift are Olaf, Lillia, Graves, Kindred, and Shyvana. For example, Olaf: Olaf can ignore Maokai's roots and displacement while his ultimate is active, undermining the control that usually protects a carry. Kite with the team, avoid extending the duel through that window, and use your root after the immunity ends.

Who is Maokai good against in Wild Rift?

Maokai is a favorable matchup into Evelynn, Kha'Zix, Rengar, Fizz, and Master Yi in the Jungle role. For example, Evelynn: Maokai can check an approach with saplings and use a targeted root after Evelynn reveals herself to commit damage. Stay near the ally she wants to burst, and hold your control rather than chasing her unseen through the jungle.

Wild Rift Guides

Maokai Jungle

Maokai jungle counters include Olaf, Lillia, and Graves. See the best build, runes, matchups, and game plan for Wild Rift Patch 7.3A.

How to play

Start stacking health with Heartsteel Cycle your 1st ability and attacks on camps, using nearby brush for saplings when practical. Rush Heartsteel and collect charged attacks during safe ganks while keeping up with your camp clears.
Root when your laner can follow Approach close enough for your 2nd ability, then knock the target toward allies with your 1st ability. Do not commit under a tower without a plan.
Set up objectives before they start Place saplings in useful bushes and move with your team. Send your ultimate through an entrance to control the enemy approach while preserving Smite.

Guide author

Royal

Royal has reached Rank 1 in EU and NA, and Legend and Sovereign on the Chinese server. Created by Royal with input from high elo and professional players and the WildRiftGuides Discord community.

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Strengths

Targeted root creates dependable gank setup when the laner can provide damage.
Saplings and long-range roots help control objective entrances before a fight.
Repeated spell casts and passive healing support a durable frontline role.

Weaknesses

Damage is limited without allied follow-up, especially before completed items.
Early invaders can steal tempo when his nearby lanes cannot move.
Crowd-control immunity and kiting damage can bypass much of his defensive value.

Why this build

Heartsteel comes first to build long-term health from safe ganks and skirmishes. Iceborn Gauntlet follows with armor, haste and a Spellblade slow that extends Maokai's control after the root. Thornmail, Force of Nature and Twinguard turn that base into a durable objective front line. Sunfire Aegis is a situational alternative to Iceborn when sustained area damage is more useful than the slow field.

Starting Item

Ruby Crystal Early health gives Maokai room to finish his first clear and approach a gank without arriving too low to use his targeted root.

Boots

Armored Advance Armor and health, which let him survive the trade his own root starts.

Core Build

Heartsteel Buy first to start building permanent health through champion fights. Maokai's targeted root helps him stay close until the charged attack is ready; collect it during safe ganks without abandoning camp income to chase stacks. Iceborn Gauntlet Buy second for armor, ability haste and Spellblade damage after a cast. Follow Maokai's root with an attack to create the slow field, keeping the target within allied reach after the root expires. Thornmail Build this against healing. The Grievous Wounds applies from your own damage as well as when they attack you, so his roots and saplings keep it applied. Force of Nature Build this when the enemy team has two or more AP champions. The move speed also helps him close before his W (2nd) is up. Amaranth's Twinguard Finish with mixed defenses for repeated objective fights. Maokai's control and passive healing help him remain in combat long enough to activate the extra durability.

Situational Items

Sunfire Aegis Replace Iceborn Gauntlet when sustained area damage and faster camp clears matter more than the extra slow. Heartsteel's bonus health strengthens the burn while Maokai stays beside monsters or melee opponents. Frozen Heart Replace Thornmail against attack-speed carries when anti-heal is less important. Maokai's root puts him close enough to apply the attack-speed reduction, while armor, mana and haste support repeated control spells. Hollow Radiance Replace Iceborn Gauntlet against a magic-heavy enemy team when Maokai also needs area damage for camps and close-range fights. The magic resistance covers a threat that the default second item's armor cannot answer. Randuin's Omen Replace Thornmail against multiple crit carries when anti-heal is less important. Maokai's root places him directly in their attack range, where the reduction matters. Liandry's Torment Replace Heartsteel when the team needs more magic damage into high-health opponents and already has enough frontline durability. Maokai's repeated spell hits keep pressure on a rooted tank. Yordle Trap Replace Heartsteel when an inexpensive utility spike is more useful than long-term stacking. Maokai's slows and roots enable allied attack speed during a gank or objective fight. Gargoyle Stoneplate Replace a late defensive slot when Maokai must absorb several enemies after using his root. The shield helps him live long enough to trigger another passive heal. Chainlaced Crushers Boot swap against heavy magic damage and crowd control, which is what peels him off the target he rooted.

Situational choices

Sunfire Aegis replaces Iceborn Gauntlet for more area damage and camp-clear speed, while Hollow Radiance takes that slot against heavy magic damage. Frozen Heart replaces Thornmail against attack-speed carries when anti-heal is less important. Use Yordle Trap instead of Heartsteel for a cheaper early utility spike, or Liandry's Torment when your draft needs more damage against health stacking. Your role remains objective control and reliable follow-up rather than solo-carry dueling.

Keystone

Ice Overlord Maokai's targeted root starts a slowing zone that makes the ganked target easier for his laner to keep attacking after the root ends.

Primary Runes

Courage of the Colossus The shield activates as Maokai immobilizes a champion, protecting the moment Twisted Advance (2nd) commits him to the enemy's position. Bone Plating This reduces the first champion combo when Maokai contests an entrance or counterganks. It does not reduce the damage of normal jungle monsters. Overgrowth Regular camp clears develop Maokai's health pool for later frontline fights, supporting the durability his passive healing needs to remain useful.

Secondary Runes

Legend: Haste Basic ability haste helps Maokai cycle his root and knockback more often once he has reached the enemy carry or needs to peel repeatedly.

Situational Runes

Transcendence Take this over Legend: Haste when your planned fights rely more on Maokai's overall spell access, including his ultimate, than on basic-ability haste alone. Perseverance Take this over Overgrowth against heavy crowd control that prevents Maokai from attacking to use his passive heal after the first engage. Revitalize Take this over Overgrowth when the team has strong allied healing or shielding and you plan to keep Maokai alive through repeated passive-heal cycles.

Main Summoner Spells

Flash Flash helps Maokai reach targeted-root range or place himself on the correct side of a caught enemy for the follow-up knockback. Smite You are playing Jungle, you always take Smite. Maokai's control helps keep opponents away from the pit, but it does not replace the need to preserve Smite for the secure.

Skill Priority Order

1st Ability
2nd Ability
3rd Ability

Maokai Jungle Counters

Who counters Maokai Jungle in Wild Rift (WR)? These champions beat Maokai in the jungle matchup, with how each one wins. Learn to play around them or ban them in ranked.

Olaf: Olaf can ignore Maokai's roots and displacement while his ultimate is active, undermining the control that usually protects a carry. Kite with the team, avoid extending the duel through that window, and use your root after the immunity ends.
Lillia: Lillia's movement speed and repeated percentage-health spell damage make it difficult for Maokai to stay in useful root range. Do not chase her across open river; approach through a warded side angle and use allied control to limit her exit.
Graves: Graves can pressure Maokai's early camps and kite the slow walk into targeted-root range. Ward entrances, path toward lanes that can move, and avoid contesting a camp alone when smoke and ranged attacks already control the space.
Kindred: Kindred can invade with ranged attacks, hop away from Maokai's approach, and delay a kill with the protective ultimate. Group to contest marked camps and save the knockback to move a target out of the protected area when the angle allows it.
Shyvana: Shyvana can clear quickly and punish Maokai's health stacking with sustained damage once she commits to a fight. Do not spend every spell on an unsupported duel; track her objective route and use your control to let teammates damage her safely.

Champions Maokai Is Strong Against

Maokai's best matchups in Wild Rift. Maokai holds an edge against these picks in the jungle role, so look to press the advantage and contest objectives.

Evelynn: Maokai can check an approach with saplings and use a targeted root after Evelynn reveals herself to commit damage. Stay near the ally she wants to burst, and hold your control rather than chasing her unseen through the jungle.
Kha'Zix: Maokai can deny an easy isolated reset by standing with his carry and rooting Kha'Zix after he commits his leap. Do not extend that advantage into solo jungle duels; keep teammates close and chain the knockback after the root ends.
Rengar: Rengar must enter close range to finish a leap, giving Maokai a useful root and knockback target beside the threatened carry. Avoid fighting alone near repeated brush jumps and save follow-up control for after Rengar spends his empowered defensive cast.
Fizz: Maokai can hold targeted control until Fizz becomes targetable again, limiting the follow-up after his first evasive cast. Stay with your damage dealer, avoid wasting the root during untargetability, and peel the landing rather than chasing through fog.
Master Yi: Maokai can root Master Yi after he exits his untargetable attack and then layer a knockback while allies focus him. Keep those spells for the committed carry threat, because trading a full control chain on a tank leaves Yi room to find resets.

Early Game

Use Bramble Smash (1st) and basic attacks to clear, placing Sapling Toss (3rd) into a nearby brush when it helps the camp or guards an entrance. Position so the knockback does not pull monsters out of the area you intend to clear. Path toward a lane that can follow Twisted Advance (2nd), and buy Heartsteel components on the first useful recall. Once it is complete, collect charged attacks during realistic ganks rather than forcing fights solely for stacks. If the enemy invades with lane priority, trade toward the other side or ask for help instead of donating a kill with the camp.

Mid Game

Arrive at the next objective early enough to place saplings and let them cover likely approaches. Move with your support or a pushing laner to establish vision, then threaten a root from a flank the enemy must respect. Use Nature's Grasp (Ult) to cut off an entrance before the opponent is already inside the pit, and keep Smite available for the monster rather than spending everything on a chase.

Late Game

Protect vision around Baron and Elder without walking beyond the allies who supply your damage. Maokai can hold space, but he cannot secure a fight by repeatedly rooting a tank while the enemy carry attacks freely. Keep enough health to survive the first engage and trigger Sap Magic (Passive) with an attack when it is ready.

Teamfights

Choose a reachable carry or a diver threatening your own backline. Twisted Advance (2nd) commits Maokai to the target, so check the surrounding enemies before casting; follow with Bramble Smash (1st) to displace them toward allied damage or away from your carry. Use the ultimate across an escape or entry route and space your control instead of overlapping every root immediately.

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