Maokai is a vengeful tree giant who serves as a powerful tank champion, excelling in crowd control and team fights on Summoner's Rift.

Core Strengths:

• Multiple crowd control abilities (3 Hard CC, 1 Soft CC)
• Excellent team fight initiation and disengage
• Strong self-sustain through passive healing
• Beginner-friendly mechanics

Passive: Sap Magic Periodically empowers auto attacks to deal bonus damage and heal Maokai. Cooldown reduces when using or being hit by abilities.

Ability Order:

1. Q - Bramble Smash (Max First)

   • Deals damage and slows enemies
   • Can be Flash-buffered for surprise engages
   • Primary damage source

2. W - Twisted Advance (Max Second)

   • Root-based dash to target enemy
   • Makes Maokai untargetable during dash
   • Cannot be escaped once cast

3. E - Sapling Toss (Max Last)

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

Ultimate: Nature's Grasp Creates a wave of roots that moves forward, rooting enemies hit. Root duration increases with travel distance.

Standard Combo: E → W → AA → Q → AA

Extended Combo with Ultimate: R → E → AA → W → AA → Q → AA

Strong Against:

• Long-fight champions (Sion, Tahm Kench, Cho'Gath)
• Team compositions lacking sustained damage

Weak Against:

• Lane bullies
• Tank shredders (Quinn, Gwen, Olaf)
• High mobility champions

Key Tips:

• Use saplings for bush control and vision
• Stack CC abilities for maximum impact
• Position ultimate carefully to avoid being blocked by enemy tanks
• Leverage passive healing in extended trades
• Build tanky items that complement self-healing abilities

Maokai excels as a reliable tank who can both initiate fights and protect allies, making him an excellent choice for team-oriented players and those learning the tank role.

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