Magnificent Guide to Maokai Support
Intro
Hello, I am DDOSS, I am grandmaster on the NA ladder and I picked up maokai support last season.
When? Why? Maokai!
Maokai is a great choice when you have to cc a carry that has a ton of mobility and peel. You can't dodge or peel his w! Ezreal cant e out of his ult! Janna cant knock him up or away during w... you catch my drift. Your q is also great at making their front line perma cc'ed. Maokais dissengage with 3 s cd q is great too. Maokai also has very few bad matchups, this makes him a great blind pick.
Runes
- Rune Page
Not going to go too in depth into this but I will say that biscuits help way more than you would think with mana, you will go oom quick throwing saplings. Cosmic insight helps a lot too because you are a way better champ with your flash up, like literally impossible to dodge a gank when maokai flash w you.
Skill Path
- Skill Path
Maokai
Start w so you can invade or proc aftershock if you need. maxing q because its insane how low of a cd this gets.
Items
Start
Steel shoulderguards are good because maokais base attack speed is wack high, but if you are laning against a squishy support the burst from relic shield is better.
Early
Prioritize mobility early to get within w range, unless you are getting stomped, then get tanky first.
Mythics
Locket when you need to protect carries from burst, you will go this 80% of the time. Evenshroud when you are playing deathball and want more burst (samira, trist, etc). Shurelya if you arent concerned with getting insanely tanky and want easier engage.
Other
Building tank boots are good too if you need the resistances. Rushing thornmail, deadmans, or force of nature are better than mythic sometimes. Gotta feel it out. Knights vow is good if you have a hyper carry that needs more help. Zekes is good if you want more damage output. Anathema's is great if you just want health and cdr and they have either a hypercarry or a single damage type (Only ap is kass, hes getting fed, you dont wanna waste money on mr just for one champ, buy this). I usually only get omen if they have 3 or more critters (Graves jg, yas mid, jhin adc)
Matchups and Synergies
Maokai is good into almost everyone except poke lane. Maokai's passive reduces cd when he gets hit by enemy spells, this makes him good into mage botlanes, and ez.
- Matchups
- Synergies
Tips and Tricks
- When you engage with w position yourself behind them so you q knocks them into your team
- Your E gives vision is bush use them as extra wards
- Try to flank them with your ult from behind, its very difficult to dodge
- When diving towers first gain agro with q knockback or ulti to get aftershock so you can save w to drop agro
- Your q can stop most dashes (leona e, zac e, etc)
- A point blank ult isnt bad
- You can escape over walls to jg creeps with w, use e, ult, or ward for vision
- Be careful w'ing if they have a long dash, they may be baiting you to your death!
- Pay Attention to your passive when looking to re-engage. It is very unexpected, especially late game.
- In teamfights, if you have the mana, make sure your using your saplings on cd, as it reduces passive cd faster.
My maokai montage!