How to win the jungle race as Lee Sin against Maokai · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Read from Lee Sin's seat: the race windows this plan plays for against Maokai.
| Stage | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Clear | Lee Sin Dominant | Flurry-weaving between Q casts gives a level-1 trade few champions match. Sapling Toss bush-bombs poke contests for free, and before either of you has a second camp down that is not an answer. Take the level-1 crossing and make Maokai path away from the camps you want. |
| Level 2 Skirmish | Lee Sin Dominant | The second skill point doubles your trade pattern — Q-W or Q-E both chunk hard. There is no version of this Maokai wins right now — Twisted Advance root trades keep skirmishes on their schedule, and that folds on the second camp. Show on their side of the river and take the second buff and the tempo that comes with it. |
| Level 3 Route | Lee Sin Dominant | The full E-slow, Q-execute, W-shield kit is at its proportionally strongest point. Later in the game this bites, because Twisted Advance's untargetable root locks you down for the counter-trade. But as the first scuttle timer lands none of it is online, so take the level-3 river fight and tax every camp Maokai concedes. |
| Levels 4-5 Macro | Lee Sin Dominant — Keep Fighting | Nothing about 4-5 helps Maokai here: he plays 4-5 through sapling vision and root ganks into lanes that already hold the wave, while you can take any duel you can reach. Invade on the clear-timer, not on a whim. |
| Level 6 Breakpoint | Dragon's Rage Favoured | The Dragon's Rage kick into a Q re-cast adds real burst to an already complete kit, while Nature's Grasp roots the whole river. You win the breakpoint against Maokai, not the whole game — cash it on the first objective after both sides hit six. |
| First Item Spike | Eclipse / Profane Hydra Spike | Completing your core item triggers a massive physical damage and shielding multiplier that completely overpowers traditional brawlers or assassin targets. Maokai's first item mostly buys health and cooldowns — his spike is durability, not damage, and it arrives early. |
| 2+ Items Scaling | Danger — Maokai Outscales | The clock is your enemy. He is a root wall with a health bar — hard to kill, and the whole river is his zone, so close the game on the first two objectives you actually win. |
Start your clear at the Red Buff camp to maximize early health retention via W lifesteal loops before executing a fast 3-camp clear straight into an aggressive lane gank or invade path. Maokai clears comfortably with Sap Magic sustain and saplings, and he is close to full health at every crossing.
Ranked by the race windows in Lee Sin's plans — the jungle race carries no win-rate sample.
The full Lee Sin vs Maokai report continues with scuttle & dragon rules, invade windows and safety boundaries, the top-side objective fight, macro rotations and the win condition — plus the live enemy-jungle tracker that shows their start, clear and gank timers in game.
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Lee Sin's race plan controls 6 of the 7 windows — Lee Sin holds the tempo advantage in this jungle matchup.
Not exactly — Lee Sin's race plan controls 6 of the 7 windows, so Maokai is playing catch-up and has to lean on the map.
Lee Sin takes Conqueror on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand, and Inspiration secondary (Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight) vs Maokai.
Start Gustwalker Hatchling + Health Potion and back for Long Sword + Tier-1 boots — back ~1300g, gank on the way out. Build Eclipse / Profane Hydra first, then Sundered Sky / Black Cleaver, with Plated Steelcaps / Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Maokai vs Lee Sin guide →
All Lee Sin jungle matchups →
More Lee Sin jungle matchups: vs Kindred · vs Lillia · vs Locke · vs Master Yi · vs Morgana · vs Naafiri