How to win the jungle race as Maokai against Naafiri · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Read from Maokai's seat: the race windows this plan plays for against Naafiri.
| Stage | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Clear | Respect Naafiri | At level 1 this window belongs to Naafiri: packmates plus the Darkin Daggers bleed win the level-1 numbers game, and double Darkin Daggers bleed plus the packmate swarm wins raw early exchanges. Clear the packmates first — her damage collapses once the hounds are down. Skip the level-1 crossing and bank tempo on the opposite side of the map. |
| Level 2 Skirmish | Respect Naafiri | Double Darkin Daggers bleed plus the packmate swarm wins raw early exchanges — Maokai has no answer to that at level 2. The Hounds' Pursuit dash trade chunks anyone contesting their second buff on their half of the map too, so refuse the level-2 skirmish and answer the pressure cross-map. |
| Level 3 Route | Respect Naafiri | The full pack with W dash and Q reset bleed is a real early kill threat, and Maokai has no clean answer to it at the opening scuttle — double Darkin Daggers bleed plus the packmate swarm wins raw early exchanges. Clear the packmates first — her damage collapses once the hounds are down, and give up the first scuttle rather than the kill. |
| Levels 4-5 Macro | Respect Naafiri — Path Opposite | You lose the 4-5 duel. She roams 4-5 with the pack up, hunting lanes with a slow so the W dash cannot be walked out of — so let them have that half of the map and cash the other half faster. |
| Level 6 Breakpoint | Respect Naafiri's R | The empowered pack dive shields her engage and swarms your counter-trade — Maokai loses the straight post-6 duel. Burst the packmates mid-dive — her ult damage walks on four legs, and shift your pressure to the side of the map The Call of the Pack is not on. |
| First Item Spike | Sunfire Aegis Spike | Completing Sunfire Aegis gives you a constant area burn plus health, so camps melt while you stand in them and every extended fight with a brawler has free damage ticking on your side. Naafiri's first item is where the dagger bleed plus the pack becomes a full health bar rather than a heavy trade. |
| 2+ Items Scaling | Maokai Favoured at Full Build | Two items on, the edge is yours. The one thing to plan around is that she picks one target and the pack removes it before your team can turn — take that away and the fight is a formality. |
Start your clear at the Raptors or Wolves camp utilizing your stacked E saplings to maximize early AoE clear speed without a leash. Naafiri clears fast because the packmates fight the camp with her, and she reaches three with the pack still up.
Ranked by the race windows in Maokai's plans — the jungle race carries no win-rate sample.
The full Maokai vs Naafiri 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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Naafiri pressures 5 of the 7 windows in this race — survive the early game and scale into your windows.
Not exactly — Naafiri pressures 5 of the 7 windows, so Maokai is playing catch-up and has to lean on the map.
Playing the other side? Naafiri vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai jungle matchups →
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