How to win the jungle race as Nidalee against Maokai · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Read from Nidalee's seat: the race windows this plan plays for against Maokai.
| Stage | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Clear | Nidalee Favoured | Max-range Javelin poke decides who enters the scuttle fight healthy. Sapling Toss bush-bombs poke contests for free, so this is an edge and not a blowout — take the level-1 crossing only with the HP and cooldown lead. |
| Level 2 Skirmish | Nidalee Favoured | Pounce-reset cat clears let you out-tempo and kite the slower kits, but Twisted Advance root trades keep skirmishes on their schedule. You still win the straight exchange on the second camp; keep it short, keep it decisive, and keep the scuttle line yours. |
| Level 3 Route | Nidalee Favoured | The spear-hunt-pounce execute pattern wins any fight you start at range. Maokai can make it awkward — Twisted Advance's untargetable root locks you down for the counter-trade — but not as the first scuttle timer lands. Trade, then walk away with the first scuttle and the gank window behind it. |
| Levels 4-5 Macro | Even — Farm & Track | Levels 4-5 are a stalemate vs Maokai — match their clear speed, keep river vision, and bank gold for the level-6 window instead of coin-flipping. |
| Level 6 Breakpoint | Respect Maokai's R | A forest of roots arrives ahead of every objective contest — Nidalee loses the straight post-6 duel. Flank around the root wave — it is slow and dodgeable from the side, and shift your pressure to the side of the map Nature's Grasp is not on. |
| First Item Spike | Lich Bane / Shadowflame Spike | Completing your core item triggers a massive magical damage and burst 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 | Respect Maokai Late — End Early | Maokai out-stats you from two items on — stop taking straight 1v1s, close through objectives and picks, and keep the game on a clock. |
Start your clear at the Red Buff camp to maximize early clear speed and health retention via E heal 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 Nidalee's plans — the jungle race carries no win-rate sample.
The full Nidalee 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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No clear favourite — Nidalee holds 4 windows, Maokai 2, the rest are even.
Yes — Nidalee vs Maokai plays as a skill matchup: the jungle race swings window to window, and the better first clear usually sets the tone.
Playing the other side? Maokai vs Nidalee guide →
All Nidalee jungle matchups →
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