How to win lane as Bard against Maokai · 45.54% win rate over 1,401 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even since Maokai has no engage before W. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | At 2 your charged Q can stun-cancel his slow W dash, keeping it even. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Level 3 his W root reliably sets up dives you can't trade back into. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Through levels 4-5 his engage keeps out-pressuring your poke kit. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | At 6 Nature's Grasp chains into W and out-CCs your single Tempered Fate. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item is even as your poke scales while his damage plateaus. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | With 2+ items your global R and picks match his engage in teamfights. |
The first two levels are even: Maokai has no engage until W and his W is a dodgeable slow projectile, so a charged Q lets you stun him out of his own dash before he roots you. Poke his ADC with Meeps since Maokai's sustain-tank kit can't answer ranged chip, and don't facecheck brush where he can W you cleanly.
The full Bard vs Maokai report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Maokai vs Bard guide →
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