How to win lane as Maokai against Alistar · 51.47% win rate over 1,057 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Maokai | You out-range Alistar's melee combo at level 1 with Q and Sapling. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | Your level-2 all-in beats him before he owns both Headbutt and Pulverize. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Around level 3 the poke-versus-engage trade is roughly even. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | At 4-5 your W-Q burst still out-trades his cow poke. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | Level 6 favours you as Nature's Grasp punishes his short walk-up before his R. |
| First item | Alistar | First item lets his unstoppable R make the W-Q flip beat your CC. |
| Two+ items | Alistar | With 2+ items his ult immunity and double knockback out-peel a lone Maokai. |
You control levels 1-2: Bramble Smash and Sapling Toss out-range Alistar's melee combo, and with your ADC you win the level-2 all-in before he owns both Headbutt and Pulverize. Twisted Advance gives you a gap-close root he can't answer while he is still a walk-up threat.
The full Maokai vs Alistar 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? Alistar vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai support matchups →