How to win lane as Maokai against Karma · 53.43% win rate over 1,299 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Karma | Karma's level-1 Mantra empowers RQ to root and poke you before you can engage. |
| Level 2 | Karma | Karma's early Q and RQ poke keep chunking you through Sap Magic at level 2. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | By level 3 it evens out: you contest the wave while she still out-pokes, so it's skill. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 stay even as your zoning trades against her shields and sustained poke. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | At 6 your Nature's Grasp gives an engage Karma's utility ult can't escape, flipping the lane to you. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item keeps it a skill trade: landing W through her RE shield decides the fight. |
| Two+ items | Maokai | Late, your engage range and CC chain overpower Karma's poke-only, no-disengage kit. |
Karma out-points you at levels 1-2 thanks to her level-1 Mantra: empowered RQ roots and chunks you from range while your saplings barely heal it back. Don't over-step to W her, farm safely, and accept you're behind on poke until your ult comes online.
The full Maokai vs Karma 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? Karma vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai support matchups →
Also played in: Top Lane