How to win lane as Maokai against Rakan · 51.01% win rate over 839 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even — neither of you has a committal engage online yet. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | You spike at 2 — Q plus Sapling is a real knockup all-in before Rakan's escape exists. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 is skill-based as Rakan gets W but you still threaten the punish on its cooldown. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Levels 4-5 favor you — your engage lands while his mobility isn't yet backed by ult. |
| Level 6 | Rakan | At 6 Rakan's W-into-R chain-charm engage and escape outclass your single-target W. |
| First item | Rakan | With his first item Rakan's roam and reset tempo make picks faster than you can answer. |
| Two+ items | Rakan | By two-plus items Rakan's mobility and charm utility outvalue your slow frontline in fights. |
Level 1 is even, but you own level 2 — Q into Sapling knockup-slow gives you an all-in Rakan can't answer before his W escape exists, so step up hard the moment his W is down. Pre-6 he's a low-range poke support with no disengage, and every W he burns to reposition is a free window for your W-Q.
The full Maokai vs Rakan 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? Rakan vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai support matchups →