How to win lane as Maokai against Sona · 48.32% win rate over 565 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Maokai | You spike first: Q+W lockdown threatens Sona from level 1 and she has no escape button. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | At 2 your Q-W combo locks her for a full engage before Powerchord readies. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Level 3 your CC chain and dive range still outclass her fragile poke frame. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Through 4-5 she can't stop a facechecked W and folds to your ADC follow-up. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | Your R out-ranges and out-CCs her Crescendo, forcing it defensively. |
| First item | Maokai | First item you walk her down while her thin mana pool can't fund the escape. |
| Two+ items | Sona | At 2+ items Sona's aura sustain and AoE Crescendo scaling overtake your single-target lockdown. |
You dominate levels 1-2: the instant you have Q+W you threaten a point-blank root Sona simply cannot escape without Flash, and her squishy frame folds to your ADC's follow-up. Sit on your W and punish any step forward for a Q poke.
The full Maokai vs Sona 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? Sona vs Maokai guide →
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