How to win lane as Maokai against Tahm Kench · 51.78% win rate over 645 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1-2 is a skill check: your W root and his 3-stack Q stun both decide the trade. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | At 2 whoever lands point-and-click CC first wins — even, skill-dependent. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Level 3 your Sapling zone and CC chain begin out-tempoing his reactive poke. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Through 4-5 you dictate trades with W while he can only peel with Devour. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | Your R out-ranges his Abyssal Dive for lane control at 6. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item his Thick Skin and self-peel let him survive dives — even again. |
| Two+ items | Maokai | At 2+ items your R-W chain locks him before Devour and your team collapses. |
Levels 1-2 are a coin-flip skill matchup: your W root and his 3-stack Q stun are both point-and-click, so the winner is whoever lands their CC and reads the other's cooldown. Don't waste W while his Q stack is live. Level 3 tips to you as your Sapling zone and CC chain start to out-tempo his poke.
The full Maokai vs Tahm Kench 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? Tahm Kench vs Maokai guide →
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Also played in: Top Lane