How to win lane as Sona against Maokai · 52.97% win rate over 555 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even: your Q out-ranges his sapling poke but his brush control offsets it. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 is even: you spike with Power Chord but Maokai matches with Bramble Smash wave zoning. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 is even: both have core abilities and neither can commit a clean all-in yet. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Levels 4-5 favour Maokai: Twisted Advance gives him a point-and-click engage you must respect. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | Level 6 favours Maokai: Nature's Grasp wall-root sets up a 2v2 all-in that wins if it lands. |
| First item | Maokai | First item favours Maokai: his engage threat still dictates lane while your scaling isn't online yet. |
| Two+ items | Sona | 2+ items favour Sona: your shields, heals, and Crescendo outvalue his single-target burst engage. |
Levels 1-2 are even skill: you have the stronger Q poke and level-2 tempo, but Maokai's saplings and Bramble Smash contest the wave and let him zone you off caster minions, so trade auras and don't get greedy into brush.
The full Sona vs Maokai 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? Maokai vs Sona guide →
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