How to win lane as Tahm Kench against Maokai · 49.29% win rate over 635 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even because both of you lack the range to threaten before abilities scale. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 stays a skill matchup since your Q-slow trade and his W-root trade cancel out. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Level 3 favours Maokai as sapling poke plus W root give him lane initiative. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Levels 4-5 favour Maokai because his root-and-poke pattern chunks your ADC repeatedly. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | Level 6 favours Maokai since Nature's Grasp adds objective zoning you can't match. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item is even as your Thick Skin healing catches you back up to his poke. |
| Two+ items | Tahm Kench | Two items in favours Tahm Kench because Devour and grey-health outscale his single-target engage. |
Levels 1-2 are a skill dance: Maokai wants to land his W root to start a trade while you want to bait it and answer with Q slow, and neither of you deletes the other, so play around cooldowns.
The full Tahm Kench 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.
Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.
Playing the other side? Maokai vs Tahm Kench guide →
All Tahm Kench support matchups →
Also played in: Top Lane