How to win lane as Xerath against Maokai · 50.51% win rate over 586 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Xerath | You outrange Maokai's saplings at level 1 and punish every step forward. |
| Level 2 | Xerath | Your level-2 Q-E burst beats his short-range poke cleanly. |
| Level 3 | Xerath | At 3 your poke cadence out-damages his Sap Magic sustain. |
| Levels 4-5 | Xerath | Levels 4-5 let you zone him off the wave from safety. |
| Level 6 | Xerath | Your ultimate snipes him long before Nature's Grasp reaches you. |
| First item | Xerath | First item makes your combo out-trade his tanky sustain hard. |
| Two+ items | Xerath | Two items give you total lane control with only his ult to respect. |
You outrange Maokai hard at levels 1-2; his only threat is Sapling Toss, which is easily sidestepped, while your Arcanopulse punishes every step he takes toward the wave. Poke him whenever he moves to place a sapling and deny his trades.
The full Xerath 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 Xerath guide →
All Xerath support matchups →