How to win lane as Zilean against Maokai · 53.07% win rate over 635 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even — neither support pressures the other before abilities come online. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 is a skill coinflip; both want the same spike and it's decided by who commits first. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Level 3 favours Maokai as his Sapling zoning and W pick threat outmuscle your walk-up. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Levels 4-5 stay Maokai's as his sustain and engage setup dominate the immobile lane. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | Level 6 favours Maokai — his lane-wide Nature's Grasp root converts any sapling or W into a kill. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item is even as your mana sustain and poke start neutralizing his sapling chip. |
| Two+ items | Zilean | At two-plus items you pull ahead — Chronoshift and speed peel shred his single-target dive. |
Levels 1-2 are even and skill-based — you both want the same level-2 timing, and it comes down to who dodges the other's opener. Bomb the ADC when Maokai walks up to sapling, and don't stand on placed saplings or you feed his slow.
The full Zilean 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 Zilean guide →
All Zilean support matchups →