How to win lane as Akali against Maokai · 47.21% win rate over 159 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Maokai | You have only Q and no Shroud — his targeted Twisted Advance roots you the instant you step up to last-hit. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | His sapling and Bramble Smash knockback zone you off CS while you still can't fight back without Shroud or R. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Even as you max Q, his passive sustain heals your poke and his root answers any trade you start. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Shroud comes online, but he still wins the even brawl with early tank stats and passive healing unless you time it perfectly to deny his W. |
| Level 6 | Akali | R gives you a missing-health execute and a gap-close — bait his W, then E-R to finish or roam, your one real window. |
| First item | Even / skill | Rocketbelt into Lich Bane gives you burst to punish his W being down, but his tank items keep it a genuine contest, not a free kill. |
| Two+ items | Maokai | He out-scales hard: full-tank Maokai is unkillable by single-target burst and his point-and-click root sets up your death every fight. |
Maokai trades evenly into almost anyone, and with only Q you have nothing to fight back levels 1-3 — no Shroud, no R. His Twisted Advance is a targeted root-dash, so the moment you walk up to throw a Five Point Strike he can lock you, Bramble Smash you back, and let his sapling and passive heal grind you down. Last-hit at max Q range, eat the poke, and don't dump E chasing him — if your only gap-closer whiffs you're stuck in his root range with no escape.
The full Akali 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 Akali guide →
All Akali top lane matchups →