How to win lane as Cassiopeia against Maokai · 58.33% win rate over 48 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | You have one ability and no poison stacking yet, while his Sapling-plus-Sap-Magic sustain trades you even — last-hit safely and don't step into Twisted Advance range. |
| Level 2 | Cassiopeia | With Q poison feeding Twin Fang's cooldown-and-mana refund, you out-DPS his auto-and-Sapling pokes the moment you can chain E. |
| Level 3 | Cassiopeia | A full Q-to-E poison combo plus Serpentine Grace move speed wins any extended trade his immobile kit can't escape. |
| Levels 4-5 | Cassiopeia | Ranks in Q and E let you chain near-continuous Twin Fangs while W Miasma grounds his Twisted Advance — he cannot survive a committed trade. |
| Level 6 | Cassiopeia | Petrifying Gaze stuns him out of his Advance-into-Bramble-Smash all-in and converts your won trade into a clean kill. |
| First item | Cassiopeia | Malignance or early Liandry's plus your boots-free Serpentine Grace move speed lets you poke and shove him under tower with impunity. |
| Two+ items | Cassiopeia | You still win the straight duel through his tankiness, but his real value is peel-tanking and rooting your carries — close the lane before fights decide the game. |
Maokai's only real threat early is Twisted Advance rooting you into a Bramble Smash knockback, so respect that one combo — if his W is up, poke at the edge of your Q range instead of walking into Advance range. His Saplings plus Sap Magic minion-heal just barely keep him even while you only have one ability online. The instant you have Q and E at 2-3, start priming him with Q poison and chaining Twin Fang resets; his sustain cannot out-heal your ramping poison once each tick refunds your E.
The full Cassiopeia 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 Cassiopeia guide →
All Cassiopeia top lane matchups →