How to win lane as Gangplank against Maokai · 49.9% win rate (487 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Barrel-poke — build MR, Q-cleanse his root.
Track: Maokai's W — Twisted Advance (14–10s cooldown). His lock-on root. Cleanse it with Q.
Read from Gangplank's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Maokai.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Maokai | Maokai's saplings and auto-attacks free-deny your low-HP kegs at level 1, and you have no waveclear or poke to answer his root-dash setup yet. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | Twisted Advance's root plus Bramble Smash's knockback chain you into a jungler collapse before your second E point, and Sap Magic out-sustains your chip. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Your second E point pokes from outside Twisted Advance's 525 range, but Sapling Toss and Sap Magic erase the chip — neither side can commit, so it's even. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | You out-range his melee Q with keg poke, yet his passive heal refills faster than you can burst pre-Sheen — a true coinflip on who lands a play. |
| Level 6 | Gangplank | Cannon Barrage zones his jungler and covers roams, and Nature's Grasp is a 130s teamfight wall rather than a duel button — this stage is yours if you respect the root. |
| First item | Gangplank | Sheen empowers Parrrley so a chained keg detonation finally out-damages his sapling and passive regen — your first clear favour window in lane. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | You out-scale him in the sidelane 1v1, but his W root onto your carry keeps him useful in fights, so the macro stays a genuine coinflip between roam and split. |
Levels 1-3 are Maokai's, not from burst but because his saplings (E) and auto-attacks free-pop your Powder Kegs before they arm, gutting your whole kit. His W is a targeted root dash that locks you for a jungle collapse, and his Q knocks you off your barrel setup. Don't place a keg where a sapling or his autos can reach it, hold W (Remove Scurvy) to cleanse the root rather than waste it on poke, and farm with the tip of Parrrley from max range.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Gangplank's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Gangplank 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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Nobody on paper — a 49.9% win rate over 487 games makes this a coin flip decided by play, not champion select.
Yes — Gangplank vs Maokai is a genuine skill matchup: 49.9% win rate, and the favour swings window to window rather than being set at champion select.
No hard counter either way — the Gangplank vs Maokai win rate is 49.9%, an even lane decided by execution.
Gangplank takes Grasp of the Undying on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand, and Resolve secondary (Bone Plating and Unflinching) vs Maokai.
Start Doran's Blade + Health Potion and back for Executioner's Calling (≈800g) — cuts his healing. Build Trinity Force (Sheen + barrel slow) first, then Infinity Edge, with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Maokai vs Gangplank guide →
All Gangplank top lane matchups →
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