How to win lane as Gangplank against Maokai · 49.9% win rate over 487 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| 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 | His W root dash plus Q knockback can chain you into a jungler collapse before you have a second E point, and you can't trade through his early sustain. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Once your second E point lands you poke from outside his Q/W range, but his sapling and twig-heal sustain 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 | Your Cannon Barrage zones his jungler and covers roams, but his W root still threatens a collapse and R isn't a duel button — skill decides whether the dive lands. |
| 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.
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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Playing the other side? Maokai vs Gangplank guide →
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