How to win lane as Maokai against Jayce · 50.38% win rate over 131 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Maokai | Level 1 he has only his stance-shot and no combo — I can walk up and contest the wave with my single ability and superior melee body. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Even window: my W-into-Q lockdown is online but his gate-poke can still kite it if he plays max range, so it comes down to who lands first. |
| Level 3 | Jayce | He owns this once he has full acceleration-gate Q poke — he chips me faster than Sap Magic heals and I still can't reliably close the gap. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Even again: my sustain and root cooldowns let me repeat trades, but his ranged poke keeps it a skill matchup if he spaces well. |
| Level 6 | Jayce | His level-6 hammer E-knockback plus gate-burst all-in outdamages my kit — my R adds gank threat but doesn't win the straight 1v1. |
| First item | Maokai | First item flips it back: my Bami/tank line eats his poke and my shorter W cooldown lets me chain roots through his gate for the kill. |
| Two+ items | Maokai | I run him down late — no dash means one W ends him, and saplings plus Nature's Grasp let me wall and collapse while his burst bounces off my resists. |
Level 1 he only has one tool and no real burst, so I can walk up and contest the wave; my single ability beats his lone stance-shot in a brawl. The moment I hit 2-3 and have W (Twisted Advance) into Q (Bramble Smash), I punish every time he steps up to gate-poke — root him, knock him at the wide tip, and Sap Magic heals the chip right back. Don't chase his cannon-stance Q into minions, just farm at melee range and wait for him to over-extend his poke.
The full Maokai vs Jayce 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? Jayce vs Maokai guide →
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