How to win lane as Maokai against Master Yi · 44.76% win rate over 143 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Maokai | Your W root and passive sustain shut down his level-1 approach — he cannot even start a trade. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | At 2, W root into sapling burst plus Sap Magic healing keeps him out of every exchange. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Level 3 your full W-E combo and raw tankiness dominate any trade he takes. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | By 4-5 your sustain and durability out-last everything he throws — he runs out of resources first. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | At 6 you add R's root pressure on top and the lane stays firmly yours — he cannot approach through three layers of CC. |
| First item | Maokai | Even at his first item your tankiness and sustain absorb the burst — keep rooting, keep healing. |
| Two+ items | Master Yi | Late his attack speed and Wuju true damage finally shred your resists — the matchup flips, so stop taking the 1v1. |
Bully him without mercy: W's root stops his approach at level 1, and root-into-sapling backed by Sap Magic healing wins every trade through 3. Zone him off CS whenever W is up — he has no answer to your combo until items arrive, so make his early game as poor as you possibly can.
The full Maokai vs Master Yi 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? Master Yi vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai top lane matchups →