How to win lane as Maokai against Master Yi · 44.76% win rate (143 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Read from Maokai's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Master Yi.
This is Maokai's own plan; across 143 pooled games the lane is Master Yi-favoured.
| 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, Twisted Advance into Sapling Toss plus Sap Magic 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 Nature's Grasp adds a 3000-range root on top — he cannot approach through three layers of CC, and Alpha Strike is 20s. |
| First item | Maokai | Even at his first item your resists absorb the burst — but Wuju Style's true damage ignores them. |
| Two+ items | Master Yi | Late, Wuju Style's true damage ignores every resist you bought and Highlander is 85s — stop taking the 1v1. |
Bully him without mercy: Twisted Advance roots his approach at level 1, and root-into-Sapling Toss backed by Sap Magic healing wins every trade through 3. Zone him off CS whenever W is up — his Alpha Strike is a 20s escape, not an answer, so make his early game as poor as you possibly can.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Maokai's side, sampled July 2026.
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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Master Yi — Maokai wins only 44.76% of 143 games, so Maokai plays this as the disadvantaged side.
Not really — Master Yi holds a real statistical advantage (55.24% win rate), so Maokai is the one working uphill.
No — Master Yi counters Maokai (Maokai wins only 44.76% of games). Play it as the disadvantaged side and lean on the windows in the plan.
Playing the other side? Master Yi vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai top lane matchups →
More Maokai top lane matchups: vs Locke · vs Lucian · vs Malphite · vs Mel · vs Mordekaiser · vs Nasus