How to win lane as Maokai against Sion · 56.05% win rate over 157 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | You both have only one ability and he can charge a Q knockup — don't walk into the wide swing or his AOE, just farm the stage out. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | Your W-pull into Q knockback comes online and Sap Magic heals the trade — punish his immobile step-up. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Adding E (Sapling Toss) lets you zone and repeat W-Q trades his E shield-break poke can't out-damage. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Your root cooldowns and constant Passive healing grind him down while his shield (W) sits on cooldown. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | Nature's Grasp roots his escape-less body from range — a clean gank setup even if it's only a modest 1v1 spike. |
| First item | Maokai | Your Bami/sustain line keeps you durable and your W-Q trades chunk him faster than he heals. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Both tanks flatten out — he becomes a teamfight engage with his charged Q, so neither solo-kills and the lane goes even. |
Level 1 is a wash — you have one ability and he can just charge a Q knockup, so don't facecheck into a fully-charged swing or his AOE detonation. The lane flips the moment you hit 2: W-pull onto him, Q-knockback at the wide arc, and proc Sap Magic to heal back whatever his E shield-break chipped off. He's immobile and can't escape your W, so every step-up he takes to last-hit is a free trade for you. Dodge the charged Q and you win the early outright.
The full Maokai vs Sion 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? Sion vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai top lane matchups →