How to win lane as Maokai against Tahm Kench · 50.82% win rate over 61 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Tahm Kench | Level 1 you have only one ability and no combo, and his Q tongue can stun your first step-up — concede the opener. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | W into Q knockback plus a Sap Magic heal lands your first real trade, and he has no dash to escape the root. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | With W, Q and E up you can repeat the root-poke-heal trade faster than his grey-health passive refills it. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | His percent-HP W and grey health start cancelling your chip — you trade even but can never secure the kill. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Both ults are roam tools not duel-swings; your R and his R leave lane to gank, so the 1v1 stays even. |
| First item | Even / skill | Your first tank item makes you durable and lane-stable, but his drain sustain holds the attrition to a wash. |
| Two+ items | Tahm Kench | His grey-health passive and percent-HP W out-sustain your flat tank damage and you have no execute — he wins the long game. |
Level 1 is his — you have one ability and no combo, and his Q tongue can stun you on the first step-up, so concede the opener and last-hit safe. Then Levels 2-3 flip to you: the moment W (Twisted Advance) plus Q (Bramble Smash) are online, root onto him, knock him back at the wide tip of the arc, and proc Sap Magic to heal the trade right back. He has no dash to disrespect your root, so this is the only window where your lockdown clearly out-trades his grey-health regen — use it.
The full Maokai vs Tahm Kench 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? Tahm Kench vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai top lane matchups →
Also played in: Support