How to win lane as Maokai against Tryndamere · 51.61% win rate over 93 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Tryndamere | Tryndamere can mock-duel your single ability at level 1 and start banking Fury — you have no combo yet, so concede the opener. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | Your W root plus Q knockback lands before crit comes online and Sap Magic heals the spin — you out-trade him here. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | With E added you root, knock back, and slow him while Passive heals the autos; he can't beat a repeated W-Q trade pre-crit. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Your sustain and root cooldowns let you repeat favorable trades and set the perfect gank on an immobile Trynd. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | His Undying Rage refunds Fury and survives at 1 HP for 5s, so your all-in and jungler stop converting — it's even now. |
| First item | Even / skill | Your Sunfire/Bami line keeps you durable and lane-stable, but his crit and E resets start letting him spin-kite your Q to a draw. |
| Two+ items | Tryndamere | Crit-stacked Tryndamere out-DPSes your flat tank damage and kites your Q with E/W — play for teamfight CC, not the duel. |
Level 1 he can mock-fight you, but you concede it anyway with one ability — don't trade into his Fury build-up early. The lane turns at 2-3: walk up, W (Twisted Advance) roots him in place, Q (Bramble Smash) knocks him back out of spin range, and your Sap Magic proc heals the autos he lands. He can't out-sustain a rooted-and-poked trade before crit, so repeat that W-Q on cooldown and deny his Fury from ever capping.
The full Maokai vs Tryndamere 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? Tryndamere vs Maokai guide →
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