How to win lane as Maokai against Vayne · 49.51% win rate (509 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Her %true shreds your HP — W-root her, all-in early.
Track: Vayne's E — Condemn (20–12s cooldown). Wall-stun. Don’t get pinned.
Read from Maokai's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Vayne.
This is Maokai's own plan; across 509 pooled games the lane is even.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | You only have one ability and she has Q tumble to dodge it, so neither of you wins clean — deny her last-hits and set up your spike. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | W into Q lands your first full trade and Sap Magic heals it back before her Silver Bolts can stack and out-chip you. |
| Level 3 | Maokai | Adding E saplings gives you waveclear and zone control so you can shove and trade on your terms before she has invis to escape. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | Your short W root cooldown plus constant Sap Magic healing out-sustains her pre-item poke through this stretch. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | R (Nature's Grasp) gives you a long-range root to set up ganks and catch her, even if it doesn't win the straight 1v1. |
| First item | Maokai | Your Sunfire Aegis first item keeps you durable and lane-stable while her damage hasn't scaled enough to kite you yet. |
| Two+ items | Vayne | Her W true damage ignores your resistances and Q-invis + E condemn kite you — she outscales hard, so play for teamfights, not the duel. |
Level 1 is even-ish — you have one ability and she has Q tumble, so don't overstep before your combo exists. The lane turns at 2-3: once you have W (Twisted Advance) plus Q (Bramble Smash) you can root her, swing through the knockback, and proc Sap Magic to heal back whatever Silver Bolts chip you took. Bait her E (Condemn) — if she burns it to cancel your W, you get a free trade window; if she holds it, walk up behind minions so she can't stun you into a wall.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Maokai's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Maokai vs Vayne 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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Nobody on paper — a 49.51% win rate over 509 games makes this a coin flip decided by play, not champion select.
Yes — Maokai vs Vayne is a genuine skill matchup: 49.51% win rate, and the favour swings window to window rather than being set at champion select.
No hard counter either way — the Maokai vs Vayne win rate is 49.51%, an even lane decided by execution.
Maokai takes Grasp of the Undying on the Resolve tree with Demolish, Second Wind and Overgrowth, and Precision secondary (Triumph and Legend: Haste) vs Vayne.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Core component + boots (≈1300g). Build Heartsteel (the HP engine) first, then Thornmail / Spirit Visage, with Plated Steelcaps.
Playing the other side? Vayne vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai top lane matchups →
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