How to win lane as Maokai against Vayne · 57.26% win rate over 124 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| 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 tank/Bami 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.
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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Playing the other side? Vayne vs Maokai guide →
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