How to win lane as Maokai against Yorick · 50.22% win rate (683 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Sapling his ghouls — W-root him, sustain up.
Track: Yorick's W — Dark Procession (20–12s cooldown). Traps you for ghouls. Don’t get caged.
Read from Maokai's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Yorick.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 I have only a single ability and no combo, so I concede the opener — but so does a slow-starting Yorick, so just deny his ghoul-stacked last-hits and set the wave up. |
| Level 2 | Maokai | My W (Twisted Advance) root into Q (Bramble Smash) comes online and Sap Magic heals the trade, so any step-up Yorick makes to farm gets punished before Maiden exists. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Adding E (Sapling Toss) gives me root-poke plus waveclear that denies his ghouls and Maiden, and Sap Magic out-sustains his early mist chip. |
| Levels 4-5 | Maokai | My root and Q cooldowns let me repeat the favourable trade while my E clears ghouls, so I grind down an immobile Yorick who can't punish my step-up. |
| Level 6 | Maokai | R (Nature's Grasp) only modestly helps the duel, but W-root into the bramble wall sets up a jungle dive that wins this window for me. |
| First item | Maokai | Around my Sunfire Aegis I'm durable and lane-stable — I hold even-to-favoured and deny Maiden free farm while my Sap Magic eats his poke. |
| Two+ items | Yorick | Yorick out-scales hard: a 2-item Maiden-and-ghoul swarm behind Dark Procession zones you off the wave and out-splits you — group and teamfight instead. |
Yorick is weakest exactly where you spike — Level 1 you have one ability so concede the very start, but the moment you have W into Q at Levels 2-3 you own this lane. Walk up, W-root him onto you, Q-knockback to extend the trade, and proc Sap Magic on the next auto to heal the chip right back, which beats his slow ghoul-poke before Maiden is up. Don't stand in Mourning Mist — it shreds your armour, slows you and marks you so the ghouls sprint in — and clear his graves with a Sapling Toss so they never stack.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Maokai's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Maokai vs Yorick 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 50.22% win rate over 683 games makes this a coin flip decided by play, not champion select.
Yes — Maokai vs Yorick is a genuine skill matchup: 50.22% win rate, and the favour swings window to window rather than being set at champion select.
No hard counter either way — the Maokai vs Yorick win rate is 50.22%, 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 Yorick.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Executioner's Calling (≈800g) — cuts his healing. Build Heartsteel (the HP engine) first, then Thornmail / Spirit Visage, with Plated Steelcaps.
Playing the other side? Yorick vs Maokai guide →
All Maokai top lane matchups →
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