Master Yi vs Maokai — Top Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Master Yi against Maokai · 55.24% win rate over 143 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Winnable despite the lane — Maokai owns 6 of the 7 game windows to Master Yi's 1, yet the win rate favours Master Yi: survive their windows and the game is yours. Master Yi wins 55.24% of games vs Maokai in top lane (143 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1MaokaiMaokai's Twisted Advance (W) root and sustain shut down your level-1 approach.
Level 2MaokaiAt 2 his root-into-Sapling Toss (E) burst and passive healing keep you out of trades.
Level 3MaokaiLevel 3 his full W-E combo and tankiness dominate any exchange.
Levels 4-5MaokaiBy 4-5 his sustain and durability let him out-last everything you throw out.
Level 6MaokaiAt 6 he adds Nature's Grasp (R) root pressure, keeping the lane firmly his.
First itemMaokaiEven with your first item his tankiness and sustain survive your burst.
Two+ itemsMaster YiLate, attack speed and Wuju Style (E) true damage finally shred his resists and flip the matchup to you.

Early game (levels 1–5)

Maokai owns the early and mid lane — Twisted Advance (W) root into Sapling Toss (E) burst punishes any step-up, and his passive sustain refills anything you chip, so hover at Alpha Strike (Q) range, take farm, and stay outside W-root distance.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Master Yi vs Maokai 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.

Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →

🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.

Related guides

Playing the other side? Maokai vs Master Yi guide →
All Master Yi top lane matchups →