Malphite vs Maokai

Malphite
vs
Not enough games
Maokai
Heavy CCStrong engageVery tankyHeavy AP damage

Build vs Maokai

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Malphite: Hollow Radiance, Thornmail, Frozen Heart, Mercury's Treads, Sunfire Aegis, Kaenic Rookern, Malignance, Bramble Vest.

Starting items

Doran's Ring
Health Potion
x2

Core build

Hollow Radiance
1
Thornmail
2
Frozen Heart
3

Standard

Boots of Swiftness
4vs Slow
Sunfire Aegis
5

Summoner spells

FlashTeleport74%
FlashDot26%

Other options

Sunfire Aegis
Kaenic Rookern
Malignance
Bramble Vest
Jak'Sho, The Protean
Randuin's Omen
Unending Despair
Heartsteel
Zeke's Convergence
Stormsurge
Shadowflame
Abyssal Mask
Iceborn Gauntlet
Oblivion Orb
Force of Nature
Dark Seal
Tear of the Goddess
50.0% WR6 games
ResolveResolve
Grasp of the UndyingGrasp of the Undying
Shield BashShield Bash
ConditioningConditioning
OvergrowthOvergrowth
SorcerySorcery
TranscendenceTranscendence
Manaflow BandManaflow Band
Attack SpeedHealth ScalingHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Maokai's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Sap Magic (P)

Maokai's basic attack also heals him and deals additional damage on a moderate cooldown. Each time Maokai casts a spell or is struck by an enemy's spell, this cooldown is reduced.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
37s14s18s–
66s14s18s2m10
95s13s18s2m10
115s12s18s1m50
165s10s16s1m30
185s10s14s1m30

Playing as Malphite

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Wait for them to group for R

    Save Unstoppable Force (R) for when the enemy carries are grouped: nothing stops your charge, and the impact knocks every enemy in the area into the air.

  2. Steal speed with Seismic Shard

    Cast Seismic Shard (Q) before engaging or to escape: it slows the target and gives you the speed it steals.

  3. Trade with your shield up

    Take your trades while Granite Shield (passive) is up: it absorbs 10% of your max health, and Thunderclap (W) then triples your bonus armor.

  4. Ground Slam against attackers

    Against a champion who lives on autos, start your trades with Ground Slam (E): it lowers their attack speed, and its damage scales with your armor.

Playing against Maokai

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Watch out for brush

    Watch out for the brush near him: Sapling Toss (E) lasts longer there, explodes wider and slows more.

  2. No targeted spells during his dash

    Don't cast targeted spells during Twisted Advance (W): he's untargetable during the dash, then roots you when he arrives.

  3. Don't waste time on him

    In teamfights, go for his carries instead: each spell Maokai takes lowers the cooldown of Sap Magic (passive), which heals him on his next auto.

  4. Get out of his wall's path

    Get out of the path of Nature's Grasp (R): the wall moves slowly, and the root lasts longer if it has traveled a long way.

Patch 16.21.1