Maokai Jungle Build, Best Paths & Clearing Guide for Patch 26.7
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RDiscover the best Maokai jungle build for League of Legends Patch 26.7. Learn optimal jungle paths, Maokai build runes & items, skill order, counters and explore our pathing guide to maximize your winrate in the Season 16 meta.
Jungle Trends
Highest Winrate First Camp
Red Brambleback (51.8%)
Most Popular First Camp
Red Brambleback (71.9%)
Top 3 Highest Winrate Paths
Top 3 Highest Popularity Paths
Maokai Tips and Tricks
- Maokai has insane amounts of crowd control, rendering him an exceptional ganking jungler, even as early as level two.
- While walking around the map, always use Sapling Toss to gain free vision around important areas.
- Maokai's primary role revolves around using crowd control on high-priority targets and peeling for his carries.
- Given his tanky nature, Maokai lacks the damage output required for swiftly tackling Herald, Dragon, and Void Grubs. Thus, it's advisable to prioritize these objectives when his team holds lane priority, enabling them to provide assistance.
- Nature's Grasp can be used to start fights or to get away from them. Knowing when to use it is really important for winning key teamfights.
- If you use Twisted Advance right when an enemy uses Flash, you'll still dash towards them. Sometimes this can be helpful, like when they Flash over a wall and you can follow them. But other times, it can be risky, like if they Flash under their turret and trap you there.
Maokai Matchups
Maokai Jungle Pathing Guide
Jungle Pathing represents the choices jungle players make in regards to when and where to gank, invade or just path towards. It includes how camps and buffs are cleared between ganks, anticipating counterganks, and spotting opportunities for invading. Effective pathing requires deep understanding of your champion's abilities, their interactions, and how both team compositions play into those choices.
Full clear with a lvl 3 gank from a Raptor start
The recommended jungle path for Maokai starts at Raptors with Bramble Smash for AoE damage and knockback that pushes the mobs off you to minimize damage taken. At level two, take Sapling Toss since the seedlings do surprising damage when cast inside brushes. Clear Red Brambleback next, then Krugs to hit level three and unlock Twisted Advance. With this, Maokai has crowd control and a great gap closer spell, making him ready for an early gank. If a gank appears fruitful, go ahead and attempt it on Bot/Top depending on your side. After ganking, recall for an extra item, then move to Wolves, Gromp and Blue Sentinel before contesting Scuttle if it's still alive (although unlikely).
Maokai's early aggression relies on Twisted Advance into Bramble Smash for reliable lockdown. Target immobile mid or bot laners early, as his CC chains with allied follow-up can net some easy kills. If your lanes lack setup, focus on farming and using Sapling Toss for river control until level six, when you unlock his ultimate which makes his ganks and teamfights far more threatening.
