Maokai ARAM Build: Dominate the Treeline with the Green Colossus

Maokai, the Treant protector, is a force to be reckoned with in the chaotic battlegrounds of ARAM. His immense durability, crowd control, and damage potential make him a formidable ally and a relentless foe. This guide will provide you with the optimal Maokai ARAM build, strategies, and tips to harness the full potential of this verdant guardian of the forest.

The Verdant Colossus' Arsenal: Abilities

• Passive: Sap Magic: Maokai's auto-attacks deal bonus magic damage based on a percentage of his maximum health. This passive allows Maokai to deal significant damage while building tanky items.
• Q: Bramble Smash: Maokai slams the ground, dealing damage to nearby enemies. It also immobilizes enemies at the center for a short duration. Bramble Smash is Maokai's primary crowd control ability.
• W: Twisted Advance: Maokai dashes to a target location, damaging and knocking up enemies in its path. Twisted Advance is an excellent initiation tool or escape mechanism.
• E: Sapling Toss: Maokai tosses a sapling that explodes on impact, dealing damage and slowing nearby enemies. Sapling Toss provides excellent zoning and area control.
• R: Nature's Grasp: Maokai summons a ring of roots that damages enemies and heals allies within its area. Nature's Grasp is a powerful ability that can turn the tide of battle.

Building a Stalwart Protector: Items

Core Items:

• Sunfire Aegis: Sunfire Aegis is a must-have item for Maokai. It provides him with bonus health, armor, ability haste, and an aura that damages enemies nearby.
• Thornmail: Thornmail reflects a percentage of damage taken back to attackers. It is an excellent choice against teams with high attack speed or burst damage.
• Spirit Visage: Spirit Visage increases Maokai's health regeneration, ability haste, and provides bonus healing to allies within its aura.

Situational Items:

• Frozen Heart: Frozen Heart reduces enemy attack speed and makes Maokai even more durable. It is an effective choice against teams with high attack damage.
• Abyssal Mask: Abyssal Mask increases Maokai's magic resistance and reduces the magic resistance of enemies nearby. It is a good choice against teams with multiple AP threats.
• Randuin's Omen: Randuin's Omen grants Maokai bonus armor, reduces enemy critical strike chance, and provides an active ability that slows nearby enemies.

Runes: Amplifying Maokai's Strengths

Primary Runes:

• Grasp of the Undying: Grasp of the Undying grants Maokai bonus health and permanent maximum health stacks on basic attacks.
• Demolish: Demolish increases Maokai's damage against structures.
• Conditioning: Conditioning increases Maokai's armor and magic resistance at level nine.
• Overgrowth: Overgrowth increases Maokai's health regeneration and maximum health.

Secondary Runes:

• Font of Life: Font of Life heals Maokai and nearby allies when he casts a spell.
• Revitalize: Revitalize increases the healing and shielding effects on Maokai and nearby allies.

Strategies: Guiding the Green Colossus

Early Game: Focus on farming and building tanky items. Use Sapling Toss to zone enemies and control the wave. Participate in skirmishes when possible, but avoid overextending.

Mid Game: Group with your team and engage in team fights. Use Bramble Smash to immobilize high-value targets and initiate fights. Peel for your carries with Sapling Toss and Twisted Advance.

Late Game: Maokai becomes an unkillable meat shield. Rotate with your team to push objectives and protect your carries. Use Nature's Grasp to heal allies and damage enemies in team fights.

Tips: Unleashing the Treant's Fury

• Maximize Sunfire Aegis: Always position yourself near enemies to maximize the damage output of Sunfire Aegis' aura.
• Use Twisted Advance Wisely: Twisted Advance can be used to engage fights or escape dangerous situations. Use it wisely to avoid unnecessary damage.
• Timing is Key: Nature's Grasp is a powerful ability but can also be interrupted. Time it carefully to maximize its impact.
• Coordinate with Allies: Communicate with your team to coordinate crowd control and protect your carries. Maokai's abilities synergize well with other CC abilities.
• Don't Overextend: While Maokai is durable, he is not invincible. Avoid overextending and engage in fights only when you are confident you can survive.

The Benefits of a Verdant Guardian

• Unmatched Durability: Maokai's high health, armor, and crowd control make him incredibly difficult to kill.
• Excellent Crowd Control: Bramble Smash and Twisted Advance provide powerful crowd control abilities that can disrupt enemy team fights.
• Healing and Shielding: Nature's Grasp heals allies and shields them from damage.
• Area Damage: Sunfire Aegis and Thornmail deal significant area damage, making Maokai a formidable tank in team fights.
• Objective Control: Sapling Toss and Frozen Heart provide excellent objective control, allowing Maokai to zone enemies and secure towers.

FAQs: Answering Your Treant Queries

• Q: What is the best way to build Maokai in ARAM?
• A: Core items include Sunfire Aegis, Thornmail, and Spirit Visage. Situational items vary depending on the enemy team composition.
• Q: When should I use Nature's Grasp?
• A: Use Nature's Grasp when your team is engaged in a team fight to heal allies and damage enemies. Avoid using it when enemies have crowd control abilities or interrupts.
• Q: How can I maximize the damage output of Sapling Toss?
• A: Place Sapling Toss in areas where enemies will gather or where they are likely to path. Use it to zone enemies or slow their advance.
• Q: What is the best rune setup for Maokai in ARAM?
• A: Grasp of the Undying, Demolish, Conditioning, Overgrowth, Font of Life, and Revitalize are recommended runes for Maokai in ARAM.
• Q: How can I counter Maokai in ARAM?
• A: Champions with high mobility, crowd control, or anti-tank damage can counter Maokai. Focus on bursting him down before he can activate his abilities.
• Q: What are Maokai's strengths and weaknesses?
• A: Maokai's strengths include his durability, crowd control, and area damage. His weaknesses include his lack of mobility and vulnerability to burst damage.
• Q: How can I improve my Maokai ARAM gameplay?
• A: Practice positioning, timing abilities, and coordinating with your team to maximize Maokai's impact. Study enemy team compositions and adjust your item build and strategies accordingly.
• Q: What are some advanced Maokai ARAM techniques?
• A: Advanced techniques include using Twisted Advance to escape ganks, using Sapling Toss to block skill shots, and predicting enemy movements to maximize the impact of crowd control abilities.