(4/21/11)
Item choices have been revised, please view Item section of the guide.

This is my first guide, maybe my only one depending on...well, two factors mainly.

1. If this build goes over well with others (positive reinforcement ftw).

2. If I find any other champions that I really like enough to go out on a limb (I swear that's not a Maokai pun) and make a guide for 'em.

Also, a big shout out to Krazah. I followed his guide for 95% of my matches with Maokai, and it gave me the... "inspiration" to make my own guide for Maokai.

As a final note to this intro, if this comes remarkably close to a guide that has already been created, I apologize and I had no intention of copyright. Granted, maybe I should check first (?) but I didn't want to dampen my enthusiasm to create this guide.

Okay I lied, a final FINAL note, this is simply my ideas, my opinions, my choices, none of this is set in stone. If you feel you could improvise with what I've provided and do better, by all means.

I was excited, yet wary when I first saw Maokai in the "Champion Sneak Peak". Honestly, it's kind of hard not to be a bit excited with every new Champion release, but, Maokai being one of the newer tanks to be released, with a few rather unique features, I couldn't wait for his free champion rotation.

As I'm sure you're aware, that was quite a while ago, none the less, I grew rather fond of him quickly and he's really the only champion I played that entire week. Now that his free rotation has returned, I decided that I like Maokai so much, I'd take a risk and make my own build/guide for him.

His main (and best) feature (imo) and really the entire reason I made this guide, would be his Sapling Toss, aka The Pikmin of Mass Destruction.
As soon as I got the hang of that skill, I was endlessly "lmao". When opponents aren't sure how to combat these cute but psychotic little guys, it's nothing short of hilarious. Eventually, I got to thinkin'..."Ya know, I love these little guys so much... what would happen if I increased their..."potency" a bit?"
And thus, this guide was born.

Pros:

Inherently tough
Good farmer
Remotely good laning survivability due to his passive. (Don't count on it to save your life)
Great for team fights due to his ult.
Do I need to say it? PIKMIN!

Cons:

Slightly squishy early (as most tanks are)
Bit of a mana *****. (Can be resolved with runes, your choice)
There are heroes that are better suited for the role of "Main Tank".

Just a quick note for masteries, and to add a note for the guide over-all:

I took 9 - 12 - 9 because while I wanted to make the absolute most out of the Saplings, Maokai is very much so, considered a tank and people will probably expect you to play as such even with a for-warning of, "Hey I'm going mostly AP."
So, I chose those masteries with the intent of a, "Tanky Caster".

After thinking on it a bit, I've decided that as far as the items are concerned, it's more viable for me to just post the 3 main items of this build and the best starting items. I say this because this game can be very situational, and you have to take that into consideration every match.
I recommend that, if you're not sure what items to get for defensive purposes, just check the scoreboard about 15-20 minutes into the game.
If some noob on your team is feeding Annie, it's a safe bet to start building up a Force of Nature and/or a Banshee's Veil.
Same concept applies for a well off Tryndamere or Ashe, except for them, I would recommend a Randuin's Omen and/or Thornmail, and a Sunfire Cape if that's what it takes.
As for boots, I would almost always go for Mercury's Treads simply because of Maokai's role and over-all survivability.

His skill combo sequence is pretty simple, yet effective, especially when paired with another root, or stun.

Twisted Advance into a Sapling Toss(Drop one right on top of said unfortunate champion) and finish off with an Arcane Smash To ensure the sapling hits it's mark.

Two Words: Vengeful Maelstrom. That is all.

Do not underestimate this ability, whether you are playing as him, or against him. While seemingly pathetic in a 1 vs 2, or a 1/2 vs 3, this skill shines above many others in terms of absorbing damage, saving your team, and doing an unfathomable amount of damage in return when well placed and well timed in an all-out team fight. Not to mention it scales with AP.

Just a precautionary note, even if you decide to place the mana regen seals over the ap seals, this ult is channeled, much like Anivia's Glacial Storm, and devours mana quickly on top of your basic skill combo sequence. If possible, try to keep a blue buff on you for every big team fight to counter this.

Alright, so, that about sums it up. I thank you, the reader for taking your time to inspect this guide, and even more so should you choose to use it. I created this guide in about 2 hours, but I was very sincere in it's creation and I hope some of you see that. Most of it off the top of my head, so if I missed a few things, (wouldn't be surprised in the least if I did) then I'm sorry, I'm only human. :(

This being my first guide ever, I did have some issues with linking skills and items, that might be obvious to some, to be honest I couldn't figure out some of it but I've never been good at that kind of stuff, so if I do figure it out, I'll come back and edit.

Thank you all for checking out my guide. Please rate and comment! (be gentle)