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This Maokai Template is translated from Maokai - Roots of Pain (fr).

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Sap Magic

Maokai's passive ability restores 7% of your maximum Health once you succesfully land an auto-attack on everything except towers. The spell will activate as soon as 5 abilities are launched in your vicinity, including your own spells. Do not hesitate to charge it when you are on your starting zone.

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Arcane Smash

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Arcane Smash

This ability is interesting, but in this Template you will max it last. It will be especially useful in those several situations:

• Taking last-hits on a huge wave of minions.
• Disorganizing an unfavorable teamfight with the ability to push out and backturn a close-ranged carry (Be aware that some allies prefers to have the enemy champion facing them like Cassiopeia with her Petrifying Gaze).
• Temporarily scattering away some minions.
• Fleeing from a too pressing enemy. You just need to launch the ability behind you during your retreat in order to push back the adversary and to put it backturn. It will open a short respite, often sufficient to toss a Sapling which will snare him for good.

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Twisted Advance

This spell has many uses. It is essential in all team fights, where he will be your main tool. In lane, you will use it to finish your opponent.
I will list below where and when to use it, from the most simple to most complex objective:

• [Lane] - Root your opponent under your tower. If an enemy champion comes too close to harass you, rooting him under your tower will kill him or force him to back in the worst case.
• [Lane & Teamfight] - Root a fleeing opponent to kill it or for your partners to finish it for you.
• [Teamfight] - Root an opponent chasing one of your teammates. By judging from your teammates life level, you can either choose to flee or to stay in auto-attack range.
• [Lane & Teamfight] - Escape from an enemy zoning attack. This will not be always possible, but offers two advantages : first, you are invulnerable during the animation. Second, this kind of zoning spells is often used as an escape tool, so you can root the runaway champion leading to it's utter extermination.
• [Lane & Teamfight] - Ignore a spell aimed at you. Arguably the most difficult to time right, but using the invulnerability can nullify many opposing spells. Obviously, this art requires a good reactivity and a fluid connection.

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Sapling Toss

The most crucial capacity of this Template. It allows you to safely harass your opponents in lane and to farm caster minions efficiently as soon as level 7 is reached. To use this spell correctly as a harassing tool, you must learn how to aim your saplings for them to target heroes instead of minions. And always remember to check bushes with saplings ! It greatly helps avoiding unpleasant surprises.
The lifespan of a sapling is 35 seconds once landed. This allows you to help your jungler (you can land 3 saplings before the blue buff appears). You can also trap your bushes to prevent ganks.
Trick: with a precise throw right behind the opposing tower, your sapling becomes hidden and make a devilish trap for your enemy!

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Vengeful Maelstrom

Maokai's ultimate has a double purpose. Upon activation, it will mitigate all enemy damage dealt in target zone to you and your allies. On release, it will deal damage to all enemies inside, proportionally to those prevented on all allied living targets inside the zone of effect.
Note: This capacity drains a lot of mana in early game so don't expect to make it last long before level 15.
Is it possible to use Vengeful Maelstrom to:

• Farm - It's OK to use this spell to farm minions, but only in late game to counter a big crowd of minions.
• Kill champions - "Death" is not the prime objective of "this" spell, nonetheless, in a teamfight, if a low life opposing champion insists on staying inside your ulti zone, you can kill them, sure...
• Disorganize a teamfight - This is the most prevalent use for your ulti, along with pushing your team. Champions have a tendency to get the hell out of effects zones, on sight. Often, you will activate your ulti a brief moment, blowing it up just as they reach the boundaries of your spell.
• Push your team - During big close combats or to protect the advance of your allied toward the enemy's long range carry.
• Absorb an opposing spell - Some spells can be greatly dampen by Vengeful Maelstrom:
  • Crowstorm from Fiddlesticks
  • Idol of Durand from Galio
  • Cannon Barrage from Gangplank
  • Requiem from Karthus
  • Vengeful Maelstrom from Maokai
  • Make it Rain and Bullet Time from Miss Fortune
  • Spirit Fire from Nasus
  • Absolute Zero from Nunu & Willump
• Flee from a full team push - There is two possibilities: If you are close to an allied tower, casting your spell will allow you and your allies to reach it alive. If you are too far, this spell will help you stand your ground long enough for your teammates to get to safety. Don't let your allies try to save you... A noble sacrifice will only be useful if not vain.
• Kill neutral monsters - No, with the only exception being Baron. For Baron, it is primordial to cast Vengeful Maelstrom in order to mitigate his damage AND possible damage coming from opposing team if they decide to contest Baron.
• Tank towers - If this spell will not prevent damage from the tower, it will from any other sources. So in order to attack towers, it can be useful to cast Vengeful Maelstrom. You shall not change your objective! If an enemy champion attacks you, let your teammates deal with him and keep pummeling the tower. You may just push the fight with Arcane Smash and Sapling Toss.

• Clarity: I judge this spell mandatory since you will consume a lot of mana in lane. More over, i usually play with a jungler so i don't have access to the blue buff.
  If i have full control over my lane, i won't blue pill before level 10. Obviously, i won't benefit from my gold/sec item, but my opponents have to deal with a constant pressure!
• Teleport: With the masteries on, the teleport cast time is reduced, making its use more interesting as a surprise redeployment. It will allow you to defend your tower or push with your minion almost instantly, or to get back into a teamfight from anywhere on the map.

• Clairvoyance: [DRAFT] - To me, this spell seems to be only useful in draft mode when the opposing team is made of one or more stealth champions.
• Cleanse: [DRAFT] - It can be useful if the opposing team is full of CC. Even if mobility is not Maokai's strength, you can still force your enemies to waste their abilities on you, leaving your allies free.
• Exhaust: This spell can be useful if you have an AD carry with you in lane, allowing him generally to finish your opponents.
• Flash: In early game this summoner spell allow a swift escape on the lane or during a teamfight, after baiting the enemy's attacks on you. But after the nerf on it's range, this kind of escape is less evident now and you won't flash over some thick walls anymore. Flash is less mandatory than it use to be.
• Ghost: I don't like this spell, but it offers a more frequent advantage than Flash, even more since it's range nerf.
• Ignite: This spell is useful only if you have a support with you in lane and that you risk not finishing off your opponnents.

• Heal: This spell bears no interest to you. Maokai heals himself more than enough with Sap Magic to have a need for this spell.
• Promote: Yet to be tested.
• Revive: You are the tank. You should'nt be dying to often. I don't recommend this spell which is outdated in early game and often useless in end game, even if it can save the base from a final push.
• Smite: You are not a jungler in this guide, so this spell has little interest to you. There are many templates for Jungle Maokai, but this guide isn't one of them.
• Surge: This spell boosts your attack speed and your power during 12 seconds. In regard to Maokai's gameplay in this template, this spell's interest is limited to being able to play a giant maokai during 12 seconds.

Offense

• Summoner's Wrath / Destruction :
• Fury :
• Butcher :
• Blast :
• Arcane Knowledge :
• Mental Force :
• Spellsword :
• Archmage :

Defense

• Durability :
• Perseverance :
• Resistance / Hardiness :
• Veteran's Scars :
• Safeguard :

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Opening items.

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First backs.

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Essential Items.

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Boots Choice.

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or

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or

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Ending Template.

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Enchantment Choice.

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or

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Altérations situationnelles.

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Le Zhonya's Hourglass peut se substituer au Abyssal Mask face à des équipes avec beaucoup de burst AD. Vous perdez votre MR mais gagnez un peu d'AP et l'invulnérabilité du passif.
Le Rylai's Crystal Scepter contre l' Abyssal Mask est la solution si vous affrontez de lourds True Damage ( Darius ou Olaf), les 500PV de l'objet vont augmenter de 1.5PV/s votre régénération. Vous perdez votre MR mais gagnez un peu d'AP et surtout désormais TOUTES vos capacités vont déclencher le double dégâts du Liandry's Torment.
Le Runic Bulwark à la place du Frozen Heart permet de lutter contre les gros AP (principalement les teams double AP). Là en revanche, vous perdez votre CdR et beaucoup de Mana, vous redevenez dépendant du buff bleu ce qui est un peu handicapant, mais l'aura de l'objet compense ces désavantages au profit de votre équipe. En revanche perte de la réduction de vitesse d'attaque laisse un peu plus de marge au Carry AD adverse.
Le Spirit Visage reste un excellent objet sur Maokai, mais je n'ai que très rarement l'occasion de construire. En effet, il ne peut être prit qu'en remplacement de l' Abyssal Mask dans le cas où vous devez être un peu plus tanky pour votre équipe, mais la perte d'AP est lourde et diminue drastiquement vous dégâts. Cependant, vous passez à 39% de CdR, mais ce n'est pas une raison pour spammer vos sorts, utilisez Sapling Toss avec parcimonie sous peine de voir tout votre mana disparaitre, n'utilisez vos sorts que pour être utile à vos partenaires lors des teamfigths.

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Objets rejetés.

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VS

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Maokai reste lié à ses problèmes de Mana et son sustain est très bon, la Crystalline Flask apporte beaucoup moins de régénération de Mana que les Mana Potion, donc elle n'a que peu d'intérêt mieux vaut acheter quelques Mana Potion.

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VS

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Je sais que je serine que Maokai a des problèmes de Mana, cependant, la nouvelle version du Athene's Unholy Grail ne fournit plus que peu d'AP et l'actif de l' Archangel's Staff est de loin plus intéressant que le passif Mana Font.

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VS

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La Thornmail offre effectivement beaucoup plus d'Armor et un passif excellent contre les AD, mais le problème c'est qu'en augmentant autant votre armure, et en perdant autant d'AP, vous n'êtes plus vraiment une menace donc vous allez être ignoré par l'équipe en face.

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Rabadon's Deathcap

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Outre le fait que le Rabadon's Deathcap coute cher à construire, le prendre va soit vous donner un burst bien plus important, mais va vous couter de la vie et du sustain puisque vous ne pouvez le mettre qu'à la place de la Warmog's Armor et malheureusement Maokai se joue au milieu des mêlées donc va mourir trop rapidement.

bLaxnow for his MAOKAI - The Unstoppable Tank
jhoijhoi for his Making A Guide
MasterYups for his translation work