I've gotta agree with Mrs Warboys on this one. Maokai is very item dependent and mana starved early game. That along with being underleveled from walking around the map not gaining exp some of the time, you won't be able to keep up. Unless you can bust out some mad kills early on you will fall behind.

Maokai is much better as a laner IMO. I'd rather get the push on the tower in my lane than leave a lane having to worry about getting owned 2v1.

I didn't say he couldn't roam, I just said it wasn't worth doing. As you said, he's going to be underleveled and underfarmed, which is crippling for Maokai and not crippling for Taric/Janna/Alistar (they don't need items, Maokai does.. he's a tank). It's like roaming with Sion, sure he can do it but there's a reason you don't see roaming Sions all over the place. Also, his ultimate is nowhere near comparable to Alistar's. It reduces 20% damage for massive amounts of mana. Alistar's does 75% or something ridiculous. That 55% is MASSIVE.

I know the point of a roamer, it's like a second jungler that leeches XP off various lanes while he runs around trying to gank people. I know Maokai can gank very well (I get crazy kills in lane with his EWQ combo), but that's not the point. The point is that Maokai is item dependent, whereas other roamers are not. This is why I think he shouldn't roam. This is also why I think Rod of Ages is a poor item. It gives HP without resistances (useless), excess mana (500 is enough) and 80AP (which you don't need because you're a tank, minimal AP is enough). For an item dependent tank, Rod of Ages is a waste of money.

Glacial Shroud + Doran's Ring is everything that Mao needs to deal effective damage and tank well (at least early game, which is when you'd be getting RoA anyway). It costs less too.

The fact of the matter is, roaming is still not 100% proved to be effective. It can be shut down extremely easily and you're sacrificing your effectiveness for the chance of a more effective 3rd solo lane. The problem is that a good duo lane will just destroy that solo lane, resulting in 2 underleveled and underfarmed champions in your team. A jungle is a roamer, a jungle can pressure carries but without the risk that a roaming strategy creates, a jungle stays farmed and doesn't fall behind.

You lane on Maokai because he is one of the best at it. The same way you jungle on Warwick because he's the best at it. In fact, Maokai is a PERFECT counter to a roamer! He can ward against them for free. He can slow their assault. He can root them. You'd pick Maokai to COUNTER someone like Alistar!

These top players raving about Maokai's roaming? They were the top players who assumed Maokai was useless tier and couldn't do anything before they discovered his roam. Maokai is a strong champion, but lots of people don't realize it yet. I win most of my games as Maokai, I destroy in team fights just like a Shen or a Rammus. I lack their OP utility (global teleport and 3 second taunt), but in a general team fight I'm just as effective. I know Maokai is more effective and capable of a tank than Amumu and Malphite. That is playing him 'the old way' (although my 'old way' doesn't have RoA... which every other old way does). It works.

TLDR: Maokai is item dependent. Maokai is one of the best laners. Roaming is risky. Stay in lane.

Maokai makes an excellent roamed because his cc and burst early game is great. The only champions that would match him on cc would be sion and taric. You must be severely underestimating the value of a knockback + slow + root to think that maokai wouldn't be a good roamer.

You roam on maokai because he is one of the best at it. The same way you jungle on Warwick because he's the best at it. Warwick is also one of the best laners in the game, but how many times have you seen a laning Warwick?

Sure, you could sit bot all game and farm and throw saplings, but why do that. Sitting in bot, you can shut down the other teams tank and support. Roaming, you can shut down the other teams carries. You have the ability to roam and help the people that need kills get kills and the champions that need farm get farm.

I don't think you get the point of a roamer. As a roamed your going to be undrleveled no matter what. Maokais defense through his ult is exceptional. You get rod of ages first because it has everything that a Mao needs to deal effective damage and tank well. It's the same reason you always get roa first on singed. It is the most cost effective item in the game.

Virtually every top player has been raving about how great Mao is as a roamer. He is second only to alistarz Before people discovered his roaming capabilities he was largely considered useless. Now that he actually has a purpose I find it surprising an experienced Mao player such as yourself would rather play him the same way that, honestly, wasn't working too well at all.

Maokai already has weak early game tanking, with no steroid skill and the necessity to cover his mana problems in order to tank properly. If you buy Rod of Ages, you will just extend the amount of time you are at your weakest... for excess mana and unnecessary ability power.

I just feel it's a nothing item. Maokai is fine with +500 mana (I get it from Frozen Heart but it can be gotten through other means). HP without resistances is useless and 80AP isn't necessary... your Saplings already do crazy damage until the 30 minute mark. It's a 3035g ball and chain that delays your tanking even longer than it already takes (unlike a Shen, Malphite, Rammus etc... who can tank from level 1 with no cash).

Rod of Ages would be great late game (when you have resistances, and need the health and AP), but it's not exactly ideal to pick it up at the 30-40 minute mark.

Just out of curiosity, why do you think Rod of Ages is bad on Maokai?

I'm not gonna vote up or down. Here's why.

As a roaming build, I'm sure it's great. I've played roaming Alistar a bit and it's pretty simple to build for... because you only need like 2 items (mobility boots and regen).

This is the problem.

Alistar basically only needs 2 items to be effective all game. He can be underleveled and underfarmed because his natural abilities enable him to do a good job with the penalty of not getting any lane experience.

Maokai is capable of roaming but, unless he gets about 6-7 kills in the first 10 minutes of the game, it's going to cripple him too much. You'll be useless late-game if the enemy team is remotely competent.

Maokai is a tank, if you don't play him as a tank then he's just a ****py caster whose only safe damaging ability is almost impossible to hit past mid game (Sapling Toss). Maokai is the only tank that has insane mana problems that completely stop him functioning. Saplings are his main harass skill (and they're expensive), Arcane Smash is his main CC and it's on a short cooldown (thus costing a bunch of mana), Vengeful Maelstrom drains you quicker than a cow prepared Halal style. Maokai needs to solve his mana problems before he can tank properly, if he roams and doesn't get 10 kills... then he's even further behind than he naturally is.

Because of this huge money gap Maokai needs to fill, he just doesn't feel like a good roamer. Maokai has a ridiculously powerful duo lane presence. Possibly top 5 in the game. He can zone like a pro, combo stun like a pro and survive like a pro... why wouldn't you want to have him in a lane?

In fact, I am going to downvote this. As a roamer I want to maximise the speed with which I can destroy someone in a lane (to prevent escapes). Twisted Advance at level 1? Maybe... I can see that. But seriously, maxing Sapling Toss is going to contribute much more than getting an early Arcane Smash. EWE or WEE is going to be much more effective than adding Q, Sapling Toss is the 2nd most powerful non-ultimate ability in the game, THAT is Maokai's true early game power.

And you recommend Rod of Ages, which is a sucky item for Maokai.

With this build, you can't tank, you can't AP DPS... you can't do anything! A ward will completely shut this down.

1. Most of the time, a jungler will either fulfill a support or tank role. I agree that the other support champions would be difficult to play, but the big 3 supports (Janna, Taric and Zilean) are all excellent roamers themselves. With either of these three champions you would most likely be expected to roam in a high level game. Sona, Soraka, Karma etc., are all picks I wouldnt expect to see in a competitive game anyways. Though karma might be able to hold a lane in a 1v1.

2. Obviously, choosing the right lanes is one of the biggest parts of playing with a roamer. It is still possible (if not necessary) to have a jungler. In most situations I would expect that your tank will either fulfill the role of a jungler or lane in the case of a support roamer, such as taric and janna. Or a dps as a jungler, in this case, Maokai as the roamer and 3 laning champions.

3. Levels aren't AS big of a hinder as you might think. Keep in mind you will also have 3 solo laning champions, your team's net level should be higher. Obviously, if you're falling too far behind you will probably have to stop roaming, but If you are able to get decent ganks off you should have no trouble sporting in levels.

4. When asking top players they will usually tell you the top 4 Roamers in the game at the moment are Alistar, Maokai, Taric and Janna in that order. Alistar is by far the best roamer in the game, and the last 3 are relatively interchangeable depending on your/enemies team composition. Obviously, a roaming support is not only very possible its almost preferred.

I've had a couple of bad experience when playing with roamers. I have some "questions" that I would like you to comment.

1-It unables you to have a support champ. A support champ is REALLY difficult to play in a solo lane. Maybe top 1v1 Janna maxing tornado first (which I think it's a mistake as you are no support anymore doing that) but... that's it.

2-If you want the support champ, you will miss your jungler. I think jungling is a much better way of an exp-boost to the team. I see roamers mainly as not creep-jungle farming junglers. The lack of exp is obvious.

3-Being de-leveled is a BIG problem in my opinion as you are and obvious focus in team-fights (more over when you are the tank). They will just melt you down whenever they can being sweet sweet feed for opponents. I think that it's more important to be at the "proper" level/time value than have one overfarmed champ.

Providing those points I would like to ask. Maybe a support roamer would be viable as it usually is a hard to focus champ (should be protected by team in teamfights). I was thinking on roaming-Janna using Cephyr to move around the map quickly and slowing overextending easy kills (probably helped by the jungler). You think it is viable? They I have seen roamers work would be pretty nice on Janna's tornado stunt+cephyr slow.

I will not rate the build as I can test it and I am still not conviced on roamers but I may if I can try it sometime (don't have mao itself in my champ pool to try ^^')

EDIT: About the Janna thing, I've checked some Janna-roaming discussions. I still want your opinion but I think that she'd be better roamer than Mao (tho I have to test that). Do you get any gold-stacking item or gold-quints for some gold income?

I like it, haven't tried yet but +1!