Hello, My name is Osett. This is my first guide on MOBAFire and I am fairly new to the site. I have just bought Maokai and have played him several times. I fell in love with this tree immediately. His ganks, his teamfight support, his map control, all of it; music to my team's ears. I decided to write this guide a while ago, but with the UI and item revamp, I chose to wait until now.

PROS

-- AMAZING GANKS - If I land my W and my teammate(s) are alert enough (most are if you ping early enough), the enemy hit will most likely die if they don't flash out.

-- good presence in teamfight

-- unparalleled map control for a jungler (only beaten by teemo/cait/nid/shaco)


Cons

-- poor chasing other than w

-- no escapes

-- kinda slow

Hunter's Machete is a great jungler starting item. We get a hybrid potion through support masteries, that helps with our sustain in the jungle. Rush Spirit Stone, and grab boots by first back if you can.
As a jungling tank, we want to be durable and move fast, so we want SotAG and BoM to solve those problems. Twin Shadows allows for amazing chase / escape potential, plus the MR it gives can stop you from being bursted as soon as you engage. Pick up Aegis for the aura and GA for defenses+passive. Upgrade Aegis for better defenses and grab a Warmog's if the game allows for it.

Take saplings at 1 for damage/vison, otherwise take w whenever you can for maximum ganking potential. Take Q when you can't take w, and take ult at 6/11/16.

We take damage, so we want a lot of points in defensive tree. Otherwise, put points into utility for the... well, utility. Master both summoner spells, take resists, and increased tenacity. mana regen and summoner cooldowns are great, as well as increased blue buff duration and the extra starting potion.

-- we want attack speed marks, because they help us clear camps faster

-- Take armor seals, for less damage taken from carries and jungle creatures

-- Magic resist/lv glyphs scale well into late game, when the ap carry gets scary

-- Health regen quints help keep us alive in drawn out situations (like the jungle)

Thank you to anyone who read this whole guide, I put a LOT of time and effort into it. If you see me on the fields, remember; have fun, relax, and STAY AWAY FROM MY CARRIES!!!