Summary
You can start the game with a Hunter's Talisman as well as a Refillable Potion.
Boots
Both Ninja Tabi and Mercury's Treads are good choices depending on the enemy composition and type of damage. Boots of mobility are also an option if you feel like you can snowball the game.
Core items
- Stalker's Blade - Cinderhulk will let you clean your jungle faster and give you the tankiness you need.
- Spirit Visage is a very good idem against high AP enemy compositions.
- Randuin's Omen will slow your targets and will reduce the potency of critical hits. If the enemy team has heavy AD damage Frozen Heart can be a better choice.
Situational items
- Thornmail is ideal against a team focused on auto-attacks or healing abilities.
- Dead Man's Plate will give you more mobility and help against physical damage.
- Abyssal Mask can be picked against high AP compositions, you can, however, choose Adaptative Helm when facing champions like Cassiopeia, Rumble, Teemo for example.
Playing Maokai
As Maokai your goal is to avoid direct combat with the opposite jungler, try to get strong while avoiding confrontation early.
- Level 1: Take E - Sapling Toss to kill your first buff quickly.
- Level 2: Q - Bramble Smash allows you to clean your camps faster with AOE damage.
- Level 3: With W - Twisted Advance you can easily gank an enemy that went too far on his lane.
- Level 6: R - Nature's Grasp makes your ganks even better.
Match-ups
- You can set traps with your sapling and teammates if you know the location of the enemy jungler.
- Use W - Twisted Advance to get close to an enemy and then go behind him before using Q - Bramble Smash to send him towards your team.
- You are untargetable during W - Twisted Advance and can, therefore, use it to escape controls.
