Zaahen vs Maokai Counter Pick

A 60.0% result reads as dominant until the sample is checked: 120 games on patch 16.13.1 sits at the floor of what is worth publishing, and a handful of outcomes would move it several points. The direction is reliable; the magnitude is approximate.

• Maokai deals magic damage into Zaahen’s 32 base magic resistance, so his armor advantage, 36 rising to 121 across the level range, contributes very little here.
• Sap Magic heals Maokai through a basic attack each time he casts a spell or is struck by one, rewarding long grinding exchanges over short ones.
• Reach goes to Zaahen at 175 attack range against 125, and move speed at 345 against 335.

What tilts the result is commitment. Twisted Advance makes Maokai untargetable while he closes and roots on arrival, but it is his only gap closer, and once it is spent he is a 665-health tank with no way to disengage from Aureate Rush. Cultivation of War stacks through every attack and ability that connects, so a fight that Maokai cannot leave becomes steadily worse for him, and the healing on The Darkin Glaive keeps pace with chip damage from Bramble Smash and saplings. His 64 attack damage at level 1 beats Zaahen’s 63, but a difficulty rating of 3 against 2 means neither pilot is asked for much beyond spacing discipline. Maokai’s numbers are collected on the Maokai entry.