Refuse to wilt: Maokai remains LoL’s best champion despite nerfs in Patch 14.4

Standing true against the test of time.
Worldbreaker Maokai looking down and holding a sapling in his right hand.
Image via Riot Games

In the real world, trees are a testament to perseverance, growth, and strength. In the world of League of Legends, not only are they strong in stature, but they’re also strong in climbing power as Maokai remains the best champion through the game’s latest patch.

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The Twisted Treant is currently the best champion in League, boasting an impressive 54 percent win rate on the latest patch through over 46,000 matches in Platinum ranks and higher, according to stats aggregate U.GG. He has maintained his place as the most dominant support in the game, even though he was hit with a collection of nerfs in Patch 14.4.

Astronaut Maokai in League of Legends
Maokai’s domination is otherworldly. Image via Riot Games

In the recent update, Riot Games tried to chop down Maokai with a plethora of minor reductions to his base armor, Q damage, and ultimate ability root duration. The changes were made after he stomped on the competition through the first couple of months of the year, leading all champs with the highest win rates in his class and in general.

Unfortunately for any non-Maokai enjoyers, it’s clear that the nerfs have not made nearly as big an impact on his massive list of strengths. He’s still very tanky, still has a ton of crowd and zone control, and can impact the game in a variety of ways from the early stages of a match to the game-deciding teamfights in the late moments of a game.

He also isn’t a niche pick for players either since he leads all supports with the second-highest pick rate, while also being one of the most-banned champs in the position. With the new items in the 2024 season, Maokai also has plenty of chase-down potential and durability, making him a true jack-of-all-trades for any players who are looking to climb out of most ranks in the game from the bottom lane.

Maokai has maintained such strong results across every skill level, whether you’re trying to break into Gold or battling among the best in Challenger. As a result, the developers might want to take another pass at the champ so he isn’t absolutely dominating the competition through the next few patches.

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Author
Tyler Esguerra
Lead League of Legends writer for Dot Esports. Forever an LCS supporter, AD carry main, with more than five years in the industry. Sometimes I like clicking heads in Call of Duty or VALORANT. Creator of the Critical Strike Podcast.