Yet another Mordekaiser VGU attempt
So, with 2016 coming to a close and 2017 around the corner I thought it was time for yet another fun brainstorming about a potential Mordekaiser rework. Instead of just focusing on one ability like I usually did I tried rebuilding Mordekaiser from the ground up, most abilities having changed drastically with some having been entirely scrapped in favor of healthier ones and more thematically fitting skills.
So, without further ado, let's jump into this rework for Mordekaiser: The Iron Revenant!
Passive: Damaged Soul After sustaining a set amount of damage over 5 seconds Mordekaiser shatters his armor, letting his blackened soul radiate an Aura of malice and vile energies, seeping through the cracks in his armor and dealing massive AoE damage in his vicinity for 6 seconds or until he leaves combat.
Mordekaiser is a Juggernaut. Juggernauts thrive in the midst of battle, dealing huge damage when left unchecked and generally pose a huge threat when not properly contained. This is what Mordekaiser's new passive tried to accomplish.
We already know that tanky characters die too easily and Mordekaiser's passive manages to turn it in his favor. By sustaining a lot of damage in a short amount of time Mordekaiser gains access to devastating AoE damage that makes him a huge team fight threat.
He'll still be extremely susceptible to poke and being kited due to the nature of this passive, yet gets rewarded for sticking to opponents and committing to a fight.
Gone is Iron Man, a passive shielding ability with little thought and strategy to itself, its design not being able to be balanced in any meaningful way. **Damaged Soul ** aims at further cementing Mordekaiser as this towering Iron Tyrant who marches into battle and thrives off conflict.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asivU6XpK4E
**Q: Mace of Spades ** Mordekaiser’s next three attacks are empowered, dealing bonus magic damage The third strike shatters the earth and sends out a Cone of AoE damage that slows enemies struck by it
This skill remained mostly unchanged as it gives Mordekaiser the Melee damage Juggernauts are so very notorious for. For his third strike think Reinhardt Earthshatter, where Mordekaiser slams down his mace with such force that he creates an AoE cone (His current siphon Vfx) that echoes forth to slow enemies struck by it.
It does not damage the primary target as they're already punished by sustaining a lot of damage, yet the AOE bypasses frontline and can harm the enemy backlines if Mordekaiser manages to press on and force his way through enemy ranks
W: Iron Man Mordekaiser surrounds himself with an aura of metal and malice, dealing AoE magic damage and shielding himself for a percentage of his maximum health Mordekaiser may reactivate Harvester of Sorrow prematurely to drain a percentage of the surrounding enemies’ maximum health
This ability is Mordekaiser's primary defensive skill and focuses on Morde essentially duking it out in the enemy team, his healing based on a percentage of the enemy's maximum health offering him several benefits from fighting against beefier opponents while trying to reach the enemy backline.
His healing is aimed at not being too overbearing while fighting nimble, squishy opponents that can kite him, as most of his damage and healing is also contained to an AoE around him.
His Shielding is being moved to an active component to reward expert usage of shielding and healing without making it such a passive skill like old Iron Man was.
E: Siphon of Destruction Mordekaiser raises his gauntlet, marking an AoE in front of him and draining it over the course of 3 seconds and shredding enemy resistances Enemy champions caught in the desecrated earth after 2.5 seconds are heavily slowed and dealt additional damage
This is Mordekaiser's prime utility spell and rewards him for sticking to opponents. It gives Mordekaiser access to resistance shred and a way to stick if he manages to catch people in the radius.
R: Children of the Grave Mordekaiser reaches out, tearing the soul out of an enemy champion and marking them for 10 seconds.
The enslaved thrall evolves into a soul-bound lich if the affected unit dies during the curse.
The thrall’s stats are based on a percentage of Mordekaiser’s stats while copying the enemy’s innate passive abilities and appearance Soul bound liches have their lifespan extended and stats increased by 25-50%
Remember Mordekaiser's lore? He basically rips the soul out of demacian knight after choking him to death.
This ability remains similar to his current ultimate but tries to make it more consistent. Its efficiency is no longer bound to how fed the enemy is but is more of a constant value to Mordekaiser.
It also cuts down on Mordekaiser's "win-more" kind of issues in providing an instant benefit rather than having him kill something first. The range will probably be reduced to a mere 300-400 range to further cement Mordekaiser as the mid-short ranged brawler he's supposed to be.
Closing remarks
The aim of the rework is to further deliver on Mordekaiser's theme of this undying Entity. An embodiment of the malice, will to conquer and sheer might Mordekaiser was in live, twisted into the undead Tyrant King known as the Iron Revenant. He's being pushed more towards the Juggernaut niche by rewarding more strategic usage of the tools his kit offers and giving him the melee threat every Juggernaut needs in order to do their job.
Cutting down the unhealthy aspects of his kit was the main reasoning behind most of the kit changes, trying to give his opponents more ways to outplay Mordekaiser and giving him more ways to do the same to them. He should have clear windows of power and apparent counterplay that can be abused, yet his high moment should be doing what he's supposed to do:
CONQUERING AND COMPLETELY ANNIHILATING THE OPPOSITION!
Anyways, this is just my personal vision of Mordekaiser. I'm no Riot designer and everyone else is bound to have their own opinion on Mordekaiser, so if you've got some ideas on how to improve him please go ahead and share them with us!
(Also, just imagine the new visual and thematic work that can be done with these abilities, especially a cracked Mordekaiser armor, radiating his unholy aura, it would look absolutely badass) http://img06.deviantart.net/cb0d/i/2015/115/a/3/mordekaiser_king_of_doom___lol_by_stefantistu-d4pw4vw.jpg
's E in action.
