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What makes Mordekaiser who he is?

Malicious Metal··64 votes·4,374 views

Master of Metal, Pentakill band member, Paladin of Pain, Master of puppets, the Huekaiser, Brazil's might, the Murder emperor. All titles fitting for Mordekaiser, who recently just has been reworked resulting in a huge uproar by his fans and mains. But alas, Riot's not to blame (fully ^^) for the supposed failure of the rework since nobody really knows what Mordekaiser's supposed to be and what should have stayed in his new kit.

Now, I'm no game designer but I consider myself competent enough (or I sure hope so) to make some assumption as of what makes Mordekaiser the champion we all know and love and what I personally think should have been considered before even trying to rework him.

Metal and Pain We all know this one, it's his bloody title after all. Mordekaiser should not only be encompassed in a prison of ancient metal armor but utilize his "coffin" as a tool to bring his opponents even more suffering than the agony the prison of metal akin to a real iron maiden causes him. It's ironic seeing that he'd utilize his very own subject of pain to twist it in his advantage. Metal as a conduit of his grim power; cold steel, painful metal that shreds your body and tears at your very essence. This unholy combination of a warrior's steel and cursed undead power of pain should be the core theme of Mordekaiser's design. His own pain should empower him, turn his suffering into an advantage in form of hard hitting abilities and defensive shield forged out of his own torment. Metal as fuck!

Champion vision Vs Execution Does Morde feel like League's Sauron? An unholy overlord? Debatable but what we do know is that his lore doesn't tie in as much in his gameplay as it should. His health costs seem to only gate him instead of actually justify the tremendous power he should gain from sacrificing his own health. Which brings me to my next point; His abilities don't feel as rewarding for their health cost. Mordekaiser should be able to play smart; juggling health costs into increasing his abilities' strength and building up a defensive resource in order to make the Gain worth the Pain.

What should have stayed in the rework? This is a tricky question, seeing that everybody's bound to have their own personal opinion on what makes Mordekaiser who he is. Is he a soul-enslaving burst mage? A Pusher? A fighter? A pet-control champ? Ap? Ad? Riot's rework tried to preserve as much of Morde's kit as possible, which was a rather bold and noble goal but ultimately backfired as it can't be allowed to be "good" in its current iteration due to its unhealthy mechanics and binary design. So what should stay? I'll be wanting to know your opinion on this one but I personally can't stress enough that "Mordekaiser IS Iron Man!" Yes, I would give up his W, his E, His Q, heck even his ultimate. I love all his abilities but if he does get the rework he deserves, turning him into a great addition for the game and a healthy one to boot, living up to his title he needs to be built up from the ground.

His passive is in my opinion what makes him who he is and should be kept at all costs. It's iconic to him and an interesting and very powerful passive that SHOULD be the centre of his being. From there on we could add all the metal storms orbiting him, all the unholy magic and all the metal spikes impaling your enemies as we want but there HAS to be a starting point to pin down his identity.

Those are just my two cents on what Mordekaiser should be based around in order to truly build him up as the Master of Metal. I do love a good discussion so don't be shy to post your own thoughts on the subject.

Thanks for reading and have a nice evening. ~M.M

http://orig09.deviantart.net/e9e1/f/2015/276/f/0/iron_man_by_roughnut-d9bttlb.jpg

Edit; As expected both his ultimate and passive are expected to stay. They're both essential and iconic to the character and should be kept intact in some form once he gets a second rework. They're both iconic to Morde; Massive Shield, Enslaving Souls; and by working around that fantasy he could be allowed to truly live up to the vision of him being THE Murder Emperor.

40 Comments

Prospector Pete14 votes

Can't.... resist.... upvoting Malicious Metal thread....

Malicious Metal13 votes

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Zdf7Afgfq8Q/maxresdefault.jpg

Blue Moon Wolf2 votes

I honestly upvoted on instinct .__.

ltmetal14 votes

Remember old Sion? His design was pretty bad. Thing is, old Sion's kit had a clearly interesting and interactive mechanic in it that was expanded in his rework.

Mordekaiser could be re-reworked in the same fashion, especially since the visual changes were not what the players wanted. Sion's rework was concocted over the course of almost a year, and it's arguably the best done of all the major gameplay updates. I could wait a year for a Sion level rework to hit the Iron Man, but I seriously don't want to get my hopes up.

Malicious Metal10 votes

I loved the way they preserved the stacking health mechanic on the unyielding Noxian.

That's what Morde needed even before they started toying with ideas; Isolating crucial parts of Morde's identity to expand on them and build on a vision instead of simply shifting some power and mostly keeping his honestly really bland abilities. So much wasted potential.

YumaS2Astral7 votes

[{quoted}](name=Malicious Metal,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=JGlPByI3,comment-id=00010000,timestamp=2015-10-03T23:38:46.538+0000)

I loved the way they preserved the stacking health mechanic on the unyielding Noxian.

That's what Morde needed even before they started toying with ideas; Isolating crucial parts of Morde's identity to expand on them and build on a vision instead of simply shifting some power and mostly keeping his honestly really bland abilities. So much wasted potential.

I actually think that Mordekaiser needs a Sion-level rework rather than the Cassiopeia-level rework he had.

HighH11 votes

Cassiopeia and rework in the same sentence. Oh no. The memories they're all flooding back the great DoT mage that once was Cass and what she became after her rework OH GOD IT'S HORRIFYING

UPfreely7 votes

lets be honest, no one needs a Cassiopeia level rework

ltmetal1 votes

^ this

Cassiopeia level rework is the opposite of a sweet spot. If a champion's kit is boring, toxic, or uninteractive, they need a Sion level rework. If a champion is close to good, they need their numbers tuned.

In my opinion, any gameplay update should have almost as much time and care invested in it as it takes to release a new champion, given the fact that every champion has a dedicated player base, no matter how small.

Big Lincoln3 votes

i want to keep all of them, just, like.. different. his Q is way more impactful as one big, monstrous swing though; it'd be neat if it kept the ramping up concept, but.. you know, differently.

i'd prefer them to not emphasize him as an AD champion either. AP is cooler.

his passive absolutely needs to stay though. that's what makes him him; this tanky son of a bitch who constantly shrugs off your offense. THAT, IMO, is what they need to tune UP.

Malicious Metal3 votes

Yeah, I'm talking worst case scenario here, which tbh, we should all do in order to keep our expectations low enough not to get disappointed AGAIN.

But yeah, he should have similar abilities but what he truly should revolve around is his passive. Period.

And he should definitely empathize a more AP heavy build to make him stand out from the other Juggernauts as the AP-Behemoth he's supposed to be :)

Big Lincoln1 votes

Well, he's definitely going to have an ability that revolves around swinging his mace. I think his metal storm could stand to be shifted around for satisfaction, though I'm not sure how short of making it his ultimate and bumping everything up to crazy numbers.

I dunno, I feel like his kit, at least conceptually, captures him 100%. The biggest thing is the translation to gameplay and visuals, which I (as I have stated multiple times) think Riot failed to do with the rework.

Baron of Bread3 votes

For me, Mordekaiser needs his passive and the rest of his kit (aside from the ult, that is just really cool) can change completely as long as it can accomplish similar things to what it did. If I can wade into a fight and drop tons of AoE punishment while sustaining through an unfocused assault then I am happy.

I think a better thing they could have done to keep with his previous identity but use the idea of monstrous ramping damage in melee is make his Q more like Vladimir's E. Every time he hits it the damage goes up a bit until it is ridiculous, if you make it so the stacks reset after about the same length of time as his cooldown then you give him the weakness to kitting Riot seems set on. Combine that with a nerf to his E damage or cooldown (along with a nerf to the initial Q damage) and you make Morde a much more melee focused murder machine that still has the satisfying waveclear and shield generation.

That or you make his Creeping Death similar to Trundle's ult (only flat instead of percent), making it so as a fight goes it is harder to kill you and your enemies defenses drain away to make your hits harder. I would put it on his W instead of his E (despite the E being a Siphon) because that forces him to be a more melee bruiser.

Chespin20133 votes

Man I love both Mordes passive and his ultimate just simply because they make Mordekaiser who is. So if anything has to stay it would be those 2 things for the metal man.

Malicious Metal4 votes

Yeah, that would be my obvious choice too. This is more of an assessment of which parts of his kit consider to be the most iconic and essential to him, which was bound to be his Ultimate and Passive. I'm talking Worst case scenario here where we could only keep one ability and it seems that both should be allowed to stay in some way or the other.

Hyrum Graff1 votes

Question for you.

Hyrum Graff2 votes

{quoted}

Man I love both Mordes passive and his ultimate just simply because they make Mordekaiser who is. So if anything has to stay it would be those 2 things for the metal man.

Is it all of the ult, or just some things about it? Here are some different parts that it could be one or more of:

  • Burst damage
  • Damage over time
  • Getting a ghost
  • Sound and visuals
Malicious Metal1 votes

Number one and three basically. The DoT is nice but not essential, the visuals aren't that great but rather silly.

I love the ability as a dueling tool, providing him shield, a heal and a ghost to fuck shit up :)

Matezoide3 votes

Pre-rework, Mordekaiser's identity was:

High risk, high reward

Weak early game that can be solved with smart play

Amazing duelism post 6

Huge AoE

Fantastic pusher/farmer

Burst if he managed to get in range

Being the Iron Man, with tons of metal VFX in his kit.

Hard carry late.

Capable of fighting entire teams single handily

Most of these were removed with the rework tho

As for the skill he should keep, Children of the Grave, no contest. It is what makes Mordekaiser actually unique.

Count Zubat3 votes

So, Morde is palladin of pain, isn't he? So maybe he should get in next rework such a mechanic when the more damage is dealt to him and the more damage he deals, he gets stronger and stronger in battle? The longer the battle would persist, the more devastating Morde would be. I don't know how that could be executed: through stat boost, maybe through additional ability effects... But, wouldn't such a feature fit him thematically?

terkmc1 votes

Old More was already nigh unkillable in long fight, you either burst him down in 1-2 second or he will start shielding everything you throw at him

Count Zubat2 votes

{quoted}

Old More was already nigh unkillable in long fight, you either burst him down in 1-2 second or he will start shielding everything you throw at him

True, old Morde was unkillable because of how much damage it dealt, which ment he generated a ton of his shield in the matter of seconds if enemies let him to go in. But, why not expand on that. It is the part of his old identity (kill him asap or he will charge up shield and you're fucked) and also fits his thematics very much. Make him get more than only shield, maybe designing Morde's kit around such a mechanic would make a successful rework.

Phil Fly2 votes

This is the kinda thread you post once and then leave it. Don't need to have 3 every day to farm upvotes.

The Loveless2 votes

I knew I wasn't imagining things

chipndip12 votes

I'm fucking tired of Mord sob stories. At least he's overpowered as shit now. Some people just want their champ to not suck and we're STILL bitching about Mord's overpowered ass?

Lm1uliVXAg2 votes

? what is this logic lol. why does him being overpowered matter if the people that play morde can't because he's perma-banned? and even if they could play him i'm sure they aren't fond of his kit rework.

chipndip11 votes

{quoted}

? what is this logic lol. why does him being overpowered matter if the people that play morde can't because he's perma-banned? and even if they could play him i'm sure they aren't fond of his kit rework.

Here's the problem I have:

Mord needed some attention to make him more fun to play as well as have a niche that isn't simply "feast or famine simulator". Riot decided to shake things up by making him a duo laner, which gives him a hugely unique niche in the game that pretty much Mord alone can fulfill. Sure, he's overpowered like the other jugs are, but if that were the issue with the Mord circle, they'd be begging for nerfs so they could actually play Mord. Instead, we have fucking thread after thread calling for people to critically think about "Mord's identity" and "What makes our 'beloved metal man' Mord". Like...holy shit. Some champs have been needing love for ages and we can't stop bitching about Mord's rework? The champ is moving in this direction. Ask for a smooth ride, not a refund, cause you're not getting a refund.

Bouffon dAnglais1 votes

Some champs have been needing love for ages, true. The point is that Riot doesn't execute reworks well because they often fail to keep the champion's identity. See: Cassiopeia, Mordekaiser.

When they do take the time and think about the champion's identity, we get things like Gangplank, Ashe and so on.

Ralanr1 votes

"His own pain should empower him, turn his suffering into an advantage in form of hard hitting abilities and defensive shield forged out of his own torment."

This makes me think his shield should be made based on the damage he's taken. "% of health lost in combat is converted into his shield"

To much like Tahm?

Malicious Metal1 votes

He's less about getting hurt by his enemies but inflicting pain unto himself, draining his healthful on his own accord and empowering himself with massive damage and a defensive shield.

But the "getting tankier based on missing health" aspect's going to be used in poppy's rework as far as I'm informed :9

TTUPhoenix1 votes

I've been kind of wondering if Aatrox and Morde would do better with having their health costs switched around. Maybe give Aatrox flat health costs (so he doesn't suffer as much by building health, like most bruisers) and tone down his healing. Either that or make his health costs high, so he's weak until he gets lifesteal online?

In return, significantly reduce the percentage of shield Morde generates by damaging enemies (maybe 10-20%) but have him also generate shield based on how much of his own health he burns?

The Loveless1 votes

I would almost swear you and the other Morde guy make the same thread a dozen times a month. He's not that interesting of a champ, kit and lore wise. I'll give you both to rp to change your names. I'm just not sure why you're so attached to this guy to make repeat threads.

TTUPhoenix4 votes

[{quoted}](name=The Loveless,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=JGlPByI3,comment-id=0009,timestamp=2015-10-04T07:53:56.420+0000)

I would almost swear you and the other Morde guy make the same thread a dozen times a month. He's not that interesting of a champ, kit and lore wise. I'll give you both to rp to change your names. I'm just not sure why you're so attached to this guy to make repeat threads. I don't play Morde.

FTFY

OperationDEEZ11 votes

but i love children of the ggave

Hyrum Graff1 votes

Question: Do you feel "no cc" is absolutely necessary on Morde? Something like (in a completely reworked kit, so don't worry about his other abilities):

R: Same as live, but with the following effect.

Magnetism: Morde and his target both get +15% ms when moving towards each other and -15% MS when moving away from each other. This modifier also affects the length of dashes.

Please note, I am NOT asking if you like THIS ability. I'm interested if you think lack of CC is essential to Morde, and providing an example of the type of cc that I think might work.

Malicious Metal1 votes

Mobility is the thing I'd rather not see on him but CC's a completely different question altogether. The current kit doesn't allow him to have any CC due to it being too binary and oppressive if he gets the tools to get into range.

If they do give him a proper rework I'd say they could include some CC since it's pretty much needed on an immobile Juggernaut in today's meta.

SnowFall1 votes

Whatever he is or will become, he should NOT be an ADC.

Silverthane1 votes

C'mon man dont make me pick between iron man and children of the grave.

Malicious Metal1 votes

It's a tough choice, yes. Worst case scenario right there, the best case scenario being allowed to keep both of course :)

flying banelings1 votes

Okay I'm game, I believe that old Mord was a spell slinging Juggernaut with some range and tons of push. Most of all NOT A MELEE CHAMPION. I deeply despise mace of spades, disgusting in every way, the situational dmg, the AAing, one shoting on the 3rd hit, everything about his new q. His w isn't even worth talking about its so bad.

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