Since Riot Repertoir is perusing the boards right now: A Mordekaiser rework idea

That requires no new animations:

Passive: Iron man: A % of Mordekaiser's max hp can be created as shields based on X% of damage dealt by his abilities. While this shield is above X%, Mordekaiser's basic abilities slow enemies by X%

Q: Mace of Spades: Mordekaiser can activate Mace of Spades to enhance his next auto attack, stacking up to 3 times (3 seperate enhancements on 3 seperate attacks) Hit 1- Dawn- Mordekaiser swings his mace upward, lightly bumping enemy champions on hit (just a displace, not a stun) Hit 2- Dusk- Mordekaiser swings his mace sidways, and the damage echoes out behind the first target (Ravenous Hydra, but metal) Hit 3- Nightfall- (Oooh, cool, cheers) Mordekaiser slams his mace downward, dealing a % of his target's missing hp. If this kills a champion, Nightfall may be recast at no cost, instantly. (Chain auto resets for a % missing hp execute, but it's gated behind a cooldown AND being the third use of a single ability.

W- Harvester of Sorrow: Mordekaiser shreds (metal) some of his own maximum %hp to apply a cloud to himself, and to a nearby allied unit. Enemies the cloud touches are dealt X damage per second for 4 seconds. Mordekaiser may recast Harvester of Sorrow to become a cloud of metal and teleport to the other cloud. Enemies touched by Mordekaiser in this state are stunned for X seconds.

E: Siphon of Destruction: Mordekaiser blasts 5 shards of metal outward in a cone. These shards pass through minions and monsters, but stop on contact with champions, large, and epic monsters. Mordekaiser can pick up the shards that are stopped for a % missing hp heal.

R: Children of the Grave: Passive: Every enemy that Mordekaiser damages withing 5 seconds before they die is compelled to join him in service (controlled as a swarm, the same way the ghost is now, with obviously hugely reduced stats)

                                       Active: Mordekaiser singles out an enemy (Current big rotating Morde head works fine for this) with a debuff called "Paranoid" (Metal). All enemies that approach within X units of their Paranoid ally are feared for 3 seconds. All heals and shields applied to this unit are also applied to Mordekaiser while they're Paranoid. Lasts 5 seconds, but the duration is refreshed every time Mordekaiser or his Children of the Grave damage the Paranoid unit. 

                                       Children of the Grave always attack the paranoid unit and cannot be ordered to do otherwise.

His passive is essentially the same, only better, and it would be a small slow, literally only enough so hit auto spamming didn't feel so impossible.

So, the idea is to give Mordekaiser something that allows him to FEEL like a huge juggernaut slamming his mace around, crushing mortals like bugs ala Sauron. Making it 3 separate casts also means Auto-attack enhancements are slightly better for him, but also allows him to greatly extend the duration of his combo via weaving in auto attacks instead of just spamming all 3 hits. Hit 1- Dawn, isn't a stun or anything, just a tiny bump. It's not going to let him walk around you, but might give Morde enough time to land Hit 2- Dusk, which is similar to his original Mace of Spades ability. Hit 3- Nightfall, not only is pretty awesome, I think, but also give you that huge, bone-crushing hit that it should feel like. But it's an execute, so you're not going to Nightfall someone to death from full hp. But nothing will help them if you land a kill with Nightfall. Chaining these huge singletarget, auto attack reliant executes will be a huge feelgood moment for Morde, and give you some of that, "Well, here he goes," when you've screwed up and let him unleash the beast.

His W still allows him to farm from extended range, but also isn't going to be overbearing for laning, as he can't throw it at you to stun you. He can only stun you if he's on top of you when he recasts it, in which case he loses out on some of the damage, or if it's been on a minion for X time and you're still standing there waiting to die. Also removing his sustain from this makes the choice between maxing W and E a little more nuanced.

His E, now ina skillshot format, features counterplay other than "Don't approach," but retains it's waveclear, and the shard's falling on champions and large minions/monsters allows for limited sustain in the jungle and during fights.

His R no longer deals % max hp damage, applying Liandries and Rylai's so long that you forgot how to recall when it didn't kill you. It also is a new kind of mechanic, like a reverse grouping mechanic, that I think is pretty thematic too. I imagine Mordekaiser just saying the name of the champion as the cast, calling them out. That person is now spooked by the literal undead lord of metal and death, obviously. Also, I like the idea that you can try to save this person from him, but you freaking out and shielding, healing them feeds Mordekaiser's ability to chase them down and destroy them.

His R also deals no damage at all on it's own, relying entirely on his Children of the Grave to buildup and swarm people down. He gets a little more of the necromancer/metalmancer feel with this kit. He'll still have big dragon ghost moments, but they won't be quite as overpowering on their own since there will likely be a number of Children milling around him at any time.

And you know what the best part is?

No new animations. His auto attack and Q enhanced animations can easily be manipulated and reapplied to this ability for the proper visuals. E is largely the same animation, but shoot the little maces out from his hand instead of the ground, and they stop when they hit a big unit. W is literally the same, but when Morde becomes the cloud, perhaps layer 2 or 3 of them over each other so it's thicker and more menacing. R Just the same head thing it is now, with maybe a sealth-esque range indicator for the fear ring. All of the ghosts could just be scaled down versions of what he's killing and turned ghouly green and opaque.

I hope you guys like it.