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Mordekaiser's "compensation" is insulting...

Painted Celt··39 votes·1,909 views

"Well, as customer numero uno for DFG (he actually might have been second with Veigar leading the way, but we're not ones to get in the way of a good reference) we didn't want to just take away Mordekaiser's core build without any form of compensation..." - patch notes 5.4

Come on, Riot, be level with us. Don't treat us like morons. Calling these nerfs on top of a core item removal "compensatory buffs" is just insulting.

  • You more than halved Mordekaiser's base health regen, which is also his resource for ability casts...

  • You lowered Mordekaiser's maximum W damage output by 30% of AP and 72 base damage over 6 seconds...

  • You changed his ultimate so that he no longer gains 15% (20% of 75%) of his own AP while he has a ghost. This was way more valuable than 10% more of the opponent's AP, unless if you are always able to ult a farmed 1,500 AP Veigar or something (and the real punchline is that you probably aren't going to be seeing Veigar around much now that he got his own 5.4 "buffs")...

  • You significantly reduced Mordekaiser's damage to structures and Q damage (+165% bonus AD ratio) by completely removing AD bonus to/from his ghost...

And his compensation...

  • You reduced health costs only on Q and W, even though E is his main laning tool...

  • You provided a minor range increase on his Q (which is a melee auto-attack proc). This makes no difference in a duel taking place in melee range and it definitely won't help when being kited...

  • You provided a situational buff to his W if used on an ally. This shares the shield and provides a movement speed when moving towards the shielded ally... Only one shield can apply damage in overlapping area... Sure, this is worth something, but is it really even compensation for the nerfs you delivered in this same patch let alone the removal of DFG?!

  • You made Mordekaiser's controlled ghost now provide 25% of the opponent's BONUS health... Great... I am still ulting their ADC or APC instead of wasting a 120-90 second CD burst magic damage ultimate on their tank... So this change provides me a whopping ~5 health thanks to their runes... Sweet (sarcasm)... I'd prefer the old AD bonus by far.

Now, I am not saying that Mordekaiser is dumpstered, but this wave of nerfs was unprovoked. Mordekaiser has already been just barely surviving on the fringe of viability. It's just revolting that you would try to sell this patch as some sort of compensation for anything.

12 Comments

SEKAI13 votes

I was really saddened by reading all that non-sense last night.

I have played Morde for god knows how long already, and I really, really, REALLY love this guy. I know there was a period when he was OP, not sure if it was S1 or 2, I will be the first to admit, but he was nerfed and put in a place where while not a brilliant position at least he was ok and functional.

Now you remove his damage, you gut his early game completely and hp cost reduction in the wrong places, you toss his theme as a "pusher" into the dumpster and cut his already near non-existent team fight scene even lower, ON TOP OF removing one of his core items being DFG. But hey, at least he now has a situational and unreliable mobility so that's ok........ right?

What is this, does this sound like "compensation" to you? What in the hell is this?

Please explain Riot. I am not asking for Morde to be the next Lee Sin, no, I am merely asking for one of my most loved champion in the entire game to actually be playable and worth my effort in maining, it's really not asking too much Riot, it's really not.

EDIT: The ulti and hp regen change baffles me the most, it's bad, it's really bad.

ABlueQuaker7 votes

I think it's more insulting that they finally gave him mobility on his W then nerfed the damage (BOTH Flat damage AND the Ratio) on it as though Riot actually had to trade something in his power budget for it.

Riot traded a dollar for a dollar and left him, still, poorer than everyone else.

WEANUS PEANUS4 votes

I am pretty sure Riot just wants to get rid of these champions in favor of the flashy assassins we're seeing in the pro scene.

Silents4293 votes

Weird I played him yesterday and found him much better to play.

Then again I had spell vamp runes to offset his early game, which before was stupidly strong with how easy he can push.

Stephenizgod2 votes

Im probably going to get a lot of hate for saying this but i actually like some of the changes to Veigar, specifically the Q. If they remove the cast time on his E or make it so the delay starts right when he casts the ability then i think Veigar will be playable again.

However, I do not like the Morde changes so much though, all we really got as compensation for DFG removal was conditional unreliable (lets be honest: useless) mobility but even that had to come at a price of damage (...so was it compensation or just a straight nerf im confused, why are we paying for compensation?). The difference between Veigar and Morde changes is Veigar's playstyle was completely changed and only time can tell if those were good changes or not (you gotta give it some time and effort guys). Nothing in these changes actually changed Mordes playstyle, only made it weaker and less effective. The mobility has no impact on his laning phase or teamfight, it doesnt even help you chase or escape (well it helps you escape for like 1-2 seconds and then it goes away and they got you again). The range increase, if im reading it right, only effects Isolated targets? This is helpful but again its both conditional and unreliable so it doesnt have any impact. The Ghost is a little saddening, it looks like they were trying to take it the right way but are holding back for some reason.

What i believe needs to happen:

  • Move some of the damage from his E to his R. The E is too oppressive and is slightly toxic, it could deal a little bit less damage. His R is useless at level 1 (and 2 against most champions) and is countered by a single health pot, it should be an actual threat throughout the game. Right now its just "Oh look he ulted me haha im just going to run away and pop a health pot then go back and kill him"

  • The W needs mobility, remove the magnet thing and add straight up move speed or make it so it effects enemy champions so he runs faster only towards them. I like the Creeping Death effecting both Morde and an Ally this was a step in the right direction.

  • If you want to keep the damage reduction on his W (which only deals significant damage if they stand in it for the full time) then make it so they are effected by both Creeping Deaths but make it so the second one deals reduced damage. This will open up his teamfight a bit and his dueling without making him over the top strong.

  • Right now Morde deals low amounts of damage, make it so he does bonus damage to enemy champions effected by his ult or maybe damaging an enemy effected by his ult can give him more health back?

What do you guys think?

Skoonie2 votes

I keep seeing these threads pop up on how Morde was "gutted." tbh I haven't seen any improvement or decline in Morde's playstyle. Just played 3 games a day or 2 ago and dominated just as hard as I always had early game while struggling to catch people late game. As far as I'm concerned, aside from the extra 1 second they tacked onto hi Q, there weren't any buffs or nerfs that happened last patch.

Please stop trying to convince everyone that Mordekaiser has somehow gotten worse from these changes. He didn't get any better, but he certainly didn't get worse.

Tobeyeus2 votes

I have played Veigar, Zilean and Mordekaiser since the patch and of the 3 I think I liked Mordekaiser's changes the most. Granted I was against a Nasus top lane but I enjoyed him and felt like I was holding my own. I am not sure how others were building him and how they are building him now but I went tanky. Sorc Boots, SV, Omen, Rylai's, WotA and Liandry's. I am sure the damage is lower then most but I felt like I could wade in and spam the enemy with my spells. I was lucky in that they had a Jungle Leona and I Ultied her whenever I could so that might be why I felt like things where going well. And believe it or not Jungle Leona kicks Mordekaiser's ass. He really doesn't like being CCed. If he is CC he can't build shield. If he is supposed to be a bruiser now then why doesn't his passive scale with HP?

I think the biggest issue I faced was sticking to the enemy. Even with Rylai's and Omen I felt like the enemy could get away too easily. I did love using the new W to help a teammate escape or to help back off. I am disappointed that W doesn't deal damage twice when stacked, I agree with the other post in that it should deal reduced damage but still deal damage and give Shield.

I wish his E had a small pull effect (Reverse of Rammus Power Ball knock back) to follow the new magnetism theme. This would allow him to keep enemies from escaping. Riot said they wanted to make him into a bruiser like Gragas. Gragas has a slow, knock up and knockback, Morde has no CC and I think even a small 100 range pull would help. It isn't even an escape tool! Which would make him very much an all in bruiser harder for enemies to escape but not escape tools for himself.

I doubt I am an expert and I will need to play him more but I did have fun when I tried him. Next time I might try a Sunfire, Abyssal, Lichbane, Sorc Boots, Deathcap and Liandry's build for a W burn build.

TauNoob11 votes

What I really hate about all these changes to Morde and Veigar is that they were supposed to be BUFFS. HOW IN THE WORLD TO THESE CHANGES HELP THEM IN ANY WAY?

Hawkefire1 votes

Also, I have yet to see where that range increase on his Q will actually be useful, it really doesn't seem to have a single impact whatsoever in the game.

ks9161 votes

The changes wouldn't have been too bad if the mobility on morde's W wasn't so conditional. I would gladly take some mobility on morde for a bit less dmg just so people didn't simply walk away from him or kite him forever. Instead the W changes kinda of suck since in 1v1's it's just weak, and in teamfights your team isn't coordinated enough for you to use the W speed up effectively. ( Person you put W on doesn't use it to help you get to the person you ulted etc.)

MetalGearTeemu1 votes

"Compensation" is code for "further nerfing" unless the champion is already an LC$ moneymaker

Matezoide1 votes

It is amazing how badly they gutted his ghost, simply because the change seems good at first sight.

Yes, a bonus 100 AD seems great. Then you remember the AP he provided would give bonus damage to his ghost anyway (If AP is higher than AD, your autos are stronger) and he also gave 75% of his total AD. At level 6 and 11, every single one of his possible ghosts are weaker than ever, while at 16, they might be a tiny bit stronger, but still infinitely weaker if Morde built a Hextech Gunblade, and dont get me started on the niche AD build.

And thats not all! Before, Mord would get a total of +15% AP from ANY ghost PLUS the AP his opponent already had, regardless of his ghost. The 30% Bonus HP is worthless if he wants to do any damage because mages and ADCs dont build health.

So what does he get now? Weaker ghosts, a small amount of AP or HP (And if he ulted an ADC, neither of those things). This greatly hurts his 1v2 potential as well.

Before, if Mordekaiser managed to poke enough to gain a lead in lane (Which he cant do anymore because his regen got gutted and it's range isnt too high), he could fight back when ganked by using Ignite + Ult on his opponent, then double teaming his opponent.

The problem is, his ghost will only get 25 AD (Which is lower than 75% of his total AD at this point of the game), while Mord is getting less AP and zero AD for 5 Health, plus his W lost a lot of damage. And if the target is isolated? His sexy 165% Bonus AD ration on Isolated Q (Or hell, regular Q's ratio) is wasted. This means two of his spells lost damage base when he has ghost, WHILE lowering his total AD and AP.

The loss on W's power alone hurts his dueling, but the Ghost change completely destroys his ability to duel people when out numbered, because he will be much weaker in these scenarios. Mordekaiser's sheer*** fantasy/identity*** is getting destroyed. Fighting 3 foes at once and winning if he is ahead is his thing, and now thats harder than ever.

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