Mordekaiser's rework should tackle the problem of him not having a strategic "niche"

I've been asked this really often recently; If I like Mordekaiser so much, why do I seem to always put him in a negative light? Well it's quite simple; Because I like Morde this much I want him to be the best champion he can possibly be, delivering on his core theme and giving him a place in the game that can be sustainable (looking at you 100% pick/ban rate Morde).

Anyways, let's get started!

What's a strategic niche? Riot has been reworking champions that seemed "fine" because of this very topic. They want there to be a reason to pick certain champions. That's why the mage update strives to make them all more unique and differentiating them, giving them unique strengths. Taking a look at the other Juggernauts we can easily make out their strategic niches Anti-Carry. His villain mechanic gives him the tools to deal with snowballing champions and really shut them down. A very solo-q oriented champion Penta-kill clean-up machine. Darius is a ticking time bomb in team fights. Pray he doesn't kill anyone with his ultimate or you'll see the other four soon follow. With Noxian might Darius can tear entire teams to shreds by only getting the killing blow on ONE champion Skarner is the objective control/utility Juggernaut. He clears the jungle with ease and can contest objectives easily. He's more of a mix between Tank and Juggernaut though She's harder to pin down but Illaoi primarily thrives in engage heavy teams where she can follow up with devastating ultimates. She heavily punishes the enemy's mistakes

And then there is , whose strategic niche was supposed to be a replacement ADC, which we saw bummed due to him having to be blatantly over tuned and relying on unfair mechanics to work.

But what could this be replaced with? Well, there are several different niches he could fill, from Anti-Diver, to Objective control and Drain-Tank.

No pain, no drain! This is the niche I feel matches Mordekaiser's theme the best. He's an unyielding Revenant bringing with him the black mist, a conqueror of both territory, body and soul. A Mordekaiser kit that would be based on this strategic niche would tap into Drain Tank elements and be heavily tied to his passive and ultimate capabilities.

Some of Mordekaiser's problems are the lack of consistent durability when behind, lack of utility and not having a real reason to be picked other than being OP at times. As a Necromancer-Warlord, like Sauron's usually depicted, A Dark Lord character with sinister power over forbidden magics of life and death, Equal parts physical prowess and magical mastery, I feel a kit expanding on this theme would be suited for the Iron Revenant. Not to mention revenants often being linked to the coming of winter, hardships, disease and other calamities.

But enough of fancy words; What SHOULD this kind of kit include?

STEALING of stats Mordekaiser already taps into this Drain-Tank fantasy with his passive and ultimate; Inflicting pain shields him from death, with his ultimate he makes your allies his thralls, their power now serving him. So why stop there? What could be added to the mix would be a sort of Armor/MR stealing ability, probably as his W skill. A shroud of metal shrapnel and black mist surrounding him and draining the remittances of his enemies would make him thrive fighting in the frontline, effectively wearing down the opposing fighters and tanks. Not only would this be a blast from the past, seeing his old W used to give him resistances, but it would tie his durability to going balls to the walls and wading into the opposing front line. ->Mordekaiser is somebody you really don't want to be around. He's this unholy entity on the battlefield, plants withering and dying in his presence so why shouldn't the living feel a chill being around him?

By upping Mordekaiser's draining aspect he could finally have a niche other than to pick him solely for gimped/unfair mechanics like the dragon ghost and xp passive. He could function as a team's frontline by becoming tanky by proxy; By simply doing his job of leading the charge he'll provide his team with not only a way to weaken the enemy's defenses but also a powerful front line they can rely on.

So to recap this: Mordekaiser is a conqueror, he's an undying warlord Wraith who leads the march of the dead and brings with him the black mist, he's supposed to be this horrifying legendary Tyrant-King who haunted most of Runeterra's continent and a "real" rework should embrace this aspect by giving him all the aspects attributed to a Revenant. Think the eastern european legends of the Wild Hunt and their parallels to the Black Mist. By expanding on this fantasy and giving Mordekaiser the niche of Drain-Bruiser he would not only have the strategic niche of being a great pick against teams with a heavy frontline but also have much-needed utility in his kit.

(Not to mention him building Rylais upps the Wild Hunt-feel by bringing with him not only death and despair but also freezing northern winds)

http://orig11.deviantart.net/ddb5/f/2013/251/d/e/king_of_the_wild_hunt_by_scratcherpen-d6lk0ph.jpg