[Reinventing the Steel] Mordekaiser, the Master of Metal (Gameplay Rework Ideas)
Hello, and welcome to Reinventing the Steel, a discussion (and possibly series, depending on how well this goes) that will be taking a look at one of League of Legends' most endearing champions: 
Mordekaiser, the Master of Metal.
With all of the recent talk about Mordekaiser's gameplay rework (and current changes about to hit the live servers very soon), I figured it was time for me to throw in my own two cents into the equation now that I've given them some time to marinate. And what a time to post my thoughts! Happy 5th Anniversary, Mordekaiser!
I should let it be known that this isn't my first foray into brainstorming ideas for a Mordekaiser rework. While I enjoy some of the ideas I had back then (and some of them will take some shape within this rework), I can easily see many of the mistakes I made with my previous rework. Hindsight is a useful tool when you become a much more skilled and mature player. That said, I am not the best player in the world. I'm probably not even the best Mordekaiser player in the world, so let's keep skill level out of the discussion and focus on the ideas presented. Numbers will be used very sparingly, and only when necessary.
Before I begin, I would like to remind everyone participating in this discussion that this is just one summoner's perspective on how he believes his favorite champion (whom he has roleplayed as for a year and a half, and has mained ever since he started playing this game four years ago) should be portrayed. He actively promotes healthy and diverse discussion from other summoners within the comments section!
Be warned: this is going to be a very long discussion with lots of words. I hope you can stick around until the end. Now then, let us begin!
Mordekaiser converts 10% of all damage dealt and all damage received into a temporary absorption shield. When out of combat, the shield decays at a rate of 5% per second. Mordekaiser is considered out of combat when he has not dealt or received damage within the last 5 seconds.
One of the few reworked abilities I'm willing to use solid numbers on, it is also the reworked ability I'm most proud of. To start things off: yes, all damage dealt does mean he generates shield with his basic attacks. Also, while I realize this basically gives Mordekaiser innate 10% damage reduction on top of the ability to gain shield through dealing damage, it does fit him thematically. To quote his lore: "His twisted soul thrives on his own suffering, as well as the anguish he inflicts upon others."
According to that quote, would it not make sense for Mordekaiser to gain power from his own pain? But this is exactly why the shield generation is only at 10%. With the shield no longer decaying during combat and having two sources of generation (though to be fair, he's still losing health and/or shield from the damage he receives), anything more than 10% sounds overbearing. Also, with the shield generation being so low, this means that shield generation is no longer 50% effective against minions.
Gameplay-wise, I believe this shifts him into more of a front-line fighter, like how Riot would like him to be (and how his appearance implies he should be). No longer should Mordekaiser players be afraid of getting into the middle of fights because he is too fragile. With this change, Mordekaiser should thrive being the center of havoc thanks to his shield no longer decaying during combat and generating shield from both damage dealt and received.
For the next 6 seconds, Mordekaiser charges his mace with lightning and empowers his next attack. He swings his mace with such force that it echoes out and strikes up to 3 additional targets, dealing magic damage and stunning the initial target for 0.5 seconds. Additional targets are dealt one-third the damage of the initial target before resistances are applied.
If the initial target is alone, the damage and stun duration are doubled.
Before I go any further, there is a very specific reason why the charge lasts 6 seconds and why I specifically mention lightning (beyond it being the actual in-game effect), and that will all be explained in my upcoming rant (yes, I did actually have some of this planned out).
For the simplicity of this example, we are going to assume that Mace of Spaces deals 150 magic damage and no ratios nor resistances will be taken into account. The way I imagine Mace of Spades working is like this: let's say we have one melee minion and three caster minions standing behind it. When Mordekaiser activates the ability and attacks the melee minion, he deals 150 magic damage to the minion and stuns it for 0.5 seconds. The caster minions behind the melee minion each receive 50 points of magic damage, amounting to a total of 150 magic damage. If there were only two caster minions, then the total magic damage would only equal 100 extra magic damage beyond the 150 magic damage dealt to the melee minion.
Gameplay-wise, what this ensures is that Mordekaiser is gaining maximum shield generation for either hitting as many targets as possible (which he can do by making himself the center of fights) or by engaging on opponents when they are isolated (and gaining an extra long stun because of it). This also gives him some from of crowd control, which he sorely lacks. Thematically, the stun fits him because he is an eight foot tall mastodon wielding a spiked mace of death that's almost as large as he is and is charged with lightning. The description (Riot's, not mine) even says that he swings it with such force that the impact echoes out and causes even further destruction. Any target on the receiving end of that will no doubt be feeling a bit of recoil. I envision a giant lightning bolt falling from the sky (like Olaf's Reckless Swing) and striking an isolated target. Now that would be cool.
As I said before, there was a rant coming up and you are all about to experience my wrath.
*In Riot's currently proposed changes for Mordekaiser, they gave him the ability to place Creeping Death onto an ally while still receiving the effect himself. Alright, that's kinda cool. As an added effect, they each gain a movement speed boost when moving towards each other because *"Think magnets." ** I'm sorry, what? I'm sorry (again), but that is the most gimmicky idea I have ever heard.
And here is where my rant begins: just because Mordekaiser is called The Master of Metal, it does not mean he is the overlord of all metallic alloys! Yes, I understand that when he uses Creeping Death, he summons razor-sharp shrapnel (and lightning!) from thin air to slice open his opponents (and that's pretty metal), and as much as I enjoy the thought of him being able to crush Viktor into a tiny ball of scrap as if he were Darth Vader using the force, anyone who knows anything about Mordekaiser or has even read his ability names (which is why I love typing them out so much), knows that his title, The Master of Metal, is an extension of him being a reference to the genre of heavy metal music.
Iron Man, Mace of Spades, Creeping Death, Siphon of Destruction, Children of the Grave: these are all references to heavy metal songs. His Pentakill skin is another extension of this reference! In the pre-retcon lore, it was him and Sona (another musically-themed champion) who founded the band! And even then, he was already playing sold-out shows in Zaun before she joined!
As I said, there was a reason lightning was specifically mentioned: with anything concerning heavy metal-themed/-based powers, lightning is always at the top of that list, along with fire (which will be mentioned here shortly). To quote Brutal Legend (a heavy metal-themed video game): "Metal, Noise, Blood, and Fire! Tell me what you most desire." Alongside these, Mordekaiser is already known to have power over pestilence (it's still canon to me, damn it!) and pain. Thematically, adding metal to that (such as when he uses Creeping Death) only confuses his identity even more (what does it have anything to do with his place within the Shadow Isles?) and adds a literal interpretation to his title that doesn't need to be there. If Riot really wants to match titles with themes, then change his title from "The Master of Metal" to "The Paladin of Pain". Although as a heavy metal fan, that change would make me very sad and it would erase one of the things I really enjoy about Mordekaiser.
Maybe he does have some unexplained attunement to metallic alloys but honestly, as cool as razor-sharp metallic shards are (I won't lie, I really like the idea but now it has become a gimmick), I feel like his theme would become more cohesive if he surrounded himself with something like the souls of the damned instead. It would definitely add to who he is and what his place in the world is. On top of that, it could raise more questions about his backstory: why is he entombed in that armor anyway, while other creatures of the Shadow Isles are not?
/end rant
Now that that's over, let's get into how we can alter Creeping Death, shall we?
Idea 1: Mordekaiser surrounds himself with [insert power here, i.e. fire, lightning, souls of the damned, all of the above] for 6 seconds, increasing his Armor and Magic Resistance by 10/20/30/40/50 and dealing magic damage per second to nearby enemies, as well as increasing his movement speed and tenacity equal to half the Armor and Magic Resistance bonus.
Oooh, now we're getting into separate ideas! This is where the real fun of discussions begins! Personally, this is my favorite idea for Creeping Death. For a while, I debated whether or not to make this castable on allies but I decided that, in order to keep as much power as I can on it, it would have to remain solely on Mordekaiser. Which is fine because I imagine Mordekaiser to be somewhat selfish anyway.
The reason why I like this idea the most is because it's another ability that makes it so that Mordekaiser is going to be in the thick of team fights. Not only does it give him more movement speed to move around fights, it gives him even more Armor and Magic Resist plus some tenacity to help deal with crowd control. The overall damage would have to be lowered due to the ability providing some heavy defensive stats.
Idea 2: Mordekaiser surrounds himself or an ally with [insert power here, i.e. fire, lightning, souls of the damned, all of the above] for 6 seconds, increasing their Armor and Magic Resistance by 10/15/20/25/30 and dealing 24/38/52/66/80 (0.2 AP) magic damage per second to nearby enemies.
When cast on an enemy champion, Mordekaiser infects them with pestilence, reducing their Armor, Magic Resistance, movement speed, and attack speed for 6 seconds.
So, unlike the previous idea, this rendition of Creeping Death allows Mordekaiser to use the ability on three possible targets! For himself and an ally, the ability works the exact same as it does on live. However, now he is able to cast the ability on an enemy this time! This is actually a very common idea I see discussed whenever Mordekaiser reworks are brought up, as rare as they might be. When cast on an enemy, it applies Mordekaiser's version of Exhaust onto them, giving him a powerful form of soft crowd control.
Idea 3: After a short cast time, Mordekaiser teleports to a target location, dealing magic damage in an area around himself upon arrival and gaining Armor and Magic Resistance per enemy champion hit.
The final, and arguably the most interesting, idea that I had in mind for Creeping Death. Now, I know what you're all thinking: "But how can a giant suit of armor teleport around the map like some sort of assassin?!" To which I reply: "You've obviously never played Sauron (another giant suit of armor with lots of spikes, a mace, and fueled by darker powers) in Guardians of Middle-earth, and I guess I can't really blame you if you haven't played it."
No but seriously, I did actually get this idea from Sauron in Guardians of Middle-earth. There was a time where I did not have a computer, but I still needed my MOBA fix. Thankfully I had my trusty PlayStation 3 with me, so I decided to give the game a try since I love Lord of the Rings. Being a Mordekaiser main, I was naturally drawn to Sauron. Imagine my surprise when I found out he could teleport and stealth himself. While Mordekaiser would never do something so cowardly as to hide, it gave me the idea that he could teleport (thanks to the dark power of the Shadow Isles) and arrive in an explosion of fire and death. This would not only give him an excellent engage ability (further enforcing the fact he should be in the thick of things), but also gives him an escape tool should he ever need to get away from a deadly situation.
Idea 1: Mordekaiser summons undead minions from the Shadow Isles in a cone in front of him, dealing magic damage and ensnaring all afflicted enemies for 0.5/0.75/1.0/1.25/1.5 seconds.
If I may revisit my rant about cohesive theme for a split second, maces coming forth from the ground never ever made much sense to me. However, how cool would it be to have undead monsters burst forth from a fissure in the ground, attempting to drag their victims into the depths with them (even though it would only be a root in-game)? Not only will this give Mordekaiser some very handy hard crowd control, summoning undead minions from the Shadow Isles easily fits his theme of "badass undead general". This is easily my favorite idea out of the two presented here. Damage would have to take a hit thanks to the snare, but it would be totally worth it.
Idea 2: Mordekaiser summons undead minions from the Shadow Isles in a cone in front of him to siphon the life force of all afflicted enemies, dealing magic damage and healing Mordekaiser for 10% of the damage dealt.
While the same thematic changes take place here, the undead minions instead siphon the life force away from all afflicted enemies in order to heal their master. While I believe the idea is cool and allows Mordekaiser to have some built-in healing beyond his ultimate, I don't think it meshes that well with the proposed reworked passive. However, an idea is an idea and this could always become handy in the future, reworked passive or not.
Idea 1: Mordekaiser curses an enemy champion with pestilence for 6 seconds, dealing a percentage of their max heath in magic damage (half initially, half over time) and granting true sight of the target for the duration of the curse. While cursed, the target has their Armor, Magic Resistance, movement speed, and attack speed reduced.
If the target dies while under the affliction of the curse, their soul is torn from their body and becomes enslaved under Mordekaiser's command for 30 seconds.
Like all the other first ideas, this one has to be my favorite version (though Idea 2 definitely comes in a close second). While I understand Creeping Death has the exact same feature in one of its ideas, I would much rather use the Exhaust idea on Mordekaiser's ultimate. It just makes much more sense, and it allows his ultimate to represent a core aspects of his character (power over pestilence, reaper of souls) and feel not only powerful, but deadly as well. On the gameplay side of things, this allows him to do more damage and stick to a cursed target, making his victim feel truly helpless while the curse persists. Due to this change, the curse doesn't last as long, allowing it to deal more damage per second, but also allowing those afflicted by it to not have to deal with it as long.
Speaking of theme, for those of you who have been diligent (or have even stuck around for this long), you may remember that I mentioned the number 6 much earlier in the post. Now it is time to reap what we have sown. As part of Mordekaiser's larger reference to heavy metal, three of his abilities within this proposed rework each last for a duration of 6 seconds (666). That's a fun little easter egg, eh?
Idea 2: Mordekaiser curses an enemy champion with pestilence for 6 seconds, dealing a percentage of their max heath in magic damage (half initially, half over time) and granting true sight of the target for the duration of the curse. While cursed, the target receives amplified damage from Mordekaiser.
If the target dies while under the affliction of the curse, their soul is torn from their body and becomes enslaved under Mordekaiser's command for 30 seconds.
This idea was actually inspired by the changes made to Fizz's ultimate after the removal of Deathfire Grasp. This basically functions the same exact way. The only problem I have with this idea is that it encourages a more burst-oriented playstyle for the Master of Metal, which is something I think most everyone wants to get away from.
Idea 3: Mordekaiser curses an enemy champion with pestilence for 6 seconds, dealing a percentage of their max heath in magic damage (half initially, half over time) and granting true sight of the target for the duration of the curse. Mordekaiser gains increased movement speed when moving towards a cursed target.
If the target dies while under the affliction of the curse, their soul is torn from their body and becomes enslaved under Mordekaiser's command for 30 seconds.
The least favorite of my proposed changes for Mordekaiser's ultimate, it is also one that would most easily be implemented thanks to it not being too overbearing. While a speed boost is fairly boring, it is the safest feature to add to his ultimate while giving Mordekaiser the mobility that he desperately needs.
Whew, we finally made it! I told you it was going to contain a lot of words. I hope I was able to keep everyone entertained enough to read through the whole thing, despite my mostly unnecessary rant in the middle of the post. Should this series continue, I will have to revisit that point another time.
But for those of you who took the time to read over all of my ideas and explanations, thank you so very much! As I said in the foreward, I actively promote healthy discussion in the comment section. I would love to hear what the rest of the community (especially other Mordekaiser players) thinks about my ideas.
