How I would rework Mordekaiser
Hello, I previously did a post about the thematic aspects of Mordekaiser: https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/story-art/Z6d8EzoN-ideas-about-the-direction-of-the-mordekaiser-rework
This time I wrote this with pure gameplay in mind:
Mordekaiser has 1 spell that I believe is very frustrating to play against, namely his E, it’s a low CD cheap AoE harassment tool with no real counterplay, if off cooldown Mordekaiser will simply chip your HP. In my opinion, Mordekaiser should be balanced primarily around Top lane, however, the concept of a duo lane Juggernaut is pretty unique, yet, removing his E would make it so he has no ranged harass, combine that with the lack of mobility and he simply doesn’t work. As such I propose the following:
New W: Bonus XP removed Minion cast: same as live Champion cast: same as live, however upon cast, the allied champion becomes Mordekaiser’s ''serf'' and remains so as long as they are within proximity or until he chooses another target (think of it like Taric’s W). The serf will not gain any benefits, however while near his serf, Mordekaiser’s basic abilities will be modified.
If I’m not being clear think of it like this: Mordekaiser uses his W on ally, the current AoE DoT that ends in in a burst of damage and heal once the duration is over (or recast) still happens, however on cast the allied champion will become Mordekaiser’s serf until he uses his W on another champion. The reason why I removed the bonus XP gain is due to the ease that Mordekaiser will have farming with his new Q.
With this in mind, let me go over the rest of his kit.
Stats readjusted to be in line with a Juggernaut (specifically his armor and HP) HP costs removed on all spells save his new E
New Passive: A % of all mana, mana regen and mana restoration is converted into bonus HP, HP regeneration and Healing respectively.
Explanation
This passive idea is a placeholder (personally I'm not satisfied with a simple stat conversion passive), however, I believe that a big factor preventing Mordekaiser from accessing a larger variety of items as an AP fighter, is the fact that some items he would like (such as RoA and IBG) have mana in them, additionally this passive idea is something that I see frequently pop up on the Mordekaiser subreddit, meaning that I'm not alone in this thought. At any rate, the reason why I removed Mordekaiser's passive will become clear once we go over my E idea.
New Q: Same effect as live However, if Mordekaiser is near his serf, his Q will be replaced with the following: Mordekaiser sends a shock wave that mimics his regular Q, the ability can be recast twice and stops upon colliding with an enemy champion (meaning it goes trough minions), applies on hit effects but still counts as an ability for the sake of on proc effects. Recast CD scales with attack speed.
Explanation
This way, Mordekaiser retains his ranged harass on bot and becomes more reliable against marksmen. As compensation for gaining access to a “ranged Q” the third wave won’t deal increased damage (again, only on the ranged version). Aditionaly, by having another AoE spell that can be used to farm quickly, Mordekaiser will no longer require the somewhat band-aid passive on his W that grants him increased XP gain with nearby allies.
New E: Mordekaiser begins charging for up to 1 sec, losing a % of his current HP, afterwards he will deal magic damage to all nearby enemies. Mordekaiser will gain a shield based on his max HP plus a bonus % increase based on how many enemies were hit (increased against champions). If near his serf, the serf will mimic Mordekaiser’s E, the damage does not stack, however the serf will be shielded.
Explanation
Mordekaiser’s passive is rather unique, the idea of losing some hp in order to gain a strong shield seems like a concept fitting of a “Death Knight”, however as it currently stands, Mordekaiser’s passive justifies his sub par defense, additionally, most of his HP costs are quite negligible, meaning you don't actually feel the impact of turning max hp into a temporary shield. With his new E (heavily inspired in Vladimir's E), Mordekaiser will retain access to a shield and still has a form of AoE damage other than his W (and his modified Q).
Regarding his R: Mordekaiser’s ultimate is such an unique spell (not just the ghost mechanic, but the fact that it’s such a long duration DoT, and in a game with so much upfront burst I think it's refreshing to have DoT's around) that I honestly wouldn’t change it (and even if I wanted to change it I have now idea how I would preserve it), maybe the dragon ghost could be removed in favor of more power somewhere, but again I don't know
At any rate I would love to hear opinions on this kit, thank you
