[Rework Concept] An Alternate Mordekaiser Rework - Revisiting the Iron Revenant
It's been a long, long time since I've been here, but the Mordekaiser rework has brought me back to the PBE, and ultimately, here. I've played my fair share of the reworked Mordekaiser over the past few days in various lanes, and it occurred to me: this isn't Morde. This is a new champ. I believe I stand with a lot of other Morde mains when I say that the new Morde rework is nice, and I certainly appreciate the time and effort put into his development cycle, but what remains simply isn't Morde.
Mordekaiser, like many other victims of recent overhaul VGU reworks, has been gutted. It’s sad that many champion mains have to see their entire champion changed – with only minimal traces left (It’s not necessarily about appearance, but I’ll also get to that in a bit). If Riot wanted to shake Morde up to this extent, they would have been better off making a whole new champion, and leaving Morde with more minor edits - since the champion that I've known for over seven years now won't exist after the next patch. Poof. Gone. It's not so much a rework as it is a 100% replacement. It’s a weird thought - sometime next week, one of my favorite champs will cease to exist.
I'm not saying that the new champion is bad, poorly designed, or anything like that, in fact, there are a lot of great improvements that are worth noting, but that being said, I'm just not totally on-board with it.
Now you might be wondering: They kept him as a big ol’ suit of armor with a mace – isn’t that the point? What are you still upset about?
Let me explain:
Morde’s entire kit is basically gone – besides his W (Harvester of Sorrow/Creeping Death) becoming his new passive ability (Darkness Rise) with an uninspired 3 basic attack proc. Every other aspect of Morde’s kit has been replaced with what could easily have been abilities saved for future champion releases. Morde’s problems could have been solved with more minor changed to fix some of his targeting bugs and balance issues (a lot of which wouldn’t have existed w/o the odd 2015 juggernaut rework, but oh well) . . .but of course, Riot did what they usually do in a lot of these cases; they went after the problem in a bulltrue, heavy-handed fashion – akin to going after a fly with a bazooka. Morde didn’t need a grapple to replace his amazing ranged farming ability and sustain tool, nor did he need a lot of other changes, but here we are.
This rework also seems to forget a lot of the charm that many Morde fans cherish about him. What few features Riot chose to take and run with included the shallower, surface level features. His new design is only about being a death knight, and fulfilling that theme and gameplay fantasy to the fullest (which they did a successful job of, I'll give em' that). However, there’s a whole other dimension to Morde that they decided to leave out, and that’s the zany, exaggerated, heavy metal aspect that made Morde a self-aware parody of its own ridiculous awesomeness. That’s the part of Morde that I’ll forever miss; the guitar sound effects, the 4th wall breaking, and just his overall demeanor. It's unfortunate that such charm has been lost, and masked with this deadpan, ultra-serious, urgot-esque edgelord motif, and his overall design and theme are both taken way too seriously. I would even go as far as to say that most other large scale VGU’s do a far better job of preserving the older champions’ identities, visually, thematically, and in kit consistency.
What we got just isn't what many long-time Morde fans were hoping for . . . So I decided to give sort-of a middle-ground rework for the sake of balancing the scales a bit, and mix in some of the newer components in while preserving older qualities in both kit and theme that will be greatly missed.
So without further ado, here the rework I threw together:
Stats:
- Magic Resist: 32 (+1.5 per level)
- Attack Damage: 65 (+4 per level)
- Armor: 39 (+4 per level)
- Health: 550 (+88 per level)
- Health Regeneration: .8 (+0.15 per level)
- Move Speed: 330
- Attack Speed: .625 (+1 per level)
- Attack Range: 175 (melee)
Abilities:
Passive: Iron Man A percent of damage dealt from abilities is converted into additional health that stacks in the form of a temporary shield. After a 1.5 second delay, this shield begins to decay at a rate of 2% per second. This shield's capacity can also be used to cast Mordekaiser's various abilities, and will be depleted before his base health.
- Damage conversion: 30% from champions and neutral monsters (15% from minions)
- Maximum Shield capacity: 90 + (30 x level)
Q: Mace of Spades Mordekaiser powers up his mace. Mordekaiser's next attack is an upward swing that sends an electrified chunk of metal coursing through nearby targets (up to 3). This deals magic damage to all targets struck. Enemies stricken by this metal will have the “Metal Shard” status for the next four seconds (signified by a metal shard above their head enveloped with spectral flame)
- Range (Targeting Radius): 600
- Damage: 80/100/120/140/160 (+40% AP)
- Cost: 25/32/39/46/53 Health
- Cooldown: 10/9/8/7/6
*This ability can also be re-activated (with or without using the basic attack boost)
Re-Cast: Hammerfall
After a slight delay, Mordekaiser slams his mace down in a target direction with tremendous force - creating a small, circular AoE in front of him that deals magic damage. This deals damage equal to This deals additional damage The ability deals extra damage to any targets with the Metal Shard status. This costs additional health to cast, and slightly adds to cooldown.
- Cast Time: 0.25 second(s)
- AoE Radius: 400 units
- Range (from Mordekaiser): 300 units
- Damage: 75/95/115/135/155 (+90% AP) (+20/25/30/35/40% if it hits targets effected by Metal Shards)
- Cost: 18/27/36/45/54 Health
- Cooldown: + 4 seconds at all ranks (static)
W: Creeping Death Mordekaiser casts a shroud of metal shards around him – which deals magic damage to targets within it, and provides Mordekaiser with additional armor and magic resist.
Damage: 30/40/50/60/70 (+25% AP)
Ability diameter: 650
Armor: 10/15/20/25/30
Magic Resist: 12/17/22/27/32
Cost: 25/35/45/55/65 Health
Duration: 4 seconds
Re-Cast: Deathwind
Mordekaiser also has the option to re-cast this ability to blast these metal shards in a target direction with a powerful gust – dealing magic damage to a single target, and causing a slight slow. Damage dealt by this re-cast does not contribute to Mordekaiser’s Iron Man passive shield. This re-activation also adds time to the ability’s cooldown.
Damage: 30/40/50/60/70 (+40% AP) Range: 500 Slow: +15/20/25/30/35% Cost: 5/10/15/20/25 Health Duration: 2 second(s) Cooldown: + 4 seconds at all ranks (static)
*Notes: Morde has the option to re-cast this ability to a bit of extra damage in a target direction and utilize some CC, but this also leaves him without a reliable sustain tool if his other abilities are on cooldown. This ability is probably best used as an initiation tool to help Morde approach an enemy that he is confidant he can take down without the need for keeping his Creeping Death shield active.
E: Siphon of Destruction
Mordekaiser curses the ground with an outstretched hand, and raises maces up from the ground to strike all targets in its influence. This deals magic damage in a cone in front of him, and adds extra health to Mordekaiser's Iron Man shield for each target stricken.
- Range: 700
- AoE Cone Angle: 50° (From base)
- Damage: 65/105/145/185/225 (+60% AP)
- Bonus Shield: 5/10/15/20/25% for each unit struck
- Cost: 24 / 36 / 48 / 60 / 72 health
- Cooldown: 6 seconds at all ranks (static)
*Notes: This is Morde's most important tool for in-lane poke and sustain. It always has been a staple ability that has given Mode amazing lane presence, and is largely the reason Morde has been a successful mid champion against assassins for the better part of a decade. There is really nothing wrong with the way this ability functioned - especially after the juggernaut rework gave the ability a defined AoE that enemies could see and avoid.
R: Unholy Diver
Mordekaiser selects a single target champion, and plunges them into his Death Realm, where they are completely cut off from their team (but so is Mordekaiser). While inside this arena-like realm. The enemy target receives minor damage over time throughout the duration. If Mordekaiser can kill his target in the death realm, he temporarily gains a boost in stats relative to the defeated enemy - until that enemy respawns.
- Total Damage Over Time: 10 / 12.5 / 15% (+ 5% per 100 AP) of target's maximum health
- Stat increase: 10% base stats
- Cost: N/A
- Cooldown: 140/120/100
- Duration: 6 seconds
Mordekaiser can also use this ability on the dragons of Summoners Rift - plunging them into the Death Realm with him (dealing the same DoT as normal). However, this also means Mordekaiser must defeat the dragon without the aid of his team. . . in 6 seconds . . . (from the time of the ability's activation). If Mordekaiser defeats the dragon in the death realm, he does not get the standard status buff that he would from a normal champion, but instead, captures the dragon's soul for a short duration. The dragon does not follow Mordekaiser, however, but can be used as an single-use active ability over the course of the next 70/100/130 seconds.
Re-cast: Dragon Force If Mordekaiser possesses the soul of a dragon, he can re-activate his ability to call in a dragon airstrike - sending a ghost dragon to fly over a linear trajectory, and setting the land ablaze with deathly, spectral fire. This causes damage over time, and a harsh slow to targets caught in its AoE. This ability will then begin its cooldown the moment it is re-cast.
AoE range: 1250
AoE Width: 450
Damage: 15/20/25/30/35 (+40% AP)
Slow: 20/40/60%
Slow duration: 1.5 second(s)
Duration: 4 seconds
*Notes: This ability, especially when used on champions, definitely benefits from late-game spawn times, and keeps Mordekaiser from becoming too ridiculous in the mid game. This was a great limitation initially used by Riot in the rework that I can get on board with.
After conversing with some other Morde mains, it's become quite apparent that the one thing that most of us will miss about the old ult was the post-2015 ghost dragon - not even for it's impact on gameplay, just for how amazing it was to do and see. Sometimes, controlling it was rather clunky, and its usefulness varied drastically - so I decided to rework this ability to work in-tandem with Morde's strengths. The only thing that this new ult won't do is the classic "6v4" scenario, but this has been the primary part of Morde's kit that Riot wanted to do away with.
Giving Morde the choice to use this ult arena on the dragon addssome depth to his interactivity. It allows for Morde to make the most of his death lord fantasy, have a deeper connection to the map itself, and even gives jungle Mordekaiser some more strength. Here are a few reasons why this change would add to the experience:
- If Mordekaiser is attacking dragon (solo or otherwise), and the enemy team approaches him, he can take the dragon away from the team fight to finish it off himself (at the cost of his ult). Even if he doesn't succeed, it could buy his team some time to engage other enemies at dragon pit.
- This ability also adds a risk/reward system where Morde can more safely secure a dragon for his team, or he can fail miserably. It requires planning to make this happen successfully. Sure, Mordekaiser can block a few seconds of time alone with the dragon, but if he isn't careful, he can return to the overworld and find himself surrounded by the enemy team.
- There is nothing more glorious than 1v1'ing the dragon in a Death Realm. Do I even have to explain how awesome that is?!
Additional Content:
Things Mordekaiser might say: (Among some original additions to the VO, you’ll likely recognize some of these from both the old and new Morde)
**Upon champion select: **
- I shall bring great. . . suffering. . .
**If banned: **
- You merely prolong the inevitable. . .
**Joke: **
- I like my weapons how I like my music . . . heavy. . . and METAL
**Taunt: **
- Death would be too good . . . for the likes of you!
To Yordles:
- Amusing. . .
To Swain:
- Clutch your borrowed power, “Grand General. . .”
To Illaoi:
- Your false god cannot save you.
To Bard:
- Ahh. Another wandering soul has come to me.
To Azir:
- If your precious sand does no bury you . . . I will!
**While moving: **
- Misery loves company.
- If I must.
- For great . . . Torment!
- We shall see. . .
- Desolation is coming.
- So be it. . . Summoner.
- I shall bring great . . . Suffering. . .
- I march . . . toward endless glory!
- Nightfall cometh.
- Life is a bitter shame.
- Death comes.
- Metal!
- My will is bound to metal
- You only need to click once, fool!
**While attacking: **
- Affliction . . . FOREVER!
- Time to shred.
- How delightfully painful.
- No Pain, no drain.
- Carnage!
- Your sickness . . . sustains me.
- This whole living thing is . . . Highly overrated
- Say goodbye to this world you live in.
- Suffer. . .
- Pay the price!
- I shall claim you all!
- Break and fall.
- Crush and enthrall!
- METAL!!!
- [Evil Laughter]
- Power eternal!
- Malice. . . and agony!
- Liberation. . . by metal!
- Suffer . . . for my glory!
- Purge the living.
- Kneel.
- Tremble!
- Obey your master!
**Upon ult activation: **
- Welcome. . . to oblivion!
- Forfeit. . . your soul!
- There is no sign of the light. . . You’ve been left on your own.
- Enter the crucible of anguish!
- Abandon all hope.
- [Evil Laughter]
Conclusion:
Morde is a champion that has always fulfilled an interesting design niche within the League champion pool. He was technically a mage whose damage output and health capacity were at odds with one another, and the player is given interesting decisions within Morde’s play style and build to balance the two. This dynamic is familiar with other champions in the game, but this is Mordekaiser’s entire MO. He never had the kit utility to turn a fight with CC or agility, but relied on a brute combination of ability power output and raw health, and players who could do this successfully were greatly rewarded.
Mordekaiser was a champion who still had the tools to succeed, but suffered from a series of unfortunate bugs and balancing issues (most of which were related to his old ult, Children of the Grave). Many Morde players will tell you that the only thing he really needed were some tweaks to his main kit, but likely an ult overhaul – as the rest of Mordekaiser’s gameplay was fairly balanced. Sure, even after the juggernaut rework of 2015, Mordekaiser had a new mobility tool (via Harvester of Sorrow), but it wasn’t a very reliable mobility mechanic since it required an ally, and only boosted movement towards that targeted ally (which surrendered a lot of control in general). It also didn’t help that a lot of Morde’s base mechanics were plagued with targeting glitches well after the rework itself, and went unresolved The truth is, Riot didn’t even want to touch Mordekaiser after the rework, because their changes were largely uninspired, and didn’t really have conscious intentions or a concrete direction – just change for the sake of change.
In the wake of said rework, Mordekaiser players were quick to voice their opinions on what things would have improved the kit at the time, and a lot of these claims were rooted in very sound logic. Simple things, like a reversion of Siphon of Destruction’s AP scaling, a more controllable movement speed ability, or a slight slow of some kind worked into the kit. Just a slight change like this would have given Morde some additional tools to bring him into the more modern landscape of League. The truth is, Mordekaiser wasn’t irreparably broken, but the simple solution was just to scrap the whole thing altogether. It’s just a shame that a fully functioning champion simply didn’t warrant the attention he deserved.
I just hope that I can show that the old design could have worked with a few of the new changes, and a couple of other twists. There was really a great kit and character that could have been salvaged if Riot had stopped to take a look at what they had.
I'm not currently working on any new champions or rework kits at the moment, but here is some of my previous champion design work:
Bishop - The Equalizer Hobb - The Mouth of Malice Hoette - The Cragbreaker Keizel - The Thunder Amidst the Fog Izol - Fist of the Magnetar Makenna - She Who Speaks to Flames Methuselah - Keeper of the Caldron Marion - The Seamstress of Fate Felix - The Anthrophage Yok'Mal - The Mechanized Scourge Esroph - The Proclaimer Anaxirum - The Fallen Idol Bo Zhong - The Blazing Sentinel
*Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/monolithyk
*You can also check on the progress of my upcoming projects (other League developments, Minecraft mod assets, Pokemon fanart, etc., etc.) via my Twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/monolithyk
Any feedback helps! Thanks for reading!
