Facing a good Mordekaiser player in League of Legends can feel like a nightmare. The champion is so simple and powerful that if someone knows how to pilot him well, there’s little you can do to beat him 1v1.
Besides a few counter picks like Gangplank or Olaf, most champions struggle against Mordekaiser in the top lane. Luckily though, there are a few items you build vs. Morde to cleanse yourself from his ultimate and outplay him.
In this post, I’ll give you all the times that can remove Morde’s ult as well as those items that will help you deal more damage to him. So this will be a guide for all players and not only top laners.
Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
1. Quicksilver Sash
Quicksilver Sash is the single best item versus Mordekaiser. It directly counters his ultimate, Realm of Death, so it should be your top priority when playing against him.
The active ability of this item allows you to cleanse yourself from inside Mordekaiser’s ulti, effectively negating its effects. In other words, you can prevent Mordekaiser from isolating and killing you alone.
But what makes QSS particularly cool is its relatively low cost. It only costs 1300 gold and you can practically rush it every game against Morde. It can give you enough of an advantage to allow you to win the early game.
The bad part about this item is that it doesn’t give any other stats. And if you’re on a champion that doesn’t benefit from its upgrades, you’re essentially buying only for its active cleanse.
2. Mercurial Scimitar
Speaking of upgrades for QSS, Mercurial Scimitar is the first one to consider.
Along with the same active effect from Quicksilver Sash, this item provides additional stats such as AD and lifesteal. This makes the preferred option for AD champions and top laners who aren’t only building tank items.
But the bonus damage from Mercurial Scimitar is also beneficial for tanks because the more AD they have, the more damage they’ll deal to Morde. Not to mention that lifesteal helps a lot while fighting as a melee champion.
Other than this, you’ll have to be careful about not fighting Mordekaiser when your Mercurial Scimitar is on cooldown. And it’s always a smart thing to use it as soon as Morde puts you in his Realm of Death.
Read Also: The Best Items Against AD Champions
3. Silvermere Dawn
Silvermere Dawn is the second upgrade to Quicksilver Sash. This is a better option for champions who rely more on health and AD rather than AD and lifesteal. In other words, it’s a more defensive option than Mercurial Scimitar.
Of course, the active is identical to QSS. Upon usage, the item cleanses you from Mordekaiser’s ultimate and gives you movement speed which helps you dodge Morde’s E and Q. I quite like the movement speed boost because it lets me outplay him.
While Silvermere Dawn offers excellent stats for bruisers, it’s not a good fit for all champions. It’s a really unpopular item but it can be a good purchase for someone like Darius or even Sett.
4. Banshee’s Veil
Banshee’s Veil offers a spell shield that blocks one enemy ability every 40 seconds. Even though it’s not as effective as QSS, the can still help you stay away from Morde’s ultimate. If you don’t let him break your spell shield, you’ll essentially stay immune to his R.
Banshee’s Veil also grants a bunch of AP, making it a good option for all mages. It’s both a defensive and an offensive purchase that makes you harder to kill while also giving you extra damage.
The only bad part about Banshee’s Veil is that getting damaged extends its cooldown. So each time your shield is broken, you need to position carefully until it’s back up again.
5. Edge of Night
Edge of Night is essentially the AD version of Banshee’s Veil. It also provides a spell shield with a 40-second cooldown but the item is tailored for AD champions, particularly assassins. It grants lethality and a bit of health which are both beneficial when dealing with Mordekaiser.
Again, the counter part here is that Edge of Night can block Mordekaiser’s R or even his E to deny him range and the opportunity to kill you. It may not sound like much but it can really put a Mordekaiser player off, especially if you’re smart about it.
That said, Edge of Night requires strategic use. If the spell shield is popped prematurely, you lose your advantage. So keep away until it’s back up again.
Read Also: The Best Items Against AP Champions
6. Shadowflame
Shadowflame isn’t a counter item for Mordekaiser in the way that the previous items on this list were. This is an anti-shield item instead that can help you deal more damage to Morde as AP champions.
It grants magic penetration especially when your target is affected by shields, which also includes Mordekaiser’s W. In other words, you can maximize your damage against Morde with Shadowflame whenever you’re playing as an AP top laner.
But since Shadowflame is only viable on magic damage dealers, it’s not the optimal item for most top laners.
7. Serpent’s Fang
Serpent’s Fang is the second anti-shield item in League of Legends. It’s the AD version of Shadow, kind of. It reduces the strength of shields on enemies, allowing you to deal more damage to them.
In other words, when you damage Morde while having Serpent’s Fang in your inventory, his next shield would be significantly weaker.
However, Serpent’s Fang isn’t a worthy purchase for every game. If Mordekaiser is the only champion on the enemy team that can cast shields it might not be a smart option to waste your gold on it.
But in any case, it can help you make Mordekaiser weaker, especially during the 1v1 duels.
8. Morellonomicon
Next, we have Morellonomicon. This item also targets Mordekaiser’s W and applies Grievous Wounds. Grievous Wounds lower the healing of your enemies by 40%, effectively reducing their sustain in prolonged fights where Mordekaiser actually shines.
Although Morellonomicon is a really powerful item on AP champions, you also have to consider the entire enemy team comp before buying it. If Mordekaiser is fed then it might be a good purchase regardless, but the item might not give you a huge advantage if Mordekaiser ignores you and ults your teammates instead.
9. Mortal Reminder
Mortal Reminder serves the same purpose as Morellonomicon but is tailored for AD champions. Along with applying Grievous Wounds, it offers attack speed and movement speed, so it’s ideal for ADCs or AD top laners who utilize auto-attacks above abilities.
You can also go for Chempunk Chainsword instead if you’re on an AD top laners like Wukong, for example. It’s a cheaper option that works very well too.
Conclusion
As I said, beating a good Mordekaiser player can be very difficult in League of Legends. The champion has obvious strengths that are easy to utilize, so it’s tough laning against him as a melee top laners.
But itemizing the right way can make a significant difference. Luckily for us, there are items that allow us to cleanse ourselves from Mordekaiser’s ultimate and effectively make the ability useless. So I’d prioritize those items above the rest.
But there are also ant-heal and anti-shield items that can help you deal more damage to Morde. So go for them as well.
