[13.21] The BEST Mordekaiser Guide + MATCHUP RUNDOWN (2024)

		Best overall starting item, safe for laning, plenty of in-built sustain that's very important since Mordekaiser's laning phase is extremely weak.
		Very good for snowballing lane, it doesn't have as much sustain but it definitely has more damage. Very good into matchups where poke is your win condition ( Jax, Olaf)
		Worst starting item with how volatile it is but very good for low elo where people suicide for no reason. If you manage to keep your deaths low it's extremely op if you get a stacked mejai's.

		Good first back item, component for Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Riftmaker, if you're going the Riftmaker or Jak'Sho, The Protean path it's very strong.
		Must buy into lanes like Aatrox and Olaf, I prefer the Oblivion Orb component but the sad reality is that Mordekaiser's laning phase is tragic so he needs a defensive item. It's a good buy into Illaoi and Volibear if you're not comfortable playing with Morello instead.
		HP and CDR are very good on Mordekaiser, it's a component of Iceborn Gauntlet so if you're going it first item it's a good first back.
		Must buy for lanes like Jax and Fiora, these matchups are kind of unplayable otherwise.
		Very good first back and my favorite. It grants passive movement speed and AP, it's a component for Cosmic Drive, after I get it I keep it until I finish my Iceborn Gauntlet, the AP you get is enough to kill the casters with E+Q cause otherwise you wouldn't be able to.

		Very strong item, stronger than Rylai's Crystal Scepter since the slow scales with max HP and its doubled against your primary target (so anyone in the Realm of Death), making it impossible to miss your Q or E unless they use their dash or flash.
		Grants passive movement speed and extra movement speed the longer the fight goes, very OP on Mordekaiser as he needs the movement speed to get to his enemies and kite out Botrk users like Jax and Irelia
		With this build you obviously lack Magic resist so you need to build it 3rd item, if they have no AP you can build Zhonya's Hourglass instead. It's a cheap item with tons of resists so you can finish the damage items afterwards.
		Extremely strong on Mordekaiser since he has passive magic penetration from Death's Grasp, it's also stronger if enemies have shields and the longer you fight making it an amazing buy. You will be shocked by the damage!

		Rylai's Crystal Scepter is a must buy in this path, since you're not building Iceborn Gauntlet you're not gonna have access to any slows without it, in higher elo you're gonna be increasingly dependent on hitting your abilities against enemies that are skilled at dodging, the slow helps with that.
		Very powerful item on Mordekaiser, the drain is very useful but the hybrid resists is what makes it a very strong item. The item is especially good against melee champions and enemies that want to fight for prolonged amount of time. The Hybrid resistances are one of its kind, the only other items that aren't mythic that provide those are from Gargoyle's.
		Anti-heal is extremely important, Morello grants you magic pen and extra damage with it, as a tank (since you're going the Jak'Sho, The Protean path) you need to provide utility, slow from Rylai's Crystal Scepter, tankiness and anti-heal. Don't expect to be the main damage dealer in the late game.
		Very powerful item on tanks, deals huge damage that pairs well with Darkness Rise that scales with max HP (just by existing) and grants a ton of HP and Armor.

		Rylai's Crystal Scepter is a must buy in this path, since you're not building Iceborn Gauntlet you're not gonna have access to any slows without it, in higher elo you're gonna be increasingly dependent on hitting your abilities against enemies that are skilled at dodging, the slow helps with that.
		The Damage on this item can't be overstated, it's very good against tanky champions since it provides true damage as well as Omnivamp. The main reason you'd buy the item is for the omnivamp. It also provides some HP and CDR which are extremely important starts for Morde.
		It pairs extremely well with Riftmaker since the Omnivamp works during the Zhonya's, meaning you can heal with your Darkness Rise as you're in Zhonya's, very strong if you're in the middle of a teamfight!
		I don't see many people build this item on Mordekaiser, it's extremely overpowered though since the ratios on Obliterate are so high, by building it you achieve 1100 damage from one isolated Q, every adc will want to cry!

		Rylai's Crystal Scepter is a must buy in this path, since you're not building Iceborn Gauntlet you're not gonna have access to any slows without it, in higher elo you're gonna be increasingly dependent on hitting your abilities against enemies that are skilled at dodging, the slow helps with that.
		A good gapclose item, it grants you all the stats you need alongside extra magic pen and a very good active that pairs well with Rylai's Crystal Scepter, it makes you a bit squishy but it's a strong one item powerspike.
		It pairs extremely well with Riftmaker since the Omnivamp works during the Zhonya's, meaning you can heal with your Darkness Rise as you're in Zhonya's, very strong if you're in the middle of a teamfight!
		Extremely strong on Mordekaiser since he has passive magic penetration from Death's Grasp, it's also stronger if enemies have shields and the longer you fight making it an amazing buy. You will be shocked by the damage!

I won't mention every item in the Offensive options section since some don't require a lot of explanation, but I'm gonna pick some honorary mentions!

		People really love this item for little to no reason, what it allows them to do is turn off their brain and run at the carry and autoattack, however high elo doesn't work like that. You will never be as proficient as another auto attacker or an ADC unless you're fed. The item has no use in my eyes but it's an option. Perhaps it's good if you go Lethal tempo vs AA champs like Nocturne or against Yorick's Ghouls.
		Noone ever talks about it, but it's an excellent item when you're weakside/behind. It provides a good utility active, it's also a good disengage tool. I've thought about building it against Jax as a disengage tool for when he jumps. It also provides a slow/root allowing you to land your combo. Overall good item but you the mana is wasted. The weakness is it lacks damage.
		The item isn't talked about nearly enough, the damage on it is crazy. The max hp% burn it provides pairs perfectly with Darkness Rise and the extra damage on high HP champs makes it an OP item vs Tanks like Dr. Mundo or Cho'Gath. The bad part is that it provides mana (useless) and it provides no HP, so you're gonna be a bit squishy early, but that's fixed as you get your Rylai's Crystal Scepter

I won't mention every item in the Defensive options section since some don't require a lot of explanation, but I'm gonna pick some honorary mentions!

		Extremely op item, if you go Riftmaker and Revitalize, build it even if there's only one AP in the enemy team. The value you get from it then is insane. The Shield and Heal power is exponential on Mordekaiser.
		I build it rarely but it's a cheap Jak'Sho, The Protean, if you're getting destroyed you can consider going it. It's also good for your allies as the first tick goes off before you go to the Realm of Death and the third as you leave it.
		Don't be fooled, just cause it gives mana doesn't mean it's useless on Mordekaiser, it's very strong against a heavy AA team like Master Yi or Bel'Veth