Talk:Mordekaiser/@comment-25343084-20150228162253/@comment-26203093-20150321175426

This is probably going to need some explanation, but the short reason for the list is: damage conversion, damage that bolsters shield and MR penetration efficiency.

Trinity, gunblade, void, thorn, boots are always highly variable, but generally seems like mercury are best - and the MR item, I can't figure out if spirit visage is the best due to the CDR, though the additional healing from SV passive is pretty much negligible, or maw of malmortius - as unintuitive as AD on these AP ratios seem, since the AD can get you enough damage on your Q to make up for SV's healing passive - not to mention the damage boosting morde's shield gain, too - The magic shield means the health is effectively the same as spirit vissage. Trinity proc gets absorbed and turned into magic damage, meaning you get the spell vamp from it, and void staff benefit. Lich bane needs too much AP to break even with its cost, which you can't ever afford due to needed durability, so always say no to that item (there's a 146 damage difference on the proc alone - meaning a 292 AP requirement to just make sure the proc damages are the same, not to mention all the other benefits trinity gives). Thorn mail gets penetration benefit, too. Runes max out CDR for the late game.

The primary reason I won't get liandry's is because it doesn't benefit the shield. If I were to get it, I would almost always get a randuins over rylai's: Randuin's more money efficient - its active slow is actually noticeable - you don't poke, so if you've first started damaging, you're commiting fully, quickly knocking them out of liandry's effective range, and if you need the slow for liandry damage boost, you'll only need it for the first 4 seconds which is as long as randuin's last. Not to mention if you're going morde, your team comp is going to need other sources of cc to compensate, so chances are, they are going to give you a damage boost via their abilities.

When you have a 700 damage ability on 2.4 second cooldown, you'd rather have durability and the 35% spell pen than redundant damage over time which doesn't increase survivability when you can get items that do both. Which, given the changes, targeting a caster, bruiser or caster/bruiser with your ult until the late game, seems to dramatically increase your survivability, which means, I just want 35% spell pen more than flat 15, given the likelyhood my target will aim for 100+ MR.

Also, 300 damage auto attacks at a 1.2 attacks per second with 10% lifesteal is about as good as liandri's ticks in my experience - assuming you opted for the maw. I've considered abyssal scepter, but due to the aura applying before the % MR reduction it makes for some unintuitive math, so check your team for aoe spell damage.

quick tip: the cdr runes make you vulnerable early, so you actually want to rush defensives. CDR is probably the best thing you can get for him, but there aren't enough CDR items, that are any good at all for morde, so I just overcompensate through runes.