What is Mordekaiser's role in team fights?

I do okay with Mordekaiser in early game. However, in mid/late game I have a hard time. It seems like if when I try to participate in team fight I just end up getting focused on an then dieing. The irony is that when I'm not focused on it still feels like I'm barely participating.

Currently I try to put my shield on the champ that is currently in the thick of it. I also try to keep my armor up by getting as many things as I can in my cone attack.

How close should I be to the fight? Should I be trying to auto attack the other champs? Should I only be worried about getting my ult off on their squishies--ignoring all else? Or, should I ignore the fight and just be pushing another lane?

Thanks!

Solution 1:

With Morde I always rush Will of the Ancients and then Crystal Scepter (with boots somewhere in there). You will have a decent amount of sustain in the lane this way. Your allies will benefit greatly from WOTA and the enemies' inability to move freely due to the scepter.

I always get ignite with Morde as that + his ult can usually nab the enemy AD carry.

I cast E and Q on some minions if I can to get his shield up and wait for cool down. Then go into the team fight with W on myself and spam Q and E while remembering to cast Ignite and Ult on an enemy champ (hopefully an AD carry, but it is not always worth it to wait).

To directly answer your question: Morde's role is to deal medium-heavy, AOE, AP damage as (hopefully) the third tank, off-tank, etc. while applying some mild CC with Crystal Scepter.

From Toasts' answer below:

Morde's greatest strength is turning a 5v5 into a 6v4 with his ult. While Morde can clear minion waves very quickly, he lacks the AD damage to destroy turrets as fast. It's generally best to be in the teamfight, but every game is different; sometimes it's better to push, so this comes down to a judgement call.

Also, if you win a team fight with Morde's ult on the enemy AD carry, you can mow down turrets, get baron, etc.

Solution 2:

when I try to participate in team fight I just end up getting focused on an then dieing. The irony is that when I'm not focused on it still feels like I'm barely participating.

Morde's passive Iron Man turns damage from abilities into a shield that protects him. Always try to charge the shield on minions, jungle creeps, etc before a team-fight. Morde is surprisingly squishy without his shield up.

If your shield is down and a teamfight breaks out, stay on the edge and launch your abilities into the crowd. Target their carries if you can reach them, and give your Creeping Death buff to the tank/bruiser/initiator.

How close should I be to the fight?

Close enough to hit with your abilities. Since Morde is constantly regenerating his shield while he's doing damage, he can take a surprisingly large amount of damage.

Should I be trying to auto attack the other champs?

Only auto attack to trigger Mace of Spades.

Should I only be worried about getting my ult off on their squishies--ignoring all else?

No, because if you die, your ghost dies too. Your goal in any teamfight is to use your ultimate on their ranged carry. Because the ghost can only auto attack, champions with high attack speed and AD make the best ghosts.

Or, should I ignore the fight and just be pushing another lane?

Morde's greatest strength is turning a 5v5 into a 6v4 with his ult. While Morde can clear minion waves very quickly, he lacks the AD damage to destroy turrets as fast. It's generally best to be in the teamfight, but every game is different; sometimes it's better to push, so this comes down to a judgement call.

Solution 3:

You should be using Morde as an AP heavy champion, he is merely useless otherwise due to his set of abilities which lack CC unlike tanks and bruisers.

In this order of ideas, during a team fight, you should be bursting down or trying to, the enemy's AD carry and/or AP carry, lay W's shield on yourself, then E+Q, finally R to finish off either of the squishies, if neither of the above is feasible proceed to lay the same combo on their support, turning a 5vs5 into 4vs6 is profit any time..

I can think of Morde as a semi-bruiser by building Rylais Crystal Scepter and Perhaps a Frozen Mallet, to keep their carries constantly slowed.