There just is no justice.
LoL: Why No One Plays Morgana In High Elo
Morgana is one of the OG champions of League of Legends, released right with the publication of the game. Since then, she has never been changed that much and remained true to both her kit and her role as a supportive mage.
In 2019, Morgana received a visual update together with her sister Kayle. Unlike Kayle though, her abilities didn't get a rework, leaving her the same as she has always been.
While she has a really high pick rate in Emerald and lower, it drastically falls off in Diamond+. So let’s check out what the problem with Morgana is and why no one plays her in high elo.
Reasons Why No One Plays Morgana In High Elo
What Type Of Champion Is Morgana?
Morgana is typically played as a mage support. Well known for her "Dark Binding" (Q), which is an up to 3-second long binding and her Black Shield (E) that can potentially deny tons of CC of the enemy team, she might look like a great support with utility. But the appearances are deceptive.
Morgana is extremely predictable due to her really slow Q. And even if you land one of your 100 Q's, which might be just enough to kill the enemy ADC, he will just cleanse it or use QSS later on in the game. Her E may still be a great ability, but if your opponents know how to play around it and take their time till the shield runs out, even her core spell as a support becomes useless.
So, why not play her in mid-lane or even jungle? Mid, she just gets out scaled by literally everything. So have fun if you go Morgana Mid against a Kassadin, getting destroyed later on in the game.
Jungling with her is viable due to her great clear speed with her W. However, all you can do with her is power farm and hope for the best that your team doesn't int their lanes until you're ready to battle with your ult. Plus, she gets countered by tons of junglers. What are you going to do against assassins like Rengar or Kha'Zix coming out of nowhere and one-shotting you.
Morgana's Dependence On Zhonya's Hourglass
Without Zhonya's Hourglass ready, Morgana is no champion. And I will tell you why. Morgana's Ultimate "Soul Shackles" creates chains of energy onto nearby enemies, slowing them and afterward stunning them.
Since you have to get really close to your opponent and stay there for a whole 3 seconds until they get stunned, you are vulnerable during the whole process. Without Zhonya's most of the time you will just end up dying before the stun even gets through.
That's why you literally have to rush Zhonya's first to make those plays. There are two problems, though: First, you are usually a support with almost no income. It's not uncommon that you will receive your first item at the beginning of the mid-game (15 minutes), especially such an expensive one. And that's way too late.
Second, this item has a 2-minute cooldown, which means you can use it once, and then you'll have to wait 'till you got your Zhonya's back. This leads to tons of wasted play making potential because your ult is already available again, but you have to wait for your item's Active.
All Albion Skins in League of Legends
Well, let's say you do everything correctly, ult your opponents and then use Zhonya's: Most of the time, your enemies will either just run out of your ult, Flash out of range or just use QSS or Cleanse. So, even if you do everything right, there is no guarantee that your play will ever work, making it an unreliable play that can cause you to simply die after your Zhonya's runs out.
Morgana's Match Ups
Morgana's problem is that she doesn't exactly shut down the supports she's up against. It's more of a stalemate that she creates. Take Morgana versus Leona, for instance, one of the champions she hard counters on paper. Morgana won't come out on top unless Leona messes up big time.
If Leona goes for the Relic Shield and you play it smart, you'll have control in the lane, and they'll be chilling under turret, farming without a care. But here's the catch: you don't really have the poke to kick them out of the lane.
The only way you snag a victory here is if Leona keeps making the mistake of trying to force a fight over and over again. And this will never happen in high elo. Instead, she will just chill under turret and protect her ADC from a tower dive or roam around to other lanes of her allies.
Champions Are Too Fast For Morgana
In Season 14, Summoner's Rift is packed with over 160 champions, each bringing their own bag of tricks, especially with dashes, blinks, and movement speed bonuses becoming the norm.
In this era where dash-y champions like Yone and Akali reign supreme, Morgana's Q, her only utility spell aside from her ultimate, seems to be dragging its feet. It's slower than a tortoise on a lazy Sunday afternoon and, honestly, dodging it is a cakewalk if you're using a functioning screen and playing with both hands instead of your feet. I kid you not, Morgana's binding might just be the slowest projectile in the whole darn game.
Conclusion: Morgana Needs A Mini-Rework
Morgana has the potential to be an amazing champion if Riot tackles a couple of significant issues. First off, her Q ability needs a speed boost. A quicker Q not only makes it easier to land, but also amplifies the effectiveness of her W. We don't need a three-second bind; cutting it in half would be ample, but the key is making the ability a tad swifter.
Now, let's talk about her ult. Seriously, what mage in their right mind wants to charge right into the enemy's face just for the chance of stunning them? Instead of this risky maneuver, why not transform her R into a projectile? Let Morgana toss it from a safer distance, maybe starting with a slow effect before ramping up to the stun. This way, she can play it smart and not have to dive headfirst into danger.
These are my suggested changes for a mini-rework for Morgana. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them, so please share your comments below. I'm eager to see what you think!
More League of Legends content: