Hello and welcome to my first guide in Mobafire. In it I'll explain how I find best to play Morgana mid APC though lately she's being used more as a support. ANY criticism is welcome, I'd just ask it's not offensive. If you found the guide helpful, please like and/or leave a comment! And if you downvote my guide,please leave an explanation why didn't you like it so that I can make further improvements.

*Abreviatures that you may see when reading this guide:
-CC - Crowd Control
-MR - Magic resist
-MP/MPen - Magic Penetration
-AA - Auto Attack(s)
-CDR - CoolDown Reduction
-AP - Ability Power
-AD - Attack Damage
-HP - Health Points
-ADC - Attack Damage Carry
-APC - Ability Power Carry
-SS - Summoner Spell
-AoE - Area of Effect

Hi, I am Mages Master and Morgana has been my very favourite champion ever since I bought her. I love playing her either mid as an AP Carry and bot as a support (or an AP Carry ;) ). If you want to contact me for gameplay details or if you want me to show you something that you misunderstood or is difficult for you, I am Bai Ganio 01 in EUNE and LINDEMANN01 in EUW. Feel free to ask me!

I also wanted to show you my match history with The Fallen Angel and here it is - my last 7 games including defeats:

Morgana is an AP-based ranged champion with hard CC and a shield. She can be used as an APC or as a support. She is very strong either early, mid and late game if played well. She isn't the typical AP midlaner like Brand for example as she is likely to be built with more defensive items since she is one of the initiators in a teamfight.

This guide is for a mid Morgana with a rather AP-HP hybrid build, which makes her either good against fighters and squishier but high-damaged carries. I have written here everything I know about this champion and update the guide very frequently to add new details.

And here I have put Morgana's lore:

That is a little off-topic, I didn't know where to put it so here it is. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you consider this when playing.

1. Be friendly
Creating a good atmosphere has a considerable impact on the game. Being friendly and polite to the others means that they will be also polite to you, too. Behaving like this will lower the "temperature" and the tension of the game and you and your teammates feel more relaxed and comfortable.
So never forget to say "GL HF" at the start of the game ; when your team takes first blood or makes a good play always write "GJ" or "WP".

2. Do NOT be toxic
One of League's biggest problems as a game is the toxicity of the players, especially in Soloqueue at lower ranks. Almost every team has that guy that thinks he is above all and does not stop writing "Noob" ; "Feeder" ; "Sell your skin" ; "Uninstall LOL" etc etc... In most cases he turns out to be the "Feeder", and it doesn't feel good when someone flames at you non stop whilst you just want to enjoy the game.
So please just do not be that guy. Better do not communicate at all with the team rather than cursing.

3. Communicate with your team. A lot.
Using a chat for good reasons can win you games. Saying "SS"/"MIA" or just pinging is just as important as playing well.
Also, when you see that some of your teammates is falling behind, give him advice, like "Top please be more careful." / "Top buy Armor/Magic Resist" / "Riven defend more." / "Stay closer to tower".
When you want to take an objective, take the initiative! Ping for help and ward around until the others come.

4.Never surrender!
I hate it when somebody starts a surrender vote. It is horrible. I have witnessed and taken part in so huge turnarounds. A GAME ENDS WHEN THE NEXUS FALLS! Until then nothing is sure. An ace, then Baron and thenpush the towers and you can get them! No matter how behind you are, never give up! And the most important, enjoy the game until the very end - victory or defeat!

MARKS I get marks for flat MPen and not Hybrid penetration because I don't feel like Morgana relies very much on autoattacks. Hybrid Pen. are more for a champion like Katarina, Akali, Fizz, etc. but not really on Morgana. GLYPHS I get flat AP glyphs because they give you a big early game damage boost, granting you greater kill potential and more lane control.

SEALS I get scaling health and no armor yellows because I think 220 HP is much better than 9 Armor. Also, you get 50 armor from Zhonya's Hourglass. QUINTS I get them for the same reason as for the glyphs- more early damage.

The new masteries are here! In my opinion that was the best change in Season 6 so far, because they now give a whole lot of new opportunities and are much more impactful on paper. Have in mind that they have just come out and I haven't tested them yet and this is just theoretically.

So, we start with 18/12/0. This looks like the best variant by being really offensive. Now, some deeper explanation :

1. Ferocity

Spell damage. Nothing more to say - the other choice is Attack Speed.

Feast Gives a super boost in early laning. With it you restore ~60HP a minute. For 600HP you will need about 10min. of laning.

15 AP at lvl 18 is a lot better than Spell Vamp, which you already have from your passive.

/// For Bounty Hunter you have to kill all 5 enemies for the full stack (5%), whereas Oppressor gives you a sure 2.5% bonus (the target has to be with impared movement, which is almost permanent with Dark Binding and Soul Shackles).

Logical.

It is the only spell-oriented Keystone from the three. And it is incredible! That is an 11 (from 6 and the half of Natural Talent's bonus) + 25% of your Ability Power in bonus Spell Damage! Couldn't wish for better Keystone!


2. Cunning

Savagery Helps a lot with early farming. Better than Movement Speed.

/// Secret Stash upgrades potions, which is quite helpful early on. Runic Affinity makes Blue and Nashor buffs longer (as you won't need Red), so you might get it but in my opinion cookies are a better option.

Far better than Mana Regen. Empowers your damage greatly.

Does really good work in 1v1 duels. Moreover, Bandit is for supports.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Now, the 18/0/12. That is a more deffensive variant and I recommend it ONLY if there is no real tank in your team of if you will have a tough matchup.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The third variant is what I found too viable not to be put here. The 12/18/0 with Thunderlord's Decree as a keystone.

This mastery turned out to be super overpowered. With every 3rd attack against an enemy champion, you deal extra AoE damage. This thing wrecks, especially in early game. You will even be surprised by its damage output.

May be even bett

Most viable Spells:

That nasty Summoner Spell that kills you with its last tick. It's really helpful either in Early, Mid and Late game for some extra damage. When an enemy escapes at low health put it on them. It will grant you the kill.

It's a very viable summoner spell either for chasing, initiating and escaping.

Not as good as Ignite but it is a possible choice. Exhaust is good for chasing and escaping. Do not replace Flash though.

Other viable choices:

Good SS if you are not sure in your lane matchup. Good for escaping-gives you fast HP and 1 sec. movement speed boost.

Get this if you are against a hard CC team. Though Black Shield can block some disables, you don't have it forever-it lasts only 5 sec. If for example 3 out of 5 enemies have hard CC, get Cleanse.

You can get this SS when you want to get in battle as soon as you can. Viable though i find there are better choices on Morgana.

Similar to Heal but it has a longer protection later in game. However, I find Heal better. Get Barrier only if you are against some high-burst champ that lacks CC like Kata or Fizz.


Not at all viable SS

Just doesn't deserve a place in the 2 Summoner Spell slots. It is not even situational.

DO NOT GET THIS. It is helpful only the first 5-10 minutes. Then it falls off. Get Mana Regen in Masteries but please do not use Clarity.

You are not a jungler and no, it does not help you with your farm.

Morgana permanently has 10 / 15 / 20% spell vamp.

Gives you extra lane sustain, very good passive.

Active: Morgana releases a sphere of dark magic that travels in a line, dealing magic damage and temporarily rooting the first enemy it hits.


Magic Damage: 80 / 135 / 190 / 245 / 300 (+ 90% AP)

Root Duration: 2 / 2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75 / 3

Use this spell for harass or to root the enemy in place to cast Soul Shackles .It has the longest snare in the game- 3 sec at rank 5. It's great when chasing or being chased. It's your tool for sending away the enemy junglers as well.
Tips & tricks: When you want to land Dark Binding on a champion, try to predict where they will be in the next moment as it has slow missle speed.


Active: Morgana infects the target 175-radius area for 5 seconds, causing enemies who stand on the location to take magic damage every half second, increased by 0.5% for every 1% of the victim's missing health.
Minimum Damage Per Half Second: 8 / 16 / 24 / 32 / 40 (+ 11% AP)

Maximum Damage Per Half Second: 12 / 24 / 36 / 48 / 60 (+ 16.5% AP)

Minimum Total Damage: 80 / 160 / 240 / 320 / 400 (+ 110% AP)

Maximum Total Damage: 120 / 240 / 360 / 480 / 600 (+ 165% AP)

This is your main farming tool. Place it below the caster minions and autoattack them 1 or 2 times each. Be sure to keep an eye on your mana bar because it is very mana hungry!
Tips & tricks: When you want to harass your lane opponent, try to put Tormented Shadow below the enemy champion little before you land your Q in order to deal as much damage as you can


Active: Morgana places a shield around the target friendly champion for up to 5 seconds, absorbing magic damage and preventing all crowd control while the shield holds.

Shield Strength: 70 / 140 / 210 / 280 / 350 (+ 70% AP)


This is by far the best shield in the League just because it blocks all kinds of CC(stuns, snares, slows, roots, surpresses, etc.) as well as a prety high amount of magic damage. But use it wisely because it has a really long cooldown (between 23 and 15 seconds). I recommend you turning it on quickcast.
Tips & tricks: You need to know when to time Black Shield. Sense when the enemy will try to disable you and deny them.


Active: After a 0.5-second delay Morgana latches chains of energy onto nearby enemy champions, dealing initial magic damage. As long as they stay within the tether range, they are revealed, including stealthed champions and slowed by 20%.

Total Magic Damage: 300 / 450 / 600 (+ 140% AP)

Targets who did not leave the tether range after 3 seconds are stunned for 1.5 seconds and dealt the same magic damage


This is the ability with which you initiate. It has a wonderful damage along with a stun. I'll explain more in the "Teamfights" section.
Tips & Tricks: If your enemies are all at one place, take advantage of that. As fast as you can, flash in the centre of the enemy team, press R and get into statis with Zhonya's Hourglass. The item's active will end when your ulti stuns and in that 1.5 sec period, run back to safety in your team. Even if you die, the damage and the stun will be enough to help your theam take the enemy carries and win the fight.

Max Tormented Shadow first and not Dark Binding only if your lane is hard and plan only to farm. Otherwise the snare is first because if you take the W first you won't have enough mana so early because its cost at 5 is 130 Mana. So a longer snare would be better early. However, get 1 or 2 more points in it early so that you will be sure in killing the casters without autoattacking. For a more defensive approach in lane you can max W first too. Get a point in your ulti, Soul Shackles as soon as you can. And for your E, Black Shield, max it last.

EASY LANE ->>> ->>> ->>>


HARD LANE ->>> ->>> ->>>

These are the standard skill combos you should use with Morgana

1 - Harass combo:

>>>

2 - 1v1 kill combo:

>>> >>> >>>

3 - Kill-a-Tank combo

>>> >>> >>> >>> >>>

4 - Teamfight initiate combo:

>>> >>> >>> >>>

Difficulty - 1/10
Veigar is maybe your easiest matchup, here are 3 reasons why. 1. He has low mobility so he can't easily avoid your Q. 2. He is very squishy. 3. If he tries to catch you with Event Horizon, you just put on your Black Shield and pass through. Be really, really aggresive because otherwise he will farm with Baleful Strike snd he will become a monster late game.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 2/10
Karthus is quite easy. He is weak early and needs to farm. Play agressive, harass him with your Q and W and kill him as soon as you can. Just like Veigar, he is an extremely painful late game champion so don't let him farm too much.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 4/10
Not as easy as Veigar and Karthus but you can still easily win your lane. Farm his turrets with your Q and W and avoid his stun with your shield.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 8/10
As far as I am concerned Katarina is the hardest champion you can face with Morgana. She has strong poke with Bouncing Blades, excellent mobility with Shunpo, impossibly high damage and the worst - she can towerdive you. Her burst has so so much damage and no CC, which makes your shield useless. Farm only at your turret and stay as far from your minions as possible.(Or just play ranked where she is a "must ban").

About the items, you have 2 choices:

1. Get Chalice of Harmony with a bunch of health pots and only farm, farm, farm.

2. Buy Zhonya's Hourglass as fast as you can. The strategy with this one is that when she uses Shunpo and Death Lotus, you will ult and use the item. When she is stunned, land Dark Binding + Tormented Shadow. After that , if you can't get a kill, run or, if she is low HP - Ignite and AA her to death. If you are fast, you can succeed.

But remember! Having a tactic doesn't mean it will always work!
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 5/10
Akali is easier than Katarina. She lacks mobility pre-6 so try to poke her much early. After getting her ultimate she has high burst damage so beware. She thinks she is safe in her bubble but you can detect her with Soul Shackles. Don't be afraid to go for the kill.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 3/10
You have some advantage because Vel can't escape your ulti easily and you can block his harass and even his full combo with your Black Shield by avoiding the stun from Tectonic Disruption. Get boots early to avoid his insane poke.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 7/10
Fizz is also very tough to play against. Try to get some more points in Black Shield earlier in order to block as many damage as you can. Farm at your turret and don't push much. He probably won't dive you. And REMEMBER - he can not prevent the stun from Soul Shackles with Playful / Trickster. I'd recommend rushing Zhonya's Hourglass in order to avoid Chum the Waters's damage and knockup.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 3/10
Kassadin is weak pre-6. His low-ranged poke can easily be outtraded by doing Q+W. His E can be casted after 5 spells, so it is down most of the time. Post-6 he can try to kill you by closing the gap with Riftwalk. Snare him and put Tormented Shadow below him and cast your ult by staying out of his range as he is melee, then put Ignite and autoattack him. But you should be quick. Build Chalice and harass him as much as possible. In fact at the moment his numbers are also verry low and almost noone plays him.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 4/10
I found Azir pretty easy to play against. Avoid his soldiers and do not let him get your turret. Play agresivvely, go for kills and ask your jungler for help.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 3/10
Lux has AoE damage, snare and a shield - just like Morgana. On the other hand, her shield doesn't block CC, her snare is shorter and her AoE has less damage. Be sure to keep your shield up. Save your flash if she catces you offside in order to avoid Final Spark. Do not be afraid to attack her, just do it with your shield up.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 7/10
Zed is quite hard early. Move constantly to avoid as much poke as you can and farm from a safe distance. Ward against the jungler and keep your flash up in case they catch you off guard. Get Seeker's Armguard first plus an early Ruby Crystal, rush for Zhonya's Hourglass and ask for ganks from your teammates. When he attacks with Death Mark, use Zhonya's Hourglass.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 5/10
Ahri is , I would say, a skill matchup. When she tries to Charm you, put your Black Shield on so as to negate it. Move a lot to avoid as many harass from her Q as you can. When you try to ult her, be sure that you have snared her. Get an early Chalice of Harmony.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 4/10
You can win your lane against Yasuo easily if you harass him constantly and do not let him close to you. Try to face the trunade with your shield up. This way he can't ult you. If he can't ult you, he can't do much. Do not underestimate him though and be careful.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 5/10
Brand is a classic mage with lots of pure damage that lacks CC. He can harass you even if you are behind your minions so be aware of Pillar of Flame. Build some early MR and try to attack him constantly in order to return the damage from his poke. Just don't let him unleash his full combo and stay away from the casters post-6.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 7/10
Excellent famer with Malefic Visions. Has a really strong pushing ability so don't roam much other lanes. Consider baiting him at your turret so that you can ambush him with the help of your jungler as he has no escape. Also, DO NOT MISS BUYING Quicksilver Sash - IT IS A MUST AGAINST HIM. Using it only will only release you from the surpress of his ultimate but the damage will still apply so be aware of this.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 4/10
Her main poke is the spear which you can easily avoid by staying behind your minions. if she tries to farm by entering the cowgar form, she gets melee and you canpunish her by landing Q+W. The most annoying part though is the heal, which gives her good sustain. But it consumes a lot of mana, forcing her to recall and allowing you to outpush her.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 8/10
Teemo is the same nasty little rat as he is often described. He does insane damage with his single-target Q, which grants him strong poke. He has good AA waveclear with Toxic Shot. Your only chance is to buy MR, bait him away from his minions (as he is rather short-ranged) to land Q+W and prey for your life... Also, when he is away, put your shield on and clean his shrooms.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Difficulty - 4/10
LeBlanc will be easy as long as you stay out of the range of her main poke, Sigil of Malice. When she dashes with Distortion, snare her with Dark Binding and therefore go with your standard combo. You may build Chalice of Harmony or even Athene's Unholy Grail. Use Soul Shackles only when she is snared or stunned or otherwise she will likely escape with Distortion>> Mimic>> Distortion.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Difficulty - 5/10
In this matchup the more aggressive in lane wins. Attack her constantly but don't forget to farm. Mid-late game, get a Quicksilver Sash or Banshee's Veil.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Difficulty - 4/10
Annie is a champion with an incredibly strong burst post-6 and low cooldowns. However she is really short-ranged. If positioned properly, she can hurt in lane with her single-target Q. Penalise her every time she is out of position with your main harass combo. Also, post-6 watch out for her stun! You can tell if there is some wind-like animation around her. Do not let her stun you or you are dead in the blink of an eye.

WHAT IS BEST?

I put this here to explain why I personally prefer it before Doran's Ring. Instead of Mana Regen it has flat 100 Mana, the price and AP it gives are the same. The thing that is better in Dark Seal is the passive, which allows you to snowball after getting let's say 2 kills with no reply. And if your game goes on well, upgrade it later into Mejai's Soulstealer.

That item is a must for Morgana. Without it she can be torn apart when initiating big teamfights (eg. 5v5 or 4v4). Be sure to get it first, ALWAYS RUSH IT and don't go in a fight without it. The latest patch nerfed the item but its price was also lowered so you can get it even faster.

These are the standard Mage shoes - they give nice Magic Penetration. Buy them when you have extra money.

Patch 5.13 buffed this item so that it gives 5% more AP to a total of 35%. NEVER skip it.

Liandry gives nice HP, now even more AP and a passive that really fits Morgana as it burns your foes down while they hopelessly try to escape you. Helps against champs with a lot of HP as it deals %dps.

Gives a good bunch of AP and HP and its passive sinergises well with Liandry's as it gives the item's status effect deal double damage. Also, Tormented Shadow will also apply a 35% slow.

Void gives 35% MPen and 80Ap. Along with your runes and other items at the end of the game you will have 38/41% MP. What else to ask for?

Gives good mana, ability that scales with mana and a shield. you could get it in the final build if you see that the game will be long, it's more viable after its AP buff. Get Rod of Ages alongside it for more AP. But if you want to build it, get Tear of the Goddess right after Zhonya's Hourglass or while you are building it in order to get some more stacks earlier.

Also a good item that gives you HP, Mana and AP that increase over time. Get it if you want some extra survivability or more AP from Seraph's Embrace's passive.

WHAT IS GOOD?

Gives you CDR, AP and some extra Spell Vamp, though you have some from your passive. Pretty situational, I guess, because it is not as good as other items.

Even more MPen and some MR. Get it if you face a team with at least two AP-based champions or want some more MP.

More suitable for champs like Katarina or Kayle but still can be good on Morgana. It has gone behind to the more situational items after its nerf.

You MAY, just MAY buy this after Zhonya's Hourglass but never before it. It is not the best pick for Morgana and is helpful if you are planning to spam your spells over and over in lane.

The more defensive alternative of Morellonomicon. You might get this when your lane opponent is really aggressive but otherwise don't. It doesn't fit this guide as well as other items do.

Get this one if you are dying too often or there is a too fed Katarina or Akali in the enemy team so that after she uses her burst you will be still alive and she will have nothing to do as all her spells will be on CD.

Get this against a champion with a high - damaged skillshot like Nidalee or an another Morgana.

I have really changed my opinion about Mejai's Soulstealer. It has a great snowballing potential and you can now build it from your starting item, Dark Seal.

WHAT IS NOT SO GOOD?

Some would say that this is a good situational item but I think it's meh. The 80 AP is...good but the other stats do not really impress me. The 250 mana is little and Morgana has enough mana later on. However, if you really like spamming your skills, get Morellonomicon or try my 2nd standard build. For the 5% movemend speed, Morgana does not really benefit from it. And the passive, Morgana is not an autoattacker and she does not benefit from it either.

Now let's do some Maths.


Final build #1: 713 AP ; 2925 HP ; 38/42% MPen + a slow and burn *My favourite*


Final build #2: 815 AP ; 2705 HP ; 23/42% MPen + a lot of mana and a huge shield.

The first build has more HP and MP but less AP. Plus, the burn will eat whole 12% of their current HP, which is useful for finishing beefier champs which you can't kill with your burst combo. By building the second one you will have a total of 3236 mana and the shield will absorb up to 800 points of damage but Seraph's Embrace and Rod of Ages will take a lot of time to stack up.

So you choose which build will fit your playstyle better and work more effectively against the enemy team.

Now we come where Morgana's role is the most decisive - Teamfights. Here's what happens (in the best situations):

You initiate (you can use flash to get closer) after landing Q+W and then follow up with your ultimate by trying to catch as many targets as you can. After that there are two things that could happen:

Variant 1. Your opponents start running away from you. Step 1: You chase them in order to apply the stun(If they begin escaping in different directions you chase their ADC and APC). Step 2: After you stun them attack their carries with your standard Q+W combo, ignite one of them and hope that your team will do the other work.

Variant 2. Your opponents start attacking you. Step 1: You use your so important item - Zhonya's Hourglass. it will be enough long to stun them. Step 2: Repeat step 2 in V1

Now let's talk a little about your early laning.

Morgana has pretty high damage level 2 by her Q+W combo and a strong waveclear with Tormented Shadow and that's why she is such a good early laner. Focus on farming. Get the casters with Tormented Shadow and try to last hit the melees with your AA. DO NOT USE YOUR Q TO FARM. Use it for harass (combined with your W it will deal more damage but you may lose some minions, so you estimate). Try roaming when you've just killed your mid opponent or when they've gone back to their base. You can go bot to lock down their adc and provide an assist to your mates. However, don't go for the kill because it is really annoying when someone steals your kill in your lane. Imagine Caitlyn coming mid and stealing your squishy lane opponent Veigar. It won't be very pleasant.

Now it's mid game. Some turrets have fallen, teamfights begin to form. Teamfights begin to form. That is the key phrase. That is where Morgana is very important. See the "Teamfights" section for more information.



*Remember that Dark Binding won't snare the dragon and Nashor but will deal damage to them. Your shield won't do much against them so don't use it.



*After getting Rabadon's Deathcap Morgana deals quite a lot of damage with her Q+W combo. Try to focus on getting their champs with the Q+W+R+Q+W combo. ADC's could use only Q+W+R and eventually an Ignite.

Now late game comes. Quite a few turrets have fallen, teams aim for the inhibitors and Baron Nashor.

You can destroy everyone 1v1. Unfortunately there are not many such opportunities so keep up the "Teamfight" scheme. If your team performs an ace you could win the game or just destroy some turrets so be very, very concentrated.

When you are reading this you probably have gone through my whole guide.

Before you go, please rate and leave a comment.

I hope you enjoyed the guide and that it will help you in future games with Morgana.

Also, thanks to jhoijhoi's Guide to Making a Guide and BBCode Guide and to League of Legends Wiki.

Have fun playing whith The Fallen Angel!