Matchup Win Rate
54.4%
Gold Diff @ 15
-249g
Gold Diff @ End
-28g
Average KDA
7/6/4
Mordekaiser Win Condition
Your victory condition depends on outplaying Illaoi by forcing her ultimate before using yours, and leveraging the Rylai’s Crystal Scepter power spike. Once Rylai's is acquired, you gain the ability to permanently stick to her and transition the fight into a straightforward stat check in melee range. In the mid-to-late game, you can win by isolating her in team fights or by maintaining relentless poke pressure on the side lane.
Illaoi Win Condition
Illaoi’s win condition is terrifyingly simple: successfully land her Harsh Lesson (E). If she hits you with her
E, you are highly likely to lose the fight in melee range, potentially even if you hold a significant kill or item advantage. Her secondary win condition is stopping Mordekaiser's ultimate by using her own ultimate in response.
General Strategy
The core strategy is managing Illaoi's defensive and offensive power spikes. Oblivion Orb or Bramble Vest is recommended to effectively cut out the healing she gains from her tentacles. You must never underestimate her damage, as she possesses "absolutely vile one-shot potential". If she lands herE and your ultimate is down, you will likely die, a fact that applies to almost all melee top laners against Illaoi.
After securing anti-healing, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter is a crucial power spike that aids in securing the 1v1. In team fights, since Illaoi's grouping is usually poor (unless she has Flash), you should look to ult her only after she has used her own ultimate to prevent her from dealing AoE damage to your team. Above all, you must play strictly around your ultimate cooldowns; if her
R is available and yours is not, you cannot win the 1v1.
Trading Patterns
The primary interaction revolves around the "ultimate mind game. " You must actively force Illaoi to use her ultimate first so that you can then cast yours and remove her from the safety of her tentacles. The most reliable tactic for landing your
R first is to use it during herE (Harsh Lesson) animation.
If Illaoi is stuck in the animation—either throwing the skill shot or pulling the spirit back—she is unable to cast her ultimate. However, if she is at point-blank melee range, she might still be able to get her ultimate off. Before an all-in, you must attempt to chip her down with continuous 
Q pokes until her health is low enough that even if she manages to hit herE into R combo, you can still kill her before her tentacles dispatch you.
Wave Management
Build & Rune Breakdown
Mordekaiser Build
Starting Items (57.9% WR)
Core Items (33.3% WR)
Optimal Runes (54.7% WR)
Skill Priority
!["q](https://lolmatchups.net/Mordekaiser"Q.webp)
"Q
E![w"](https://lolmatchups.net/MordekaiserW".webp)
W"Skill Order
Illaoi Build
Starting Items (54.2% WR)
Core Items (66.7% WR)
Optimal Runes (38.0% WR)
Skill Priority
!["e](https://lolmatchups.net/Illaoi"E.webp)
"E
Q![w"](https://lolmatchups.net/IllaoiW".webp)
W"Skill Order
