I've opted to suggest Exhaust and Flash as they lend themselves well for careful playstyles. Ignite might be able to secure a kill on an escaping enemy (which might have been unnecessary if an attack was planned better), but a strategic Exhaust can turn a losing fight around, completely. Because I value a lower death count more than a higher kill count, the latter is the more appealing for me.

Grab all your abilities early so you have variety, opting for your shield at level 2 if they're poking really hard and you're having no luck dodging.

I suggest maxing your pool early to take advantage of Morgana's passive spell vamp; just drop it on a minion wave to get some health back.

If you are having mana issues, opt to put some earlier points in your shield; it doesn't increase its mana cost when you level it and reducing the cooldown can only be beneficial, especially if you find yourself getting ganked or poked at, frequently.

One important aspect of the game that I think many people overlook is the cost per stat of an item. A lot of complete items have great passive and active effects which you might need in a given match or role, but generally, buying the highest stat ingredient for end-game items prior to completing any of said items will benefit you in way of better exchange potenetial, as well as ease of farming.

These higher stat ingredients are also usually the more expensive ingredient for each item, meaning your required gold to complete said item is much less. Basically, you don't want to be running around until the 20 minute mark carrying only boots, a pot or two, a blasting wand and a few tomes or their 900g upgrades - not being able to actually afford any of the big ticket items due to a difficult time farming. Don't do it to yourself; save up and make use of better ingredient items.

Lost Chapter is an essential item and should be purchased on your first back. Note well that this item grants you mana when you level up; a passive that is lost upon completion of the Morellonomicon. Grab this ingredient and hang on to it until you're comfortable with your base mana regen.

I don't believe core item sets should be 6 items, as every game requires something different. You'll notice that the optional, situational items that I have listed are not simply one item, each. You will need to use your own judgement to determine what exactly you need for each match.

If you're occasionally getting jumped by a tough Magic Damage opponent, opt for a Banshee's Veil where you would normally build a Void Staff.

Mercury's Treads will help with getting out alive after a stun or slow, as well as providing a little more protection to boot.

If you're having absolutely no luck laning and your opponent has full control of lane, you might want to grab a Liandry's Torment to give your pokes a little more sting.

Mercury's Treads have Tenacity which will help get you moving sooner after some nasty crowd-control. You might want to opt for Boots of Swiftness instead, but you'll need to see those ganks coming with some perma wards to really make best use of them. Boots of Swiftness are also a decent option if they are getting you with slows, alone.

Assuming the ganker deals Physical Damage or simply has a high DPS burst, you may benefit from grabbing a Zhonya's Hourglass. It gives you some decent base stats that build toward the late game, and an effective mitigation of burst damage such as in abilities like a Lux or Ziggs ultimate. Replace the Void Staff with it unless they are specifically building high Magic Resist.

I've chucked in the Archangel's Staff because it's an old favourite of mine. I haven't been taking it with Morgana, but if your playstyle involves a lot of mana expenditure, you might find a Tear of the Goddess an ideal early-game item. You can gain stacks on it which carry over to the Archangel's Staff, which once complete will offer a serious Ability Power bump if you build around it (more mana-pool items, to further take advantage of its passive). Alone, the Seraph's Embrace (final form of the Archangel's) is on par with the highest AP-offering items, such as the Deathcap, offering 110AP with no other items or mana (considering you have a base amount of mana, this value will be higher).

Quick little build guide I've thrown together for one of my mates who has only recently hit level 10. This guide is intended to encourage an interest in prepared builds, while introducing concepts of match-specific dynamics. This is not the be all and end all build, especially for advanced players, but should offer a good starting point for anyone starting out in League or even just trying out Morgana for the first time.

I will expand on this guide as I revisit it to add things such as Runes and Masteries, as we progress into higher-level matches.