Morgana Build Guide : Let the Fallen Angel rise! (In-Depth Morgana Support Guide)

Introduction

Hey there.

I am inT0xicaTing and this is my first guide. I prefer playing support and top.
Although the guide looks finished, it's not. It will never be finished. There are several things I want to add or expand based on new gained experiences or patches (like matchups, ADC synergies, general gameplay in laning phase, masteries, etc..).

If you don't agree with some things in the guide or have some other awesome ideas (like runes, masteries, items, matchups, ..), let me know this and leave a comment or send me a PM.

Some words about the guide:
I divided the guide in two sections as you can see in the cheat sheets. Defend Your Carries (Def) is a defensive build and They Will Suffer (AP) is an offensive build. Sometimes I will refer to one of these builds using this color for Defend Your Carries (Def) and this color for They Will Suffer (AP).
Unfortunately I won't be able to update the guide during the months June, July and August because I do a 3 month trip :)

If you don't understand some shortcuts like mres or aa, read this guide. It is a very good guide for understanding the basics of League of Legends.

Some words about :
Before I start with the guide, I want you to give some thoughts of me about . was designed to be a mid laner, that's why her AP scaling is very high.
Struggle in the mid lane: Because the damage of her W can easily be avoided by walking out of it, her damage relies on her Q which isn't an easy skill shot. This means that her damage isn't guaranteed. That's also the reason why , who has almost the same kit, doesn't have this problem.
The new role: The summoners needed some time to realize, that her kit is stronger in the support role than in the mid lane. Her kit is very strong to protect team members. Her main goal in the support role isn't to destroy the enemy team with tons of AP. Her main goal in the support role is to peel for the carries and to interrupt the enemies during fights. AP / dealing damage is a nice addition.

Pros / Cons

I think is overall a really strong champion but needs some time to practice.
She is a champion with which you can be anything between failing hard and dominating hard.

+ Pros

strong against current meta supports like Leona or Thresh
3 seconds snare duration with Dark Binding
-> good engage/disengage
5 seconds spellshield with Black Shield
-> avoid CC / hard to gank
strong AOE ultimate ( Soul Shackles)
can be build versatile (AP, tank and support)

- Cons

needs practice to be good with
Dark Binding is a difficult skillshot - easy to dodge
needs quick reactions for Black Shield
often needs Flash to get in a good position to ult
weak against poke (e.g. Karma)

Runes

With the patch 4.5 runes got more balanced and every champion gained +4 base armor. Click here for more information.
Because runes and rune pages cost a lot of IP, you may not want / have enough IP to buy all of the runes I suggest. For seals you can just use 9 x in all examples and for glyphs 9 x , it's not a big deal. Be sure to read the more detailed descriptions to the marks, seals, glyphs and quintessences at the end of this chapter.
If you are interested in detail stuff, watch this video. It's from Phreak (Riot employee) and explains almost everthing. Here is his youtube channel.

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration

4 x Greater Seal of Armor

5 x Greater Seal of Health

Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist

Greater Quintessence of Ability Power

These are the most common and best balanced runes for . The and give good damage for the laning phase.

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration

4 x Greater Seal of Armor

5 x Greater Seal of Health

Greater Glyph of Ability Power

Greater Quintessence of Health

These runes are great for sustain and damage in the laning phase. Go for these runes if the enemy team has little AP damage (you lack mres).

Greater Mark of Armor

Greater Seal of Scaling Armor

Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist

Greater Quintessence of Health

These runes are for sustain pure. Go for these runes if your team doesn't have a tank and you feel like your team doesn't need more AP damage. You won't deal much damage during the whole game if you decided to go for these runes and a tanky build.

Marks
and :
Read the examples above to get an idea when to use which ones.

Seals
I recommend taking 4 x and 5 x in most games. It offers a good amount of armor vs AD and HP vs AP (enemy sup poke).
9 x would be a good choice if the enemy team is full AD.
would be a good choice if you already got armor in marks ().

Glyphs
I recommend taking 9 x in most matchups because the main damage you take early (in lane) are auto attacks (AD).
9 x is a good option vs high AP damage supports like / or if their mid, top and jungler don't deal a lot of AP damage (e.g. , and ).
You can use 9 x as well for even more lane pressure (They Will Suffer (AP)).

Be sure to have a look at the Matchups where I give recommended glyphs for most support matchups.

Quintessences
and :
Read the examples above to get an idea when to use which ones.

Masteries

5/10/15

I recommend these masteries if you go for the Defend Your Carries (Def) build.

5 points in offense
offers 5% CDR which helps during the whole game.
Your team will mostly focus the enemy you caught with . helps to burst this one faster.

10 points in defense
and are for junglers.
You will need , , and for good sustain in lane.
I took me some time untill I discovered for . Now I have it in every game. I think it's very strong because you rather fight only when you caught an enemy. You recive significant less damage from snared () and slowed () enemies.

(late game): You don't buy armor/mres in the beginning - so it's useless early on.
(early game): Helps you recovering from early trades - gives us 2hp/5s = 24hp/min = 240hp/10min = 480hp/20min = 720hp/30min = 960hp/40min

15 points in utility
, , , : You don't need them at all.
I think and aren't that strong.

Defense vs AD & Utility

For explanation look the examples above. for more armor and for receiving less crit damage.

Defense vs AP & Utility

For explanation look the examples above. for more mres and for receiving less aoe damage.

Defense

For explanation look the examples above. for more armor and mres, for CC reduction.

Offense

I recommend these masteries if you go for the They Will Suffer (AP) build.

For explanation look the examples above.
helps dealing more damage in early and in late game.

Skills / Skill Order

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

The skillorder depends on the enemy support.
Either you go for
R -> E -> Q -> W
or for
R -> Q -> E -> W

W -

For in the support role, CC is more important than damage. That's why you always max W last. You can skill it at level 1 instead of if you want to rush an early level 2:

You don't have to help the jungler at blue/red that much (1 or 2 aa and Tormented Shadow should be enough), which means that you aren't late for lane, you won't lose experience.
You can rush level 2 (level advantage).

deals a lot of damage in the early levels. As soon as the enemy bot lane goes back to shop, it gets weaker. The ADC probably bought and can recover better. The support either bought (health) or a HP reg item. The level ups increase the HP / hp5, too. This means the damage of decreases the longer the game goes if you don't max it (what we do) and don't buy AP. If you consider going for , it will still deal a good amount of damage in mid game.
You won't skill W in every matchup first (i.e. against you will start with ). More in the Matchups chapter.

E -

Once you skilled your E, you can give an ally (usually ADC) a shield for 5 seconds that blocks AP damage and any form of CC as long as it doesn't pop. When you max E, you max the shield value and lower the cooldown but it doesn't affect the duration of the shield.
You want to max E over Q if the enemy support is , , , or (high AP damage and/or a lot of CC with lower cooldown).
Be sure that you have smart cast on so that you can react faster. Another tip is, when you see danger, hover with your finger over the "ALT" key and with the mouse over your ADC so that you can fast enough shield the one who is getting focused.

Here is a link with skills that can block (unfortunately not updated).

Q -

You want to max Q over E if the enemy support is or (not as high AP damage and low CC)
When you max Q, the duration of the snare increases (unfortunately no CDR).

Also be sure to read the Matchups chapter further below where I describe with what skill to start and max.

Summoner Spells

Flash

This summoner spell is a MUST! It's not only good for flashing to safety / dodging an ability or chasing. With you can use to get in the middle of the enemy team and initiate a teamfight by triggering (ult).
An other good opportunity to use is to get closer to the enemy so that it's harder for him to dodge . The closer you are to the enemy, the easier it is to land . Only do this if you are sure, that it will result in a kill.

Exhaust

reduces

30% movement speed
30% attack speed
50% damage dealt (attack damage, apility damage and item damage dealt)

This is a defensive, anti-ADC and anti-burst spell and strong versus assassins (like ).

You want to take this summoner spell always if noone else in your team has it. In fights, use it on the enemy ADC or on a champion with a lot of burst (, , , ..).

Note: Bot lane should always have one and one . It's not important whether the ADC or support has / because heals both and is casted on an enemy.

Heal

heals the caster and the one closest to the cursor for 95-475 (80+15/20/25/35 at each level) health and give the two healed champions a 30% movement speed buff for 2 seconds.

Note: Bot lane should always have one and one . It's not important whether the ADC or support has / because heals both and is casted on an enemy.

Note: Double heal (ADC and support take it heal) isn't strong because the second heal within 35 seconds only heals for 50%.

Ignite

offers

70-410 (50 + 20 * level) true damage over 5 seconds
50% healing reduction

Source: http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Ignite

A small calculation: sona.xls
The guide from the calculation can be found here.

With this knowledge we can use in the following situations:

The enemy bot lane/team is squishy (e.g. Sona)
Against skill dependent ADCs (e.g. Lucian) - look at Exhaust
Against life steal / health regeneration dependent teams (e.g. team: Dr. Mundo, Fiddlesticks, Riven, Caitlyn and Soraka)
The mid or top laner doesn't take Ignite and your team needs it (e.g. top takes Teleport vs. Dr. Mundo. Your team will have a hard time vs. Dr. Mundo without Ignite.)

Defend Your Carries (Def) vs. They Will Suffer (AP)

I suggest two builds in this guide:
Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP)

But when should you choose which build?
The most important point I think is that it depends on your playstyle. If you play a lot of tanks and like to play defensive, go for the Defend Your Carries (Def) build. If you play a lot of mages and like to play offensive, go for the They Will Suffer (AP) build.

If you don't care about playing tank/defensive or mage/offensive, there are several points that can make you choose one build.

When to go for Defend Your Carries (Def)

Your team lacks tankyness
The enemies can easily jump on you carries ( Shyvana, Rengar, Kha'Zix, etc)
Your team got 2 AP champions apart of you
With a weak early game ADC

When to go for They Will Suffer (AP)

Your team lacks AP
Squishy enemy bot lane
Your team doesn't have good engage potential
All points of When to go for Defend Your Carries (Def) don't apply

How to behave when going for Defend Your Carries (Def)

Avoid that enemy champions can get close to your ADC
Do everything apart of dying for your ADC's life
Try to catch bad positioned enemies
Use Soul Shackles to defend your ADC

How to behave when going for They Will Suffer (AP)

Play offensive but don't risk too much - you are squishy
Use Soul Shackles to start team fights - stand in the middle of the enemy's team
After the laning phase you are like a second APC but don't take away the farm from others

Build Path: They Will Suffer (AP)

Starting Items

Spellthief's Edge
365g

3 x Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation
105g

Warding Totem
free

gives you a strong early game with a decent amount of damage.
You can buy 2 x and 1 x if you feel like you don't need a 3 x .
- a must. You need this vision.

First Back

Frostfang
500g

Stealth Ward
75g

<800g | >800g

Sweeping Lens
free

Sightstone
800g

If you get harassed a lot and have less than 800g, you could also consider buying a which builds into .
After buying a you can replace the with . With a you have enough wards.

If you finished one of these two options, you can finish the second option and then go for the Essentials.

I like to buy a when I play on blue side and place it in the tri-bush so that our jungler can gank easily.

Mana problems? Buy one or two s.

Essentials

Sweeping Lens
free

Sightstone
800g

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
1000g

Frost Queen's Claim
2200g

Zhonya's Hourglass
3260g

After the first and second (or third) back you should have the following items:
, ,

The next step is to finish and buying . Buy this item first which you think is better in your situation.

The next step is building and upgrading the . You can either upgrade the first or after buying . I recommend to upgrade the before finishing .
Have a look at the Items section for more information about boots.

Build Path: Defend Your Carries (Def)

Starting Items

Ancient Coin
365g

Ruby Crystal
400g

2 or 3 x Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation
70/105g

Warding Totem
free

In this build you have more options to start the game:
, 3 x ,
, 2 x ,
Tip: You can buy Spellthief's Edge as starting item and sell it later when you have enough money to buy talisman of ascension (Try Out build).

You can buy 2 x and 1 x if you feel like you don't need 3 x .
- a must. You need this vision.

isn't a strong starting item but it gives you gold from the start. It is more aggressive than because it gives you mreg.

and are both defensive items. Why don't I recommend buying then?
Let's do some maths:
+ 3 x = 660 HP
+ 2 x = 420 HP + 72HP/min + 8HP/aa

If we say that you catch 2 aa per minute it would be about 90HP/min.
420/90 = 2.7 min (4.7 min in game or lvl 3)
This means offers you more HP from about min 4.7 on. But if you buy you need 400g less to buy . That's why I don't list as starting item and why I recommend buying and not - because you delay your core build.

First Back

Nomad's Medallion
500g

Stealth Ward
75g

<800g | >800g

Sweeping Lens
free

Sightstone
400g / 800g

The first back desicion in this build depends on your starting item. If you started with you will now finish . If you started with it depends on your money.

If you finished one of these two options, you can finish the second option and then go for the Essentials.

I like to buy a when I play on blue side and place it in the tri-bush so that our jungler can gank easily.

Mana problems? Buy one or two s.

Essentials

Sweeping Lens
free

Sightstone
800g

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
1000g

talisman of ascension
Talisman of Ascension
2200g

Build Order:
After the first and second (or third) back you should have the following items:
, ,

The next step is to finish talisman of ascension and buying . Buy this item first which you think is better in your situation.

The last step upgrading the . Have a look at the Items section for more information about boots.

Zhonya's Hourglass

One of the most points, people ask me and think it should be in the core build/essentials and rushed after talisman of ascension / , is .

costs 3260g and offers a lot of AP, some armor and the ability to be a golden angel for 2.5 seconds :)

Pros and Cons

+ Pros
you deal more damage
you can initiate fights easier with and
you are invulnerable and untargetable for 2.5 seconds

- Cons
expensive
your team lacks a support item
you lack CDR if you buy it after the essentials and didn't buy

Players/Situations to buy

Situations:
You are the only AP damage in your team
Your team doesn't have a strong engage

Players:
You build full AP
You usually play very aggressive / go all in in team fights
You often get caught

Players/Situations to not buy

Situations:
You need to defend your ADC from the enemy's tank and not for engaging.
Your team has at least one strong engage like 's .
The enemy team is the team that engages. In this situation is more useful.
The enemy team can't burst you / You are tanky.
The enemy team gets bursted from your team.

Players:
You tend to safe your ultimate for counter engages.
You rather don't start teamfights.
You wait for your team's tank to engage.
You prefer buying CDR or support items.

I probably didn't mention all points. Feel free to leave a comment or PM me if you know another point.

Items

talisman of ascension
Talisman of Ascension

vs

Frost Queen's Claim

talisman of ascension: Offers health regeneration and its passive gives you 10 HP everytime a minion near you dies. It also offers 20% CDR. The active of talisman of ascension can be used to chase and escape and doesn't need an enemy in range to cast it.
: Offers 50 AP and 10% CDR. The active of can be used to chase and escape as well but it needs an enemy that is in range.

Pros talisman of ascension: I think the 10% bonus CDR are more useful than 50 AP. The active can be casted anytime and from a further distance than 's active.
Pros : The AP can be very useful in lane to harass the enemies. I think the 2 seconds 80% slow is in a head-to-head situation stronger than the 3 seconds 40% speed buff.

0 Ability Power < 50 Ability Power
20% Cooldown Reduction > 10% Cooldown Reduction
10 Health Regeneration + passive > 0 Health Regeneration
15 Mana Regeneration > 10 Mana Regeneration
3 second 40% speedbuff < 2 second 80% slow
no need of target > need of target
no target actives are easier and faster to trigger than skillshot actives

Boots

You will buy and in roughly 90% of your games.

Boots of Mobility
800g

You will mostly buy these boots, if you want to roam a lot. They also offer good escape and chase ability.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
1000g

I recommend to take these boots in most situations.
You will buy these boots, if you need more Cooldown Reduction. You can reach 40% Cooldown Reduction by buying and talisman of ascension combined with the mastery .

Mercury's Treads
1200g

You will buy these boots against heavy CC or heavy AP teams.

Ninja Tabi
1000g

You will buy these boots against heavy AD teams.

Sorcerer's Shoes
1100g

These boots are a decent option if you decided to go for the They Will Suffer (AP) build and the enemies bought some mres.

Enchantment: Distortion

With this enchantment you can use the + (ult) combo more often. The movement speed buff makes it even harder to escape you.

Enchantment: Homeguard

Only buy this enchantment if you are losing an inhibitor turret.

Enchantment: Alacrity

Buy this enchantment for more chase / escape potential.
I like to combine with and talisman of ascension.

Viable

Abyssal Scepter
2560g

Build: They Will Suffer (AP)

This item is a bit situational. You can buy it when your team has a lot of AP and you chose the They Will Suffer (AP) build. It also gives you a good amount of mres.

Athene's Unholy Grail
2600g

Build: They Will Suffer (AP)

This item offers a good amount of AP and mres and a lot of CDR and mreg. You can buy this item if you decided against to compensate the CDR and if the enemy team doesn't have a lot of CC ( would do a better job against CC).

When buying this item, always think about . In my opinion is in most situations the better choice.

Banshee's Veil
2750g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP)

This is more a lategame item. Buy it if the enemy team has a strong APC or you feel like you get focused. It makes you tankier and gives you a decent amount of mres. It also helps you to engage with since it blocks the next enemy ability.

Frozen Heart
2600g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def)

I like this item. It offers you a lot things that can benefit from: CDR, armor, mana and attack speed shred.
Buy this against AD heavy teams or against a fed ADC.

Liandry's Torment
2900g

Build: They Will Suffer (AP)

This items is strong against tanky teams. It offers % damage and makes you tankier.
After buying , deals a lot of damage because it deals every 0.5 seconds % damage of the enemy's life.
is very strong in combination with becuase doubles the damage of .

Locket of the Iron Solari
2800g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def)

I like this item on because you want to be in the middle of the fight. This means that almost everyone of your team can benefit from the aura and its active. Buy this against high AP damage teams. It also offers you 10% CDR.

Mikael's Crucible
1600g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP)

This item gives you a good amount of mres and mreg. The golden thing of it is, that you can remove any CC from an ally and heal him (needs quick reactions / anticipation). Buy this item against strong CC teams.

Tip: In a 2v2 situation you can use on you and if the other champion gets CCed you can use on him (or on him and on you).

Rylai's Crytsal Scepter
2900g

Build: They Will Suffer (AP)

gives 80 AP, 500 HP and a 15% slow on and .
is very strong in combination with becuase doubles the damage of .

Randuin's Omen
3000g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP)

makes you really tanky. It offers you a good amount of armor and HP. It also reduces the attack speed of anyone attacking you like a fed enemy .
The active gives you a 3 second slow (70 armor + base armor + runes armor > 100 armor) which makes you a CC monster. Combined with , and a good , the enemies have a hard time to reach your carries.

Twin Shadows
2400g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP)

gives you a good amount of AP and chase/escape ability thanks to its movement speed buff and active. The active can be very helpfull. You can use it in several situations:

checking buffs/dragon/baron from a safe distance
searching enemies in your jungle or in the enemy's jungle
escaping from a gank or teamfight
chasing and catching an enemy
starting a teamfight in jungle (2 enemies can't escape because they are slowed)
a slowed enemy is easier to catch with Dark Binding

zeke's herald
Zeke's Herald
2550g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def)

Buy this item if your team has three or four lifesteal dependend champions like , or . They will love you. Do not buy it, when your ADC is the only one that benefits from it.

Zhonya's Hourglass
3260g

Build: Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP)

is a very good but situational item for .
Read the chapter Zhonya's Hourglass for more information.

Not (yet) sure

Rabadon's Deathcap
3300g

The only reason I see for buying this one is, when you are the only AP damage champion in your team.. But there are other AP items that fit better to support.

Void Staff
2295g

Huch.. I don't know.. Same as ..

Do not buy!

Deathfire Grasp
3100g

I think it can be good on mid lane but you just don't have the money as support for this item and you don't have the damage to 100 -> 0 someone.

face of the mountain
Face of the Mountain
2200g

This item is not really good on ranged support champions because it's hard to last hit since only melee champions can execute the minions.

Lich Bane
3000g

is strong on champions that have a lot of AP and deal damage through auto attacks. Don't buy it as support .

Morellonomicon
2200g

I actually like this item very much but I don't think it is good on support. There are several other items which offer you better stats.
You get enough mreg with talisman of ascension / and .
You get enough CDR with , talisman of ascension, , , , and zeke's herald
The Grievous Wounds passive is the same as . This is the only reason I see for buying it. If your team doesn't have vs champions like . But in this case you should take instead of so you don't have to spend 2200g for this item.

Rod of Ages
2800g

is a strong item on in mid lane. But why isn't it that strong on support ?
As support you have to buy a , a gold income item like and boots. This means you have only three slots left. If you go for the They Will Suffer (AP) build you will also buy . You get more from and even more if you combine with .

Seraph's Embrace
2700g

Another AP item that is for a mid laner and not for a support. You can buy better items to help your team.

Will of the Ancients
2500g

The reason to buy this item would be the CDR and spell vamp. You will never have enough AP to really profit from it. or give you more HP back.
offers 80 AP and 10% CDR as well but is much better for a support.

Builds, Tips & Tricks

Builds, Tips & Tricks 1: How to build after core build / essentials

What we now can do is either upgrading the or start buying the next item. But when should you choose which option?

Option 1: Upgrading

You want to go for a upgrade when you and your team are behind. gives you a decent amount of HP for low cost and helps providing vision for your team in your jungle.
If you don't go for a upgrade, be sure to upgrade it after the next finished item.

Option 3: Starting a new item

: Buy this if your team needs . I like to combine this with the . -> Q-/E-spamming and the active make it almost impossible to kill your ADC. (Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP))

: Buy this if you need more tankyness and think about buying or . I prefer buying before if you went for the . (Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP))

: Your team needs more AP and can't deal with the enemy's tank. could be the right choice. (They Will Suffer (AP))

: This is really cost efficient. It offers you some HP and 10% CDR. Buy this if you think about buying zeke's herald or . You don't need to rush one of those. You can finish zeke's herald/ at any point in the game (even as last item). I also like to buy if I bought to compensate the CDR I lack from . (Defend Your Carries (Def))

: Helps a lot against strong AP teams. Can be upgraded to at any point in the game. (Defend Your Carries (Def) and They Will Suffer (AP))

Builds, Tips & Tricks 2: cheap items and CDR

talisman of ascension
Talisman of Ascension
2200g
CORE ITEM

Frost Queen's Claim
2200g
CORE ITEM

Mikael's Crucible
1600g

Twin Shadows
2400g

zeke's herald
Zeke's Herald
2550g

Frozen Heart
2600g

After buying the core items and , doesn't have any mana problems at all. You can just spamm your abilities. If you decided to go for (cheaper) instead of , you lack on CDR. I don't recommend going for after because you don't profit from its passive because it's the same as 's.
Other cheap items that provide CDR, are , zeke's herald and . Have a look at them in Items.

Here you can see me with about 14k full build whereas my team mates with 15k+ are still lacking one item (Patch 4.1 or 4.2 -> the item prices changed since then).

Builds, Tips & Tricks 3: CC

Randuin's Omen
3000g

Twin Shadows
2400g

Rylai's Crystal Scepter
2900g

These three are the strongest CC items for in my opinion. They all offer a decent slow:
active: ~3 second 35% movement speed slow
passive: 15% attack speed slow and 10% movement speed slow for the attacker
active: 2 x 2.5 second movement speed slow
: 5 second 15% AOE movement speed slow on

Builds, Tips & Tricks 4: Anti-CC

Mikael's Crucible
1600g

Black Shield

In a teamfight or 2v2 you can't always predict who the enemies will target and it's not always possible to shield the enemies' target in time. If a fight is about to get started and you are sure that you can't block the enemies' CC (like 's ), you can use on one champion and if the CC lands on an other champion, you can use to release him.

Matchups

Glyphs
I recommend taking 9 x in most matchups because the main damage you take early (in lane) are auto attacks (AD).
I recommend taking 9 x vs high AP damage supports like / or if their mid, top and jungler don't deal a lot of AP damage (e.g. , and ).

Skill order
The decision wheter you skill/max or depends on the enemy support and sometimes on your ADC because the support is the one with the CC and the enemy ADC doesn't do much more than farm and try to harass. Sometimes I give an offensive and defensive option. If your ADC is someone like who is weak in the early game, I recommend to go for the defensive option.

Starting Items/Options
I recommend to start with one of these three options:
Starting option 1: , 3 x
Starting option 2: , 2 x , ,
Starting option 3: , 2 x , ,

Alistar

Difficulty: 1/3
Skill-Order: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
has two ways to engage. The first way is with the (W) and (Q) combo. Use as soon as you see him dashing. The second way is running to someone and knock him up with and knock him back with . If he comes close to someone, use to avoid getting engaged.

In fights: Use on the target that focuses. Ignore him afterwards. Use the CC spells ( and ) on their ADC because can remove all CC with his ultimate which also gives him a lot of tankyness.

TL;DR

Use Black Shield to block his W+Q combo
Catch him with Dark Binding when he tries to come close
Remember: Unbreakable Will (ult) removes all CC ( Dark Binding and Soul Shackles)

Annie

Difficulty: 2/3
Skill-Order: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 3

How to play vs :
Always remember: the snare from lasts longer than 's stun.
Before 6:
While 's passive is up, you should keep distance / play defensive and be attentive. You have to react really fast if she wants to stun somebody and her target. You can play aggressive while is not up.

After 6:
While 's passive is up, you should always keep distance because it's almost impossible to react to (only if you can predict it). You can try to bait her so that she uses her passive and you shield it so that you can play aggressive afterwards.
The annoying thing about is that you never know when she is going to stun. Sometimes it is obvious (jungler comes for a gank or you overextend/bait too much) sometimes it isn't.
Try to not stand close to your ADC so that only can stun one of you.

TL;DR

play defensive while Pyromania (passive) is up
play aggressive while Pyromania is not up
the duration of Dark Binding is longer than the duration of Pyromania

Blitzcrank

Difficulty: 1/3
Skill-Order: >>>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
In my opinion is an easy lane as . Just position yourself behind your minions. Be sure to place a in the bush so that you can see when he is trying to catch somebody with and use to avoid his grab. if you are too late with you can still use it to avoid and . Try to predict his desicions becaus it's often obvious.

TL;DR

position yourself behind your minions
react fast to avoid Rocket Grab
try to predict Rocket Grab

Janna

Difficulty: 2/3
Skill-Order: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
The hard thing on this matchup is to land because of 's and . You max because you get a better reward if you can catch somebody and you don't need that often in this lane. Use to block

TL;DR

Janna can dodge Dark Binding easier than others because of her movement speed
use Black Shield to block Howling Gale

Karma

Difficulty: 3/3
Skill-Order: >>
Max:
Glyphs: or
Starting Option: 1, 3

How to play vs :
In this matchup I recommend to use to block poke damage and not to block CC. You will need a lot of mana.

has a good and low CD poke with . That's why she can bait you to use and while it is on cooldown she can use and her full combo to engage on you.
Tell your ADC to play defense while is on cd and ask the jungler for help if necessary.
If she pokes a lot, she will go oom fast. Fight her while she is oom.

TL;DR

Karma has an annoying low CD poke
she will go oom fast if she pokes a lot
play aggressive while she is oom
ask the jungler for help if necessary

Leona

Difficulty: 1/3
Skill-Order: offensive: >>, defensive: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
can do almost nothing against you in lane. Just use when she uses . She will then stand there and do nothing because blocks all of her CC. This said, is nothing more than a tank without CC and damage.
But be careful in 2v2 fights because her cooldowns are lower than your 's cooldown.
Be sure to have a look at the analysis I made in Articles & High Elo / Pro Morgana Support Games where ROCCAT VandeR plays as vs Alliance Nyph's .

TL;DR

use Black Shield when Leona goes in
be careful while Black Shield is on CD

Lulu

I haven't played against a as yet (all the s are mid now :( ). I think it is a hard matchup.
Will update this as soon as possible.

Morgana

Difficulty: 2/3
The luckier one with the better ADC will win ;)

Nami

Difficulty: 2/3
Skill-Order: >>
Max: or
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
has three CC-skills (skillshot stun), (the next 3 auto attacks slow) and (the big wave). Don't use to block the slow if it's not really necessary. There are two reasons:
1. The auto attacker can switch target.
2. While is on cd you are vulnerable to .
I recommend dealing with the slow and saving for .

Don't forget about 's heal (). It makes the matchup a bit annoying. Sometimes she wants to come in range to harass with . Try do catch her with when she tries to come close. I recommend to push vs because that causes her to play more passive -> less harass.
The reason why is 2/3 and not 1/3 is her ultimate . The problem is, that you can only shield one champion and can hit more than one. In lane, I recommend that you shield your ADC when she uses and dis- or counter-engage afterwards with and .

TL;DR

save Black Shield for Aqua Prison (skillshot stun)
push vs Nami so that she has to play passive -> less harass
shield your carries when she uses Tidal Wave (ult) and dis- or counter-engage with Soul Shackles and Dark Binding

Sona

Difficulty: 2/3
Skill-Order: >>
Max:
Glyphs: or
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
isn't an easy lane. With she has a high damage poke (700 range -> 's range is 600). Avoid getting harassed. Due to her heal it is difficult to harass successfully. That's why you shouldn't harass too much - you only lose mana. Stay defensive and wait for the jungler to gank.

It's almost impossible to react to her ultimate . That's why you should try to predict it and the most possible target. Trigger early enough.

TL;DR

Sona has high early damage - avoid getting harassed.
Don't waste too much mana for harassing - she can heal it.
Wait for a gank to go all in
Try to predict Crescendo and use Black Shield early enough to avoid the stun.

Soraka

Difficulty: 1/3
Skill-Order: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 2, 3

How to play vs :
You can be very aggressive and go all in when is out of mana.
Don't underestimate the heals of and and don't forget about (silence) when you are about to engage.
While fighting, try to keep distance from to avoid . Use on your ADC when he gets close to to block the mres shred of .

TL;DR

don't underestimate the heals of Astral Blessing and Wish
use Black Shield to avoid the mres shred of Starcall

Taric

Difficulty: 1/3
Skill-Order: offensive: >> or >>, defensive: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
Always save for (stun). Most are easy to predict because the only time they run towards someone is when they want to use . The good thing is that you will always have enough time to react and use .

TL;DR

use Black Shield do block Dazzle (stun).

Thresh

Difficulty: 1/3
Skill-Order: offensive: >>, defensive: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 2, 3

How to play vs :
I used to say that and are the same matchup. Now I think it's not true. and have the same aa range.

Against you should always try to stand outside of his aa range. Since has a lower range than his aa, you can avoid it. Make sure, that the only way can get to you or your ADC is using and block it with . If wants to walk near you or your ADC to use , you can use - either he dodges it and you get enough time to back off or you catch him. If he really wants to do this, he will more likely than not walk straight to you - you almost can't miss .

DO NOT use to harass him or the enemy ADC with aa. Only go for aa harassing if you caught someone with .

's cooldowns on are 20 / 18 / 16 / 14 / 12
's cooldowns on are 23 / 21 / 19 / 17 / 15
Be sure to max first! In every level there is a 3 second gap. Try stand safe for these 3 seconds and you will be fine.
TIP: When starts with the animation, he can't dodge - but you also cant dodge when you use (but your ADC can). I'm not sure if can use for the second time, while he is snared.

TL;DR

stand outside of Thresh's aa range (same aa range as Morgana)
Flay has a lower range than his aa range
-> standing out of aa range -> standing out of Flay range
Death Sentence should be the only way he can get to you -> Black Shield
the cooldowns of Death Sentence are always 3 sec lower than the cooldowns of Dark Binding -> max it first

Zyra deadly bloom

deadly bloom

Difficulty: 2/3
Skill-Order: offensive: >>
Max:
Glyphs:
Starting Option: 1, 3

How to play vs :
has high damage during the whole game. You should always save to block . Only use against deadly bloom when your ally would die. Use after failed to counter engage.

TL;DR

use Black Shield to block Grasping Roots (snare).

ADC synergy

does good with every ADC. But she usually does better with CC ADCs like and burst ADCs like .
As every support, she is strongest with current strongest meta ADCs.

In this chapter I only list the strongest ADCs of the current meta (the ADCs that I consider being the strongest). If you ask for more, let me know this and I will probably add more. I don't list a lot ADCs because I think the lane doesn't depend that much on your ADC. It depends more on the enemy support/ADC. If you think a champion is missing (because it is a really strong duo like ) or would like me to add another champion, you can write me a pm or leave a comment. (I will add and soon.)

Jinx

Synergy: 3/3

the slow of Zap! makes it easier to land Dark Binding
Zap! is a good harass if you hit Dark Binding
combination of Dark Binding -> Flame Chompers! and Flame Chompers! -> Dark Binding is very strong and can disable an enemy up to 4.5 seconds.

Caitlyn

Synergy: 3/3

Piltover Peacemaker after Dark Binding can't miss and is a strong harass
Caitlyn can place a Yordle Snap Trap while someone is snared ( Dark Binding)
very safe and good poke lane due to the huge range

Draven

Synergy: 2/3

Draven has no gap closer and is weak vs CC. Black Shield helps Draven a lot for these weaknesses.
Draven has a lot of damage, catch somebody with Dark Binding and he/she is almost dead.

Lucian

Synergy: 2/3

Lucian has a nice gap closer ( Relentless Pursuit) which allows him to engage/disengage easily. This allows him to harass someone that got caught with Dark Binding and let him disengage easily afterwards.
Lucian has good burst abilities and The Culling (ult) lets him finish an enemy that runs away after Dark Binding ended.

Vayne

Synergy: 2/3

Vayne needs a safe early game. Morgana's kit help her a lot to survive the laning phase and being unstoppable during the late game.
try to catch an enemy that is standing next to a wall so that Vayne can use Condemn to stun him/her.

Articles & High Elo / Pro Morgana Support Games

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Articles:
[26. Nov 2013] http://na.lolesports.com/articles/play-pros-mistakes-morgana-support
[28. Feb 2014] http://na.lolesports.com/articles/morgana-fallen-mid-bot
[12. Mar 2014] http://www.ongamers.com/articles/support-morgana-in-lcs-return-of-the-exile/1100-1029/
[27. Mar 2014] http://mundoverse.com/rise-predicted-fall-morgana-support/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
13. Feb 2014
Patch: 4.1 or 4.2
ROCCAT VandeR
LCS
ROC vs. ALL
VoD: LoL Esports, EpicSkillshot

Analysis

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
14. Feb 2014
Patch: 4.1 or 4.2
ROCCAT VandeR
LCS
ROC vs. CW
VoD: LoL Esports, EpicSkillshot
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Some last words

This was my guide about , the Fallen Angel. Thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to upvote the guide if you liked it and feel free to give me some feedback :D

I also want to thank jhoijhoi for providing the guide "Making A Guide" where I could look up some things.

Bye and good luck on the Field of Justice! Let the Fallen Angel rise!

Updates / Changelog / Future

February 2014

March 2014

April 2014

Mai 2014

June-August 2014

Future / ToDo

Let the Fallen Angel rise! (In-Depth Morgana Support Guide)

Let the Fallen Angel rise! (In-Depth Morgana Support Guide)

Choose Champion Build:

Recommended Items

Spells:

Exhaust

Flash

Items

Ability Order

Soul Siphon (PASSIVE)

Dark Binding (Q)

Tormented Shadow (W)

Black Shield (E)

Soul Shackles (R)

Recommended Items

Spells:

Exhaust

Flash

Items

Ability Order

Soul Siphon (PASSIVE)

Dark Binding (Q)

Tormented Shadow (W)

Black Shield (E)

Soul Shackles (R)

Recommended Items

Spells:

Exhaust

Flash

Items

Ability Order

Soul Siphon (PASSIVE)

Dark Binding (Q)

Tormented Shadow (W)

Black Shield (E)

Soul Shackles (R)

Introduction

Pros / Cons

Runes

Masteries

Skills / Skill Order

Summoner Spells

Defend Your Carries (Def) vs. They Will Suffer (AP)

Build Path: They Will Suffer (AP)

Build Path: Defend Your Carries (Def)

Zhonya's Hourglass

Items

Builds, Tips & Tricks

Matchups

ADC synergy

Articles & High Elo / Pro Morgana Support Games

Some last words

Updates / Changelog / Future

League of Legends Champions: