How to win lane as Mordekaiser against Garen · 51.23% win rate over 5,031 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Garen | He owns level 1: I have only a slow, telegraphed Obliterate and no aura, so his Q (Decisive Strike) silences my cast mid-animation and his empowered strike trades up before I can answer. |
| Level 2 | Garen | Still his — his W Courage active cuts my single Q's damage while his Q silence shuts my combo, so short trades go his way until my Indestructible shield exists at 3. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Even now: full kit plus a three-hit Darkness Rise lets me bank a W shield and stand in a trade, but his Q silence still cancels my Obliterate, so neither of us clearly wins the exchange. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Even through 4-5: it's a silence-and-Courage war — when his cooldowns are up he trades up and walks off on Q move-speed, when they're down I run my pattern, and we trade freezes. |
| Level 6 | Mordekaiser | Mine at last — Realm of Death drags him into a 1v1 his Q move-speed and Courage tenacity can't escape, I steal a chunk of his stats, and the duel is mine. |
| First item | Even / skill | Back to even: Liandry's makes Darkness Rise grind through his Courage damage-cut, but his Perseverance heal and Demacian Justice execute spike just as hard, so the all-in is a wash. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Even late: I delete him if I land R, but his Perseverance regen heals my poke when he's untargeted and his true-damage missing-HP execute ignores my HP stacking while he splitpushes — neither of us takes over. |
"Levels 1-2 are his, not mine, and that's fine — I have one slow, telegraphed Obliterate and no aura yet, so his Q (Decisive Strike) silences my cast mid-animation, empowers his next hit, and his W Courage active cuts whatever I do land, so he walks away even or up. I don't try to prove anything here; I last-hit at the edge of the wave and only throw Q when he commits to a CS and can't sidestep it. Level 3 is where it equalizes: with Q + W + my first Darkness Rise tick, three hits set the aura burning and Indestructible banks his return, so I can finally stand in a trade — but his silence still cuts my combo, so I bait the Q out before I commit."
The full Mordekaiser vs Garen report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.
Playing the other side? Garen vs Mordekaiser guide →
All Mordekaiser top lane matchups →