Support Morgana

When to pick Support Morgana?

Support Morgana is a very SPECIFIC pick; you don't run her like you would Taric or even support Lux. Mainly because support Lux outclasses support Morgana with most carries.

You pick support Morgana if (1) The carry is one of the synergizing carries for Morgana, or (2) The enemies have picked supports or carries that Morgana lanes well against. Please don't complain if your carry has low synergy with her and you lose. When support Morgana doesn't work, she REALLY doesn't work.

PROS

Cuz we all pro
+ Black Shield (E) makes your carry un-CCable.
+ Great harass
+ Synergizes very well with AP teams
+ Great split-pusher

CONS

You thought you could get away?
-No heal
- Black Shield (E) does not block physical damage
-Her passive spell vamp doesn't really suit a support
-Squishy
-Difficult to handle her damage output

Soul Siphon (P) is Morgana's passive, one of the reasons why she is generally considered a mid-laner. It grants you 10-20% spell vamp based on level. For a support, you're not concentrated on doing damage, so it makes it difficult for you to make full use of this passive. The only time I would consider it would be if your carry is missing and you want to push the lane, you can use Tormented Soil to hit the minions and drain them.

Dark Binding (Q) is a skillshot snare. It starts off as a 2-second snare and goes up to 3 seconds as you upgrade it. Beware! Snare does not mean stun. I train this skill second but max it first to get the snare damage and duration up.

Tormented Soil (W) creates a small area (which you can select) where enemies take damage over time and lose magic resistance. It makes for great harass and you can use it to convince enemies to move in a particular direction, like a trap. I train this last because its better utilized as a warning against movement, and your carry does not utilize the MR-debuff effectively.

Black Shield (E) blocks a certain amount of magic damage (with 70% AP scaling...not like we're building AP) and prevents all CC on the shielded ally until the shield is broken or disappears after 5 seconds. I train this first to increase the power of the shield and decrease its cooldown, enabling your carry to farm with much more liberty, but I don't max it until later due to the nature of the laning phase (in terms of magic damage).

Soul Shackles (R) is a 3-second slow-leash that targets the two closest enemy champions. If players stay within its range for the full 3-seconds, they are stunned for 1.5 seconds.

Standard Harass

Throw a Dark Binding (Q), then a Tormented Soil (W) approximately on top of them, but favor the space behind them. That way, they get snared and can run forwards (towards your carry) or backwards through your Tormented Soil. Or run around :)

Gold per 10 quints for extra gold. Supports aren't supposed to rely on making money via kills, though you certainly get a lot from assists. Do not farm minions unless your carry tells you to or your carry is not present, in which case you aren't stealing their creep score.

Flat armor yellows for additional early game sustain. You can also use scaling health or scaling MR, but most of the damage you're taking will come from the enemy carry. Kills early game determine late game, so we wish to discourage this as much as possible. You can also take Greater Seal of Scaling Health or Greater Seal of Scaling Magic Resist, but I think they are situationally more effective.

Magic Pen reds to increase your harassment damage. Alternatively, you can use Greater Mark of Hybrid Penetration to increase your AA harass too or Greater Mark of Armor for a more traditional support rune page.

Scaling AP blues to increase the effectiveness of Black Shield (E) and her harassment without giving her so much KSing potential early game. Alternatively, Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist can also be purchased if you are aiming for a more traditional support rune page.

Offensive Masteries

Summoner's Wrath : Take this to increase the power of Exhaust . Now, when you set up your carry by using its slow, you also drop the enemy's Armor and Magic Resist by 10. If you take Clairvoyance or Heal, put this point into Artificer instead!

Defensive Masteries

Durability : To unlock the next row of Defensive Masteries. Provides a lil tankiness/level.
Hardiness : To lower the damage of the enemy ADC
Resistance (1/3): To lower the damage of the enemy support. We're not as concerned about them.
Veteran's Scars : Because +30 HP at Lv1 is a big difference when minions are doing a large part of your health.
Relentless (1/2): Lowering the effectiveness of slows helps you get into position better.
Unyielding : To lower the damage done by enemy champions
Block : To lower the damage from the enemy ADC. Makes a bigger difference than you'd think early game, especially with all the other masteries.

Utility Masteries

Summoner's Insight : Lowers the cooldown of Flash . Morgana uses Flash to engage, so this is more important on her than other supports, but it's a good choice on ANY champion.
Meditation : Increases your mana regen. You're a mana-draining support.
Mastermind : To lower the cooldown on Exhaust and Flash , to give your carry even more utility
Artificer (1/2): Lowers the CD on all active items, including Shurelya's Reverie and Zhonya's Hourglass
Greed : You don't make money. This mastery is your lifeline.
Wealth : +50 gold! holy cow! I HAVE STARTING MONEY!!!!! Yeah, it pretty much lets you buy one more potion :)
Biscuiteer : This IS a potion, in a way. Except it's a yummy cookie. Sinful Succulence Morgana approves.
Explorer's Ward: For those moments when you say "Dammit, I really wish I had a ward right now." You can use it to check bushes or walls.

Flash is a general utility. All PvPers carry this spell. While it has the longest cooldown of any summoner spell, it's just too useful. You can Flash to catch up to enemies, escape, hop walls, dodge skill shots...really, it's everything.

Exhaust is for slowing enemies and reducing their armor and MR. It's a great way to assist kills when your Dark Binding is on cooldown.

Clairvoyance is mostly a support summoner spell. It reveals a large area shrouded by the Fog of War for 8 seconds. It can be used to track the enemy jungler or just to make sure your jungler doesn't have incoming enemies. It will not reveal stealthed units.

Heal is just a way to make up for your lack of sustain. I don't recommend it a lot, since Exhaust is more powerful, especially late game.

Mercury's Treads > Ionian Boots of Lucidity > Boots of Swiftness
Ruby Sightstone = Wards. "Free money"...you're not spending on wards. There is something seriously wrong if you are not warding your lane. Also, gives HP. Not that bad.
Shurelya's Reverie is another support staple. 10% CDR and a 3s 40% movement speed buff, along with a few other things. Builds off of Philosopher's Stone, so it makes a good endgame item.

Zhonya's Hourglass is a typical pick for mid- Morgana. It provides the early Seeker's Armguard against AD-mids (in your case, AD carries) and then builds into an item with very high AP. Additionally, it's a popular tactic to show up behind the enemies (via Flash ), use Soul Shackles (R) on a heavily CCed enemy team, and then use the Hourglass's active to become immune while the timer for Soul Shackles (R) ticks.

Frozen Heart 20% CDR and 95 armor, which gives Morgana a bit of tankiness. It also assists in discouraging attack speed champions, such as the enemy carry.

Abyssal Scepter is a situational pick. If your team is heavy AP and no other team member takes it, this is a good choice. It works well with Morgana's Soul Shackles (R) yet again, slowing the enemy and giving them an MR-debuff as your team drops nukes on them. Don't forget Tormented Soil (W)!

Mikael's Crucible Hey look! Morgana's Black Shield is down! CC the enemy carry! ... HOW THE HELL DID HE ESCAPE?

Banner of Command This is not your typical support item; in fact, I think the only champion who goes out of his way to build it is Heimerdinger. However, this is a good choice if you want to split-push. Combined with Morgana's natural wave-clearing abilities, this item offers armor, ability power, and 10% CDR.
Morellonomicon offers the cheapest 20% CDR in the game, along with a decent amount of AP and mana regen. If your team is not doing well, I would recommend this as it is cheap and more or less effective. It also builds out of Kage's Lucky Pick, which is a good item to build on a support. Extra money is always good.

Shard of True Ice is one of the items I recommend if you or your carry are having mana troubles. It uses Lucky Pick and Mana Manipulator , plus it retains its gold bonus (the only "end" item to do so). You can probably get this built earlier on than other items, since it cheap and it strongly retains its supportive values.
Runic Bulwark is generally a support staple. It's considered one of the most cost-effective items in the game due to its stats. However, it offers no CDR, which you really need as support Morgana. Try to get your jungler or top to build it. If they won't, you should REALLY consider it based on how well your team is doing in lane and what items the opponent has.

Early Game

Early game, you fulfill a typical support role. Ward your lane and protect your carry. Morgana is a great harasser at early levels, so don't be afraid to use Tormented Soil (W) alone to harass, especially if you go for Chalice of Harmony. Placing it in the enemy bushes is pretty effective for weeding out their support, especially since it won't damage minions. You can also use AAs to harass; her AA range isn't as long as other supports like Sona and Lux, but it will easily outrange Leona, Taric , and Blitzcrank (provided you are in a position to harass them).

These are good places to put wards to protect yourself from ganks early game. Shaco and Rammus tend to gank early game, so get wards more frequently when you see them on the enemy team.

Harass opponents until your carry is ready to kill them. When your lane is ready to push, start using Tormented Soil (W) to kill the caster minions while your carry takes his or her pick from the melee minions.

Do not be afraid to boost your CS while your carry is not in lane or when you deem it is time to push lane. If your carry cannot reach a creep that's going down, feel free to take it. You're going to need gold due to your expensive kit (compared to other supports).

After first turret is down

After the first turret is down, you have two options. Stay in lane with your carry and keep pushing up bottom lane or wander with your carry.

If you stay in lane...

I recommend stealing the enemy buff (blue for Morgana or red for your carry) or at least warding that bush so you can see the buff monster. Lay a ward near the river entrances again to protect yourself from incoming sandwiches.

If you roam/gank...

If you go for roaming (most likely to mid, unless you recall to go to top), STAY WITH YOUR CARRY.
I would also ward important objectives as you wander, such as Dragon (this is a good place to drop a Vision Ward) and some of the key traffic areas in the jungle (see below).

Mid-game

Team Fights

By now, there should be a lot of team fights going on. This is where you excel, given how far you are in your build and your team composition. First things first: you want to keep dropping wards, especially near the most popular team fight lane (this is normally mid, but it's not unusual for it to be bottom or top).

Regarding team fights, you need to learn how the enemy team works. There are two lines of thought in team fights - target the carry (AD or AP) or target the closest (tank). It's is absolutely imperative that you learn how the enemy team works during the first team fight so you know who needs Black Shield (E) during the next team fights. This is also why it's useful to have Mikael's Crucible; you can Black Shield (E) the carry and prepare Mikael's for your tank (since it has a heal attached).

Other than that, focus on dropping your Tormented Soil (W) in the middle of the enemy team and use Dark Binding (Q) to catch escapees. Flash → Soul Shackles (R) → Zhonya's Hourglass is a great initiation tool, especially if you can toss in Dark Binding (Q)s as you Flash . If Zhonya's Hourglass is on cooldown, do not use Soul Shackles (R) to initiate; instead, save it to hold down any people who may try to escape.'

Global Objectives

Dragon is a highly-contested jungle mob. Upon death, he grants 190 gold to all teammates, plus 25 gold to his slayer. Your job as a support, to prepare for taking Dragon is to make sure the area is well warded. That means a Vision Ward in front of the Dragon pit, plus various Sight Wards in the area so that you can catch any enemies who might check that area. He spawns at 2:30 and respawns every 6 minutes.

Earlier in the game, you will want AT LEAST your jungler and carry with you to take out Dragon , and you preferably want your jungler to have Smite up. You will want to initiate Dragon when most of the enemy is either dead or in top lane, where it will be difficult for them to reach you in time.

Things to note: He's immune to the secondary effects of Tormented Soil (W) (the MR-debuff) and the snares/slows of Dark Binding (Q) and Soul Shackles (R). It does no magic damage, instead relying on its physical damage AAs and it's true damage-over-time

Baron Nashor is the "boss" of Summoner's Rift. He grants a buff to all living team members of the team who killed it, which gives AD, AP, mana regen, and health regen. He also gives all living team members 300 gold and 900 XP. Like with Dragon , your job as a support is to ward the area to make sure no enemies will "steal" Baron Nashor or ambush you while you fight him. He spawns at 15:00 and respawns every 7 minutes.

I think we're winning

Okay, go on. Use Tormented Soil (W) to clear the minions around the nexus turrets so your super minions have full reign. Lock out any enemy champions who come out with a Dark Binding (Q). Don't get too close to the enemy platform, as you are still a squishy witch.

I think we're losing

Um. Hmmm. I would say your team probably wants you defending your base from super minions. Try to Soul Shackles (R) the enemy team in your nexus turrets if possible. If you get any relief from the siege, stock up on Elixir of Brilliance and make sure your tank/bruiser gets Sight Wards and goes with your carry to the enemy base to take out inhibitors while the rest of your team tries to push the lanes back out.

Tristana gains AA range as she levels. Specializes in positioning and AoE damage.
Sync: High. Dark Binding (Q) → Tormented Soil (W) → Rocket Jump (W) → Buster Shot (R) (towards Morgana) → Soul Shackles (R) → Explosive Shot (E). GG.

Kog'Maw turns into a walking bomb on death. Has superior range and a slow.
Sync: High. One of the matches made in heaven for Morgana. You both weaken the enemy's magic resist and Kog'Maw does magic damage. You can cover his escapes with Black Shield (E) and Dark Binding (Q). I'd give this pair an 11/10.

Ashe improves crit chance while out of combat. Has a slow, AoE, and passive gold bonus.
Sync: Medium. She doesn't have a strong early game presence. Her slows make it easy for you to land Dark Binding (Q) and get more damage out of Tormented Soil (W), making this a decent combination for mid-game. If you can, time Soul Shackles (R) to start its channel as Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R) hits to take full advantage of the AoE slow it makes.

Corki does 10% AD in true damage on AAs, but low range. Skills are damage-based.
Sync: Medium. Has decent burst and AoE damage. Has no synergy with Tormented Soil, but appreciates Dark Binding (Q) and Black Shield (E) to be able to land his Gatling Gun (E).

Ezreal gains attack speed after using abilities. Lots of ranged skills and a flash in his skills.
Sync: Medium. You have synergy with his hybrid skillset, and the snares are great for locking down opponents for easy skillshots on his behalf. Run this lane as a poke AND burst lane.

Miss Fortune has improved movement speed while out of combat. Works well against healing teams.
Sync: Medium. If you can do it, Tormented Soil (W) + Make It Rain (E). This team has a decent early game presence and has some potential mid-game, guaranteeing that Miss Fortune lands her ultimate if the enemies don't have Flash.

Sivir gains movement speed with each AA. Has decent AoE damage and great chasing capabilities.
Sync: Low. She can chase, so she doesn't really need your CC; she'd rather have a damage buff, which you can't provide

Twitch does bonus DoT true damage every AA. Has a burst that builds off his AAs.
Sync: Low. Benefits well from Black Shield (E), but does not have any true synergy with Morgana.

Vayne gains a movement speed bonus while chasing enemies. Has a gap closer and positioning skill.
Sync: Low. No particular synergy. Vayne is just too good at getting herself into position, though Dark Binding (Q) helps her get her Silver Bolts (W) in.