Overview

Morigesh is a short-ranged caster that fills a similar role to The Countess. With relatively weak wave clear and no crowd control, she makes up for this with lots of poke damage and powerful global Ultimate. Her ability to poke with Mark, thanks to it being player targeted, combined with Hive dealing damage over a considerable period of time, she can comfortably boss offlane and pressure any opposing player.

Morigesh is the personification of a drowned forest, traveling to Agora in pursuit of The Fey. A close-range Caster, Morigesh uses her abilities to keep consistent damage on her enemies, and whittle them down in order to assassinate them.

What makes Morigesh particularly strong, outside of her Mark, is the fact her Ultimate ability (Curse) is global. Not only does it deal high damage, but it cannot be avoided. Although some heroes can mitigate its impact through shielding or active cards, the looming threat of it, once you've been marked, is a constant headache. 

Despite Morigesh's strengths as a hero capable of dealing continuous, high damage. She lacks wave clear, has no real utility and can do little besides damage opponents. That said, she's incredibly strong in the right hands and can comfortably allow her team to snowball early game if she lands her Mark and Hive combination. 

Updated: 13 April 2017

Lore

• Awakens each dawn with her body frozen, and the cries of the dead on her tongue.

• Only kills that which can speak.

• Narbash once gave her a pet frog; she asked no questions.

Abilities

Dagger (LMB) - As Morigesh's basic attack, Dagger is actually ranged and sees Morigesh fire out a small projectile from the end of her blade. Its damage isn't high and you attack slowly with it. However, it offers reasonable early poke alongside your Mark and by mid to end game, deals more than enough damage to pressure heroes such as Twinblast. Just be conscious of the fact its range really is short, so be sure not to over-extend. 

Mark (RMB) - As Morigesh's primary form of poke, on a very low cooldown, Mark is key to dealing high damage quickly. As a targeted ability it's impossible to miss with and deals sizeable instant damage to anyone you attack. Like Dagger, its range is very shoort but the burst can ensure anyone you do hit, is under immediate pressure. What's also important with Mark is targeting players you then want to use your Ultimate on, as your doll will then take on their shape. Anyone marked - and converted into your Doll - can then have Curse used on them. Ideally you want to always be swapping Mark onto high value targets or those on low health. 

Lash Kick (Q) - Hive is the reason why Morigesh can pressure players so well. Not only does it deal reasonable damage every second, but it also slows enemy players briefly each tick. What's particularly strong about this, is enemy players who suffer Hive when Marked, the duration is increased from 8 seconds to 12 and you gain vision on that target throughout the effect. Ideally you want to always Mark and follow up with Hive, but also have Curse ready so when they do get low, you can still finish them off. Just be aware that Hive has a bit of a wonky animation and its projectile is throw, similar to Rampage's boulder; it has no telegraph. 

Windburn (E) - Swarm is Morigesh's only means of mobility and it's also her only means of sustain and staying alive. When she uses the skill, she'll gain maximum movement speed and can move through minions and players. Any that she comes into contact with will grant her a stack of healing that lasts for 4 seconds. Although she's limited to 5 stacks only, when running through a minion wave the ability damage she deals isn't too bad but the regeneration is fantastic (especially when it's leveled up). Ideally you want to always have Swarm available for a team fight as if you need to escape, it needs to be ready.

Curse (R) - Undoubtedly one of the strongest Ultimate abilities in the game, Curse allows you to attack any player who is Marked. That player will suffer near immediate damage, which late game can be well over 500. If you combine Mark + Hive + Curse, few players can survive it. 

Skill Order

Morigesh is all about her Mark, Hive and Curse. Swarm you can afford to upgrade last and it's entirely up to you how quickly you upgrade Mark or Hive. The preference is purely based on whether you want to deal more damage instantly (Mark) or more over time (Hive). I tend to upgrade them evenly, but it's up to you.

1. Mark

2. Hive

3. Swarm

4. Mark

5. Curse

6. Hive

7. Mark

8. Hive

9. Curse

10. Mark

11. Hive

12. Swarm

13. Curse

14. Swarm

15. Swarm

Recommended Cards

Full build (including active link). Cards not highlighted are to be purchased early game.

Tactics

Early Game (Level 1-9)

Morigesh is strongest early game when players don't group together. Whether you're mid or offlane, you should be bullying your lane opponent as much as possible. Picking up Mark and Hive as early as possible is important as it will allow you to comfortably poke the opposition. Once you hit level 5, you should also play aggressively in order to get someone low health, before using Curse. Finally, don't be afraid to roam once your lane is pushed. If you're offlane, you should regularly be making trips to mid-lane. 

Mid Game (Level 10-12)

Mid game can be challenging for Morigesh because players begin to group and when waves are pushed (without you having a tower to fall back on) you'll struggle to clear them. It's best to kill ranged minions only and rotate and see yourself in a team fight as a ganker. Try to flank, stay behind your front line and snag a Mark on a high value target. Even without a Hive on them as well, as long as they're low health you can finish them off. I'd also recommend that at this stage of the game, you purchase Blink. It absolutely will save your life. 

Late Game (Level 13-15)

Late game is all about team fighting. With your Quenching Scale, Blink and general poke, Morigesh can do well during a skirmish. Ideally you want to be arriving into a team fight after your allies, and you want to be flanking if possible to secure that early Mark. Throwing in a Hive into a group is a good idea also, as it will regularly slow the enemy. I should also add that when playing Morigesh late game, you should also have your finger on the Blink key as a single slow or knockup can cause you serious problems. Finally, don't be afraid to bully a little if your team has the fight momentum. Regularly spamming Mark for over 300 damage is not a bad thing and if you get a kill, use Necroveil to reposition. 

Matchups

These god threat levels (1 being lowest threat and 10 being highest threat) are to help you determine which enemy gods can give you a headache. For the heroes listed here, take extra care as they're particularly dangerous for Morigesh. 

Tips

This list of tips and tricks are just a handful of things we think will help your Morigesh play. We'll continue to add to the list as required and if you have any tips you'd like to share, let us know in the comments below and we'll place them here. 

1. Mark is your primary burst ability and has a very low cooldown (5 seconds). Be sure to use it regular, but watch your mana. 

2. Mark is directly linked to your Curse - anyone you Mark will be hit by Curse when you activate your Ultimate.

3. Mark is also directly linked to Hive - Marking someone and then casting Hive on them elongates its duration by 4 seconds.

4. When you Mark someone the doll on your waist will show you who you have cast it on.

5. Mark can quickly deal 90-100 damage, even with only a few points of Power. Use this burst damage early game to secure kills while the enemy team are low on health. 

6. Always pressure an enemy player (or lane) with Hive once you've set your Mark. The damage lasts a long time and stops players backing. 

7. Hive and Swarm are your only form of wave clear. Both are pretty poor at it. It's best to kill the ranged minions and leave lane. 

8. Hive has a strange throwing animation and will drop quickly if thrown too high. It's best to aim in the middle of the screen, or only slightly above it, or the nest will drop quickly.

9. Swarm grants maximum movement speed instantly but only lasts a few seconds. Use it to escape early - rather than late - so you can zip away.

10. If you're running away down a lane, try to wizz through minions with Swarm active to grab some health on your way out. 

11. Swarm allows you to run through players - have it ready during a team fight in case you get blocked in. 

12. Curse is global. It will always hit a player who is Marked. Choose high value targets!

13. Curse can be blocked, or mitigated with Active cards. Try to use it when you know skills and cards have been used!