Approach Velocity turns Mordekaiser’s slows into a surprisingly effective pursuit tool, and the early Yasuo matchup gives the idea a strong practical demonstration. Rather than simply announcing the rune choice as hidden technology, the commentary acknowledges its tradeoff: it sacrifices more conventional lane power in exchange for the ability to stick to slowed opponents once Rylai’s Crystal Scepter comes online. That distinction makes the experiment more useful because the build is presented as situationally interesting rather than automatically optimal.
The strongest educational material actually comes before the movement-speed gimmick fully develops. Against Yasuo, the presenter carefully tracks the opponent’s passive shield and Bone Plating, explains why those defenses need to be removed before committing, and highlights Ignite’s ability to preserve Conqueror stacks during an extended fight. More importantly, the lane becomes a lesson in wave control as he moves from a freeze into a slow push, attempts to establish a recall, and then rebuilds another freeze. When the original plan fails because Yasuo can interfere with the wave, he immediately admits that the setup has fallen apart rather than pretending everything unfolded as intended.
That wave-management sequence is particularly valuable because it connects small decisions to a larger objective. The explanation of using an early experience advantage, denying resources through a freeze, building a cannon-wave crash, recalling quickly, and returning before the opponent can comfortably reset gives viewers a coherent model of top-lane pressure. Later, dragging a neutral wave so the minions aggro toward one side offers another concrete manipulation technique. The repeated emphasis on the opening waves may be overstated rhetorically, but the gameplay does support the broader point that early wave decisions can shape the opponent’s options for several minutes.
Once Rylai’s and Approach Velocity are active, the concept becomes more entertaining than instructional. Several chases visibly excite the presenter, especially when a slow lets Mordekaiser accelerate toward a retreating target, and Hextech effects are discussed as another way of triggering the rune before closing distance. The enthusiasm sells the experiment, but claims that particular kills happened solely because of Approach Velocity are difficult to establish from commentary alone. Mordekaiser’s existing slows, damage, positioning, enemy mistakes, and the surrounding game state all contribute, so the rune is better demonstrated as a useful sticking tool than proven as the decisive factor in every highlighted kill.
The presentation becomes considerably less focused after that first game. Long discussions about charity, mental health initiatives, another streamer stepping away, the presenter’s decision to leave school, his professional League career, coaching, content creation, subathons, and future streaming plans provide personal context but pull attention far away from the advertised gameplay concept. Some of this conversation is thoughtful, particularly his description of giving himself fixed time windows and financial buffers when making career changes, yet it creates the feeling of watching an extended livestream segment rather than a tightly edited guide or showcase.
Later matches still contain useful matchup observations, including discussion of Nasus’s rapidly accumulating stacks and the difficulty of punishing a champion who can neutralize the lane. There is also welcome self-criticism during team fights, with the presenter identifying missed inputs, questionable sequencing, and situations where a better ability or Zhonya’s activation could have improved the result. At the same time, frequent chat exchanges, profanity, tangents, abrupt topic changes, and references to unrelated champions make the instructional thread increasingly difficult to follow. Viewers comfortable with livestream pacing may enjoy the spontaneity, but anyone arriving specifically to learn the Mordekaiser setup has to sift through substantial unrelated material.
Overall, there is a genuinely interesting piece of Mordekaiser experimentation here, supported by better-than-expected explanations of laning fundamentals and honest reactions when plans fail. The problem is one of editorial discipline: the core Approach Velocity concept could have been demonstrated and evaluated much more clearly with tighter organization, a concise explanation of the rune interaction, and a more deliberate comparison against alternative setups. As presented, the gameplay knowledge is worthwhile, but the most useful lessons are scattered through a noisy, personality-driven session.
Pros
- Explains the tradeoff behind Approach Velocity rather than presenting the unconventional Mordekaiser setup as universally superior.
- The Yasuo lane contains strong practical instruction on passive management, Bone Plating, Conqueror stacks, freezing, slow pushing, recalls, and wave bouncing.
- Gameplay demonstrations show how repeated slows can help Mordekaiser maintain pursuit once the build is functioning.
- Mistakes and failed plans are openly acknowledged and sometimes turned into useful teaching moments.
Cons
- Extensive discussion of streaming, career history, charity, subathons, and chat topics substantially dilutes the central Mordekaiser demonstration.
- Claims that Approach Velocity alone secured particular kills are more confident than the gameplay analysis can firmly establish.
- The loose livestream presentation makes useful matchup and wave-management instruction harder to extract than necessary.
- The build would benefit from a clearer comparison with conventional rune choices and a more structured assessment of what is sacrificed for the extra pursuit speed.
A clever movement-speed experiment becomes most valuable when paired with the presenter’s detailed understanding of top-lane wave control and matchup fundamentals. The Approach Velocity concept looks genuinely useful for sticking to slowed targets, but the sprawling livestream format prevents the showcase from becoming the focused technical lesson it could have been.
