Mordekaiser
Not necessarily too weak, however, Mordekaiser is significantly outclassed by other Vanguard units due to the lack of strong crowd control, especially compared to the same-cost unit Nautilus. Moreover, prior to the release of patch 10.14, the Shadow clan was not favored, resulting in Mordekaiser not being purchased much; at most, he was used temporarily to obtain the Vanguard trait early in the game.
However, with the launch of patch 10.14, accompanied by a strong boom of Shadow compositions, Mordekaiser has garnered much more attention from players. Additionally, the direct buffs to health and skill damage have given Mordekaiser a certain standing, preventing him from fading into obscurity like before.
Rakan
Rakan specifically, and Protector units in general, face a significant issue of being overly dependent on successfully rolling them to 3 stars; otherwise, they rely on “outside” units to be effective. Remember that the Protector effect only increases shields and does not provide direct defensive stats like Vanguard, so as the game progresses and enemy damage becomes substantial, this system becomes weaker.
Luckily for Rakan, this unit has a decent crowd control skill and area damage. Therefore, when the Sorcerer – Star Guardian composition emerged in patch 10.14, Rakan was chosen to become the second Protector alongside Neeko. With the high damage output from the Sorcerer system, Rakan plays an extremely important role in reaching the enemy backline and supplementing the missing damage of the carry.
Neeko
Another Protector unit benefiting from the popularity of the Sorcerer – Star Guardian composition, Neeko is even a key unit to protect your backline with her wide-area stun skill. Moreover, the direct buffs to her two defensive stats, health and armor, are incredibly valuable for a unit that always stands at the frontline like Neeko.
While Neeko may not be an overwhelmingly strong unit, her stats, clan – system synergy are too good, making her an indispensable unit in the strongest compositions in the game. Currently, the two compositions Sorcerer – Star Guardian and Protector – Shadow are at the top of the current meta, and you know which unit can fit into both of the aforementioned compositions.
Jarvan IV
With the resurgence of Shadow and Protector compositions, Jarvan IV is naturally being utilized more as this unit possesses both clans – systems. Moreover, players have discovered that building defensive items for Jarvan IV is extremely strong because the tankier he is, the more skills he can cast, prolonging the time he buffs attack speed for allies, and naturally, the damage for the whole team will be significant.
Furthermore, Jarvan IV is almost the king of the newly updated Tiny Planet system in patch 10.14, so it’s understandable why players favor this unit. As the battlefield shrinks in length, the formation will be closer together, allowing more team members to receive attack speed buffs from Jarvan IV. Cheap, strong, and fitting the meta are all the qualities that Jarvan IV possesses.