Four Tips for Playing Ravana Jungle in Smite
Some guidance on bringing Ravana to Smite’s jungle
In Patch 4.6, Ravana received a large buff to his ultimate, Mystic Rush. This was enough of a push to bring the Demon King not only back into the meta, but into the meta as a jungler. He Smashed his way through the Smite Masters tournament in spectacular fashion. In this article, we will go over a few tips for playing Ravana in the jungle.
1. Start Sunder
One of the more compelling reasons to play Ravana jungle is that you get to have Sundering Spear as your relic at level one. There are a couple of reasons why Ravana does not need to start with a defensive relic such as Beads or Aegis. He is a naturally tanky character unlike assassins, so he is less likely to be combed or killed in during single crowed control ability, especially early in the game. In addition, Ravana’s Overhead Kick ability can act as a Beads and/or Aegis as it makes him immune to damage and CC if you can predict or react to attacks.
Sundering Spear accentuates what Ravana likes to do and that is to be aggressive early and often. Sunder causes enemies to take additional damage for a few seconds, which can be enough for Ravana to kill any squishy he sets his eyes on. Sunder is also good in a team fight, where the user can choose a target to kill and that character just blows up. For the second relic, a jungle Ravana could use a defensive relic such as Aegis, or opt for a more team-oriented choice such as Meditation or Frenzy.
2. Aim for First Blood
A great strength of Ravana jungle is his first blood potential. As a jungler, Ravana is likely to start in either the mid or solo lane. You should start with whichever laner has the best level one because you are going for the immediate kill. Ravana is likely to start with his 10-Hand Shadow Fist skill, which roots an enemy in place. When the opponent is rooted, you Sunder them and your ally follows up. In a 2v1 start, this should result in a clean kill. If you end up in a 2v2 situation, you need good communication with regards to which target and when you all in.
Timing for the kill can be a bit tricky. If you can pull it off before the minion waves hit, do so and it will deny the opponent a lot of XP and give your laner an immense lead, probably winning the lane right there. The next best time is between the first two waves. A sudden engagement can surprise the opponent and start a snowball to victory.
3. Build Aggressively and Be Nearly Unkillable
Ravana jungle has several build paths available to him. In general, he should build aggressive damage items in the first few slots. Later, the build should contain defensive items. Penetration is the name of the game. Jotunn’s Wrath, Brawler’s Beatstick, Titan’s Bane, and even Void Shield are aggressive items that Ravana should be looking at. As usual, the defensive options are situational. Ravana can build a hybrid bruiser style with Void Shield and Shogun’s Kusari or just boots and three pen items into two pure defensive pickups.
As a warrior, Ravana is innately tanky and his kit further pushes his hardiness. In addition to his base stats, Ravana gets a shield from his passive and 40% damage reduction from his ult. This allows him to pick up early damage items and still have good survivability. Later into the game, opponents start to hit hard, so Ravana can transition to a tankier build to stay alive and use the penetration he bought to continue doing damage.
Ravana also has very high scaling on his abilities, which further encourages building into early damage. Prana Onslaught has 80% scaling and a low cooldown, meaning Ravana can spam this skill for high damage. His defensive Overhead Kick still scales at an impressive amount. The power and penetration from his early items allows him to be a huge damage threat in the early to mid game and he can maintain this high damage when he builds tanky, making Ravana a well-rounded jungler.
4. Be A Backline Diver
Ravana’s role in a team fight is to jump into the enemy backline and eliminate a squishy target. His kit and build combine beautifully for this purpose. Ravana can ult over the opposing frontline to land on top of his target for damage and debuff them to take additional damage. He can then Sunder and root them in place. Ravana spam casts his Prana Onslaught, continually slowing his target while pummeling them with basic attacks. Characters with no or weak escapes are the best targets. Once Ravana has assassinated a Hunter or Mage, the team fight is easier. Ravna also pairs well with another diver such as Osiris, as they are both able to jump into the backline and sow havoc. With you in their back line, the enemy team has to either ignore you and let you kill one of their damage dealers or turn to you, letting the rest of your team do what they want.
Ravana’s build feeds into this playstyle. Early on, Ravana’s base stats and damage reduction from his ult are enough to keep him alive in a fight. When the carries start to get online, Ravana builds defense so he can survive against his target.
Ravana was recently buffed and has since emerged as a strong jungler. He showed his strengths at the Smite Masters LAN. Ravana is an aggressive jungler, trying to get an early lead with Sundering Spear and Damage items before becoming even tankier than he naturally is. He kills squishy targets with ease. Ravana is a strong and fun jungler to play.
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