Builds and itemization are important parts of Smite. It is very important to pick a good starting build because, otherwise, you just make the game harder to win. There are many viable starts for every class, and each come with their own benefits. Mages in particular have a variety of starting builds that they can use. Some of these have a Blessing while other rush boots to access powerful items earlier. In this article, we will examine several starting builds that Mages can use and see what makes them viable options on the Battleground of the Gods.

Blessings are the starting items in Smite. Each Blessing is designed to help a god archetype make it through the early and mid game. Mage’s Blessing is the most popular starting item on Mages because it provides 10 additional damage on abilities on top of 20 power and some MP5. When you participate in enough minion and god kills to evolve Mage’s Blessing, it also has 10% cooldown reduction.

Mages can use other Blessings as well, depending how and where they play. Magical Hunters such as Sol will pick up Hunter’s Blessing to boost their basic attack damage. Solo lane Mages can pick up Warrior’s Blessing for extra tankiness. Mages in the jungle and support roles will pick up Assassin’s and Guardian’s Blessings, respectively.

Mage's Blessing comes with damage, cooldown reduction, and mana sustain.

Blessings cost 700 gold, so when you buy one at the start of the game, you still have 800 gold to spend. With this spare gold you can buy a tier 1 item and some potions. Which item you pick up depends on what stats you want. Basic Shoes is an option, but it provides only 6% movement speed and no combat stats. It is usually better to pick up the tier 1 of a different item, but still finish your boots first. If you start with shoes, you want to upgrade it as soon as possible for the movement speed and power.

Magic Focus, the tier 1 item of the penetration tree, provides the most magical power, at 25. This option will give you the most damage at level 1, but other options have 20 power in addition to another stats, so are often picked up over Magic Focus. Magic Focus is the most expensive option, costing 650 gold, so you have access to less potions, and thus sustain, than other starts. The Magic Focus start works when you want to build a penetration item right after boots and can safely farm up enough gold for a good first back.

Tiny Trinket is the tier 1 item in the lifesteal tree. It comes with 20 power and 6% life steal for 550 gold. Tiny Trinket helps with the early game by providing a bit of sustain while clearing and fighting. Tiny Trinket is often picked up in the long lane by Mages rushing Pythagorem’s Piece or by magical Hunters looking to box with their basic attacks.

Imperial Helmet is a good choice for a solo lane mage facing a physical opponent. It comes with 10 power and 20 physical protections for 600 gold. Imperial Helmet helps Mages and Guardians lane against Warriors in the early levels. Imperial Helmet can also be used by Mages in the duo lane when facing Hunters or other physical threats.

Other tier 1 items can be bought with a Blessing and work, but these are the options you are going to see the most.

Blessings and basic items can be bought at the start of a game.

Mages were pushed out of the mid lane by Hunters until a few starts were discovered that discard Blessings in favor of rushing other items. These starts get their early power and mana without using a Blessing. The smoother power curves of these builds allow Mages to spike before Hunters and bring new timings for fights and objectives. By discarding Blessings, Mages have found a way to reclaim the mid lane for themselves. The following couple starts dominated the end of the SPL and will likely show up at the Smite World Championship.

The first non-Blessing build looks weird at first. You buy tier 2 shoes and a Lost Artifact. The Magic Shoes comes with 12% movement speed and 20 power while the Lost Artifact brings 20 power and 5 MP5. Together, these items cost 1450 gold, so you can buy a health or multipot for sustain.

This build has damage, MP5, and a better power curve than a Blessing build. The goal is to safely back 2 or 3 times to complete the first 2 items, Shoes of Focus and Doom Orb. Cursed Orb, the halfway version of Doom Orb, is a great item for its cost, coming with 55 power, 75 mana, 15 MP5, 3% movement speed, and a passive that temporarily increases your movement speed and power after participating in minion or god kills, all for a total of 1600 gold. Sometimes Cursed Orb is held, and other items are completed before Doom Orb.

One of the reasons that his build brought Mages back to the mid lane is the power curve to Cursed Orb. For 1700 gold, the starting build turns into Shoes of Focus and Cursed Orb. Hunters in the mid lane often start with a Blessing and Morningstar. Transcendence takes 2000 gold to complete, but Hunters will often finish boots before their stacking item. For the cost of a pair of boots, Mages have their boots and Cursed Orb. Mages in this position are much stronger than Hunters in fights and skirmishes. Once you have Cursed Orb, it costs 1400 gold to get to Doom Orb, which slows down the build, but the tier 2 item is strong enough to hold you over in the meantime. The Boots and Cursed Orb rush is a fast build that brings mages into relevance and it has become the default build for mid lane Mages.

The Boots 2 and Lost Artifact build helped bring Mages back to the mid lane.

Instead of waiting to finish an item, why not start the game with one already completed? It is possible to start the game with a full Shoes of Focus. You just stay in base until you have 1550 gold and then immediately buy the item and leave. With the buff to movement speed you get when leaving the fountain, you will still be able to get experience from the speed buff dying. With full boots, you have more stats, speed, and mana than your opposing laner. However, you have no potions for sustain. Your jungler will not always start at speed, or it may get invaded, so you may lose out on that experience, but you still get to the minion wave on time.

After Shoes of Focus, players in the Smite Pro League are buying Book of Thoth. This is a slower stacking item, but the build is sped up by having full boots at level 1. Book of Thoth grants power based off your mana from items, including the mana on Shoes of Focus. This build is often picked up on Kukulkan and Scylla. Starting the game with Shoes of Focus allows you to have a great level 1 and feeds into a Book of Thoth for a high power and mana build.

Mages can run out of the fountain with a full Shoes of Focus

Another non-Blessing build has been creeping up in ranked and pro play. Similar to the Doom Orb rush above, you start with the tier 2 Magic shoes, but then you buy a health chalice and mana potions. This start gives you mana and health sustain in the first couple waves and then you back for full boots as soon as possible. Having multiple potions means you are able to stay on the field and shouldn’t be forced to recall before you want to.

Like other roles, Mages can start the game with a Chalice of Healing

Mages have several build options when starting a game of Smite. The most traditional builds use Blessings for mana sustain and come with a tier 1 item for additional stats. A popular non-Blessing start uses the tier 2 Magic Shoes and a Lost Artifact for a strong two item power spike with Doom Orb. Another option is to start the game with a full Shoes of the Magi, giving yourself more movement speed and mana then your opponent. Mages are a diverse class in Smite and builds keep evolving. With the Smite World Championship fast approaching, will we see even more creative starts dominate the meta? Only time will tell.

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