3v3 Joust is a completely different beast than Conquest. Only three gods are allowed, and there is one lane with two jungles (three buff camps each) on either side. Each side gets one tower, one phoenix, and one minotaur. Sometimes people play this mode as they would play Conquest, but here is a guide that explains the some of the workings of 3v3, and how to win.

1. Team Composition
Constructing your team is essential in 3v3, as each character must pull his or her weight even more than in Conquest. Typically, the best composition consists of a tank or guardian, a mage, and a hunter or assassin. A mage will push the minion wave effectively, the hunter or assassin will provide the damage necessary to secure kills, and the tank or guardian will protect the two while providing crowd control and buff camp control. Some good picks for Joust are Mercury, Artemis, Ymir, Freya, Ao Kuang, Sobek, among others.

Dmbrandon's team consists of a guardian, a mage and a hunter, a slightly better team composition than the opposing team, as Ra won't be able to protect his allies as well as Ares can.

2. Starting Items
The starting items for any tank should be: Hand of the Gods (Level 1) and Mark of the Vanguard. For the hunter or assassin, getting Golden Bow will help you deal more area damage. Aura items in 3v3 Joust are very strong, as the area of effect is relatively greater since the map is smaller. Stacking items, like Devourer’s Gloves or Heartseaker, will help hunters gain more power if they are the ones clearing the wave. If you are stacking an item, let your teammates know so that you receive the last hits. The mage should start with standard Conquest items for that particular god, and then build into pure burst damage.

3. Items that Won’t Help You

There are a few items that aren’t really needed in 3v3. For example, Meditation, Eye of Providence, and Teleport, while potentially useful in Conquest, are not strong in this game mode. In Joust, you are fairly close to your fountain, so Meditation should not be needed to regain mana. In addition, learning how to manage your mana and understanding how much mana each ability uses is a skill that will help your gameplay, regardless of game mode. Often, you will need the active item slot that Meditation takes up, and Mana Potions and the proximity of your foundation should be enough to sustain your mana.

While wards are a good idea in 3v3 Joust, you will only need 2 of them, so buying the Eye of Providence is not really necessary. The wards should be placed on both jungle entryways, so that you can see when the enemy gods move to take their jungle buffs.

Teleport is another item that is not needed in this game mode. Your tower is not too far away that you cannot push your minion wave, return home, and walk back. There are thirty seconds between each wave, so keep that in mind.

4. Map Geometry
A few distinct features of the Joust map will help you in certain situations. One unique feature of the map is that the entry ways from each jungle on either side into the lane are covered. This overhang can be levered against gods like Thor, Apollo, and Thanatos. Those gods will not be able to see you in their ultimates if you duck under this overhang. At the beginning of the match, use the curvature of the speed buff camp to see if anyone is coming. One god should be stationed in the speed buff camp, looking towards the entry to the jungle, and the two other gods should be behind the corner, watching the other entries into the jungle for potential ganks. Then the three buff camps should be taken by your team, with the help of the tank’s Hand of the Gods.

Dmbrandon is hiding in the orange buff camp, peeking around to see if enemies are coming. Freya and Ymir are watching the other entry ways into the jungle.

Other gods that can utilize the width of the lane well are Sobek, Neith, Anubis, Zeus, or any god that has a skill shot in a straight line. Because the width of the lane is less relative to how many characters are on the map, Sobek’s Charge Prey, Neith’s Spirit Arrow, Anubis’ Mummify, etc, are relatively easier to hit. In addition, any large AOE skills, such as Ao Kuang’s Tornadoes, Zeus’s Lightning Storm or Ares’ No Escape will become more effective. To counter these skills, make sure to stand far apart from your allies, and buy active items accordingly.

Dmbrandon is positioning himself around the corner to try to bait out his opponents.

5. Buff Camps
Now that you’ve decided who to play and which items to get, now is the actual gameplay of the Joust. There are a few goals in 3v3 Joust that makes 3v3 different from Conquest: pushing the minion wave and buff camps. While the GP5 is greater in 3v3 than in Conquest, the jungle camps are a vital way to earn extra gold and the advantage over your opponents. After you have pushed the minion wave, you should head to the jungle for any available buffs. The orange or speed buff should go to the tank for more mobility, the red or damage buff should go to the hunter or assassin to dish out more damage, and the blue or mana buff should go to the mage to help sustain their mana.

Keep an eye on how much time has passed, because as soon as the camps respawn, you should be retaking them to gain extra gold as well as the advantage from the buff. If you notice that the enemy team is not taking their buffs, then go ahead and take the buffs, even if you already have one. Denying the enemy the extra gold and advantage will keep you in the lead. Keep timers to remind yourself of when the camp will respawn (4 minutes) so that you can keep denying your opponents. Once you are able to solo a buff camp, at least one person should stay in lane to see where the enemy gods are.

Buff camps can be where a team fight starts, so be aware when you are taking one. The other team may contest, especially at the beginning, so be aware of where your allies are and communicate if you see the enemy gods coming.

If no buffs are available, then you should look for opportunities to engage in the lane.

Ares uses Hand of the Gods on the damage buff, ensuring that his team will secure the buff.

So there you have it: one of the ways that you can play 3v3 Joust. It boils down to pushing the wave, taking buff camps, and team fighting. Position yourself well, communicate with your teammates, and you will earn more gold and experience than the other team, and you’ll be able to dominate!

As always, feel free to leave me comments or responses below on what you think the best strategies for 3v3 Joust in Smite are!

Want to watch some of these strategies in action? DmBrandon streams on Smitegame 7 – 10 PM EST with 3v3 tournaments almost every Wednesday. He also streams on his personal stream here.