Joust League 1v1 for Beginners (in progress)

This guide is still under revision, and in particular the items section is incomplete. Also, the formatting is decidedly unfancy. I will update it somewhat with links and graphics, but don't expect the moon. I feel like a guide should fundamentally be about reading the words in it and not being blinded by rainbow text. But content-based suggestions and reviews are very welcome.

Joust is the other ranked league in Smite at present. The big thing, of course, is Conquest with the traditional 5v5 three lane map. Joust is played on the same map as the casual 3v3 Joust and with the same rules and objectives. But because it's league play it's ranked, there are seasons and rewards, and there's all the other stuff that comes along with a league. And of course it's 1v1.

Before we can learn about Joust we need to confront the twin elephants in the room. A lot of people think Joust league is a ridiculous and unbalanced version of what Smite is supposed to be like. A lot of other people think league play is only for elite players and would-be elite players with far more attitude than they can justify. But between those two extremes, there's still a lot of players who should check it out and who might enjoy it. This guide is for them.

A word on what this guide is not. This is not a top-end guide to Joust. Like many games and sports, the way the game is played by very good players and the skills needed to succeed at the top are very different from what you need to learn and do when you first start. So this guide is not for experienced players. I'm not qualified to write that guide in any case. This guide is to get you started.

There are a lot of good reasons to play Joust. It's competitive play without the stress of dealing with a full team relying on you. There's only one other player in the game, and they'll be perfectly fine with it if you screw up. It gives you the opportunity to learn some important skills that you will definitely use even in team games. And the league and the rewards that come with it are nice. There's also one good reason not to play. If you tried it and find it unenjoyable, you should stop. I can't think of any good reason to not try it at all.

For those who may wonder, I'm writing this guide because I enjoy Joust, was even looking forward to it at 30, and when I went looking for a beginners' guide I couldn't find one. I'm not pro, by any means. I'm just finishing my first round of my first season, and I'm hovering right around the top of Gold trying to scrape into Platinum by the end of the season. But that's after just several weeks of regular play. If I can do it, so can you.

In order to play 1v1 at all you'll need to hit level 30. Sorry folks - I don't make the rules. At rare times the game of the day might be some version of 1v1, but otherwise right now the only way to see it is to get to 30 and try the league. The game also claims you need to have mastered 16 gods that you own, just like League Conquest. This doesn't seem to be entirely true though. I could play League Joust while League Conquest was still locked to me. You do need to have mastered a god to play that god, however.

Before you start, you should really do yourself a favor and get familiar with the map in 3v3 play. If you haven't done that already getting to level 30, do it now. It's a simple enough map but you should still learn it. You should also learn at least a few gods well enough to play them with some confidence. It's also very helpful to have a broad exposure to a lot of other gods so you have a vague idea of what to expect from them. More on that later.

When you first start, you won't be in any division. Your first 10 games are to sort you. Please don't get too stressed about that. Everyone starts somewhere, and you'll move up or down based on how you do in the future anyway. That's the whole point of a league.

If you haven't played in a league before, one of the unique things you'll do before a match is disqualify gods from being selected. You get to ban two of them, and your opponent will ban two. Among more experienced players, there is considerable strategy for who you ban and you might even get an idea of what your opponent is likely to play and what might counter them. At this level, I really have only a couple of suggestions. Figure out the gods that bug you the most, which may change depending on what you want to play. Figure out the absolute worst two, and ban the less popular one first.

This is one of those rare times it's useful, even at this level, to know the meta and which gods are considered OP. Even weaker players may copy what they've read, and so gods that are considered too OP tend to get banned often. If you are lucky, your opponent will ban something you wanted banned anyway. That's why you pick the less common one first. Then you can ban something else. Remember the ban works both ways. Obviously don't ban what you want to play.

When you see what your opponent has picked, don't panic. Not even if it's one of those gods that are considered broken and OP. You never ban them all, so your opponent might choose one. Don't even panic when the loading screen starts and it turns out your opponent has a diamond skin for that god. Seriously, not even then. Why? Because we're in league play and if your opponent was really that damn good they'd be much higher than you are. Also, having a diamond skin just means they played that god a lot. For all you know they always lost.

Sometimes the best matches are those where you left something unbanned and your opponent jumped on it because it's supposed to be broken. That rarely ends well for them. Having a slightly better god doesn't make up for poor play. If, however, you find yourself losing to players and you know you are better than they are it's just that you can't handle their god ... that would be a good thing to remember next time you want to play with the same god you have. Move that one onto your ban list.

This guide is not about any specific god and so I can't recommend specific item builds, but your item priorities will definitely change in 1v1. So I'll discuss some items and how you'll want to reconsider their role in your 1v1 build-out. Note that you absolutely, positively must not use auto-item for Joust. You just can't, under any circumstances. Turn it off or don't even start playing.

General Philosophy

This will be the last section that's fully complete, and I'll probably need some time to test and write about a variety of items, but here at least are some very important things to consider.

• Sustain is very important. You will be laning pretty much the entire game. Being able to hang in there matters a lot.
  
  
• You will very often want to build a defensive item or two. There's math to support this, but for now you can just trust me on this. Stacking more and more power on top of power is a straight progression. Your 400th point of additional power does the same thing as your 1st. When it comes to defense, however, your earliest points are the most effective. Therefore, a character who has built entirely for power (or entirely for defense - but no one does that in Joust) is mathematically inferior, 1v1, to one built with some of each. Now, skill can overcome math and there are times you might want to go all offense. But to start, get used to the idea you'll want to build one or two defensive items.
  
  
• Items that provide mixed defense are always a bad choice. Let me repeat. Items that give you both magic and physical defense are not good for Joust. You'll be facing only one opponent and all your damage will be magical or physical. A straight defensive item against magic or physical damage will be superior.
  
  
• Items that build stacks from minions are strong. You'll be laning a lot, and unless your game is very lopsided and ends fast you'll definitely fill out the item. Items that build stacks only from gods aren't worth it. If you're running the table anyway you don't need the help. If you aren't getting kills, your item will be gimped. Combined with the point above, Hide of the Urchin is a terrible choice for Joust. It's amazing how often you see newer players grab it in the lower tiers though.

As this is a guide for beginners, I'm going to assume you are starting in much the same way I did - you don't really know all the powers of all the 50+ gods or what to expect from each of them. Now, there's really no substitute for experience. So as you play, please do learn. For now, however, here are some very general tips for how to play against each type of god and what to expect from them.

Assassins - These are fairly consistent throughout the game and don't necessarily shine more or less at a particular time. They are very bursty and always will be. If they can get on top of you, you're in trouble. Try to play at a distance (obviously) and keep whatever escapes you have available to you ready as much as possible. If you have a leap or a blocking ability, don't use it lightly. The 10 seconds or whatever it's on cooldown may just be when they jump you.

Guardians - Don't be fooled by the damage potential of guardians. You may be used to seeing them played for defense, but any decent Joust player will be giving them a damage or a combo build (see below). Guardians tend to have ways of manipulating position and movement, so take note of what's happening at least and be ready for it in the future. You probably won't get burst down quickly by a guardian, so it's more a question of out-lasting them and chipping away.

Hunters - As your classic AD carry, hunters are often weak in the early game. Now they can work well in Joust, especially in the lower tiers, but they are vulnerable in the early stages. If you can, be pushy against a hunter in the early game. Try to back them under their tower or even get an early kill or two off them. You'll want to build a lead early if you can, and try to develop faster than the hunter. Because in the late game, if you both end up fully developed, the hunter may roar back. It isn't unusual to see a hunter drop 4-5 kills against a stronger early game god but then hold on long enough to dominate in the end.

Mages - Of all the types, mages tend to be the most powerful in the early game. Unless you are also playing a mage you probably want to be very careful at the start. Try to avoid feeding them early even if you have to retreat a bit and fight under your tower and lose some farm. No matter what you do, it's at least likely you'll fall behind a mage in the early going. That's okay. You can make it up later. And even if you do die a time or two, that isn't ideal but it's definitely recoverable.

Warriors - Warriors tend to have both good damage potential and some way to mitigate or avoid or heal damage, which gives them the opportunity to close into melee range. Be cautious about the overall damage potential of warriors. On the one hand, they won't burst you down in one combo the way a mage might. On the other hand, if you get too casual about their "poke" you might realize that 2-3 pokes later you have no health and you aren't sure what happened. I personally find that most warriors tend to fall of a bit in the late game, but that may only be my impression.

Please Note! I am very sure, in advance, the comments above may offend some serious players who can see all kinds of exceptions to the general rules I am offering. No doubt about it - every god is unique and lumping them together is an extremely rough exercise at best. All the same, I think it's better to have at least a few ideas of what to expect from your opponent, if you aren't used to facing them, rather than none at all.

There are certain things you'll do in every game, and some of it is a lot like a normal team game while others things are very different. Rather than assume what people know, I'll start with the obvious.

Laning and Farming - Joust is really just one short solo lane. Your job is to farm up as much as possible. You really want to avoid missing any lanes of minions and allowing them to die on your tower or phoenix. Similarly, if you can force your opponent to lose minions the same way, so much the better. More on that in a second. There's sometimes a good reason to lose some minons - if you need to recall for example - but try to minimize it.

Jungle Farming - There are buffs in the jungle just like any map, and also xp to be had. Note that xp is accelerated in Joust but the jungle isn't worth more than usual. So relatively speaking, xp from the jungle is less important. Still, it's better than nothing, and the buffs sure are nice. If you aren't doing anything in the lane, and you know you can do it quickly, get a jungle camp. Otherwise, if you're going to miss a whole wave of minions or take a lot of damage and need to recall, it may not be worth it.

Pushing the Tower - Here's the single best advice I ever read about Joust. There's really no urgency to push the one tower down. It gets you just a bit of gold. It pushes your lane further down the map, and that's actually a bad thing. You want your own minions dying on your opponent's tower. If they can get all the way to the phoenix that gives your opponent more time to get them and to not lose farm. When you've pushed your minions to the tower, unless you're ready to knock it down or you have your opponent pinned under it, go do something else like farm the jungle. Note that if you can push the tower down and seriously damage or also take the phoenix, that's a good time to do so. But that probably won't happen until late game even if you've just got a kill, because the death timer is so short at early levels.

Pushing the Phoenix - This is sometimes one of the most frustrating stages in a game. If your opponent knows Joust well, they may hug the phoenix for dear life and it can become a bit of a stand off. You don't have a team to push the phoenix with you and if your opponent is good at clearing waves quickly you may have trouble getting the phoenix down. I don't have a lot of simple advice about this. It's one of the reasons some people hate Joust. Just be patient and get the hits in while you can. You can easily throw a game away that you are otherwise winning by getting too risky here.

Killing the Titan - This doesn't seem to be quite as hard as the phoenix, but it carries some of the same challenges. Remember you need to do this alone, so you may need to go through several minion waves while you chip away at the titan. That's if your opponent isn't dead. If you can kill your opponent the end is easy. But trying for that last kill can be tricky, and sometimes goes the other way. You've been warned. Also note that at end game many gods can solo the titan, so if a phoenix is down you'll want to watch for that. Generally only semi-experienced players will "back door" the titan with no minion support, but it can certainly be done.

Hugging the Tower/Phoenix/Titan - If it's you that's pushed all the way back instead of your opponent, you've got a decision to make. You can either work where you are under the relative protection of the structure, or you can try harder to push out. It really depends on the following considerations, and note that this applies the other way too. If you are losing minion waves to the tower and phoenix that's very bad. Your opponent is getting ahead of you. If you're able to get most or all of the kills just outside the tower or phoenix though, that's different. If it's the late game and your opponent is fully built but you aren't, it doesn't even matter if you are losing most of the minions. Time is on your side now and every tick you are catching up by 8 gold. That's good. Note that you don't really need to defend the tower exactly, you just don't want to lose the farm. The phoenix is much more important, obviously. And if you're pushed to your titan already you are probably going to lose, but hey, do your best.

Warding and Ganking - Quite honestly, I'm sure that experienced players in joust are much more careful about warding the jungle and keeping track of their opponent. In the early tiers, no one wards and you rely on minion sight (which is only in the lane) to see your opponent. You can try to catch them at a jungle camp but you'll mostly be guessing. Still, pay attention to which buff they tend to favor. When you know that, if they've disappeared, you have a good idea where they might be.

Every game of Joust has a rhythm, and it's good to know what to expect. Often when you've just scored a kill or otherwise have a decision to make, you'll only have a second or so to decide what you'll do next. The answer could be very different depending on the timing of the game.

Early Game - Laning is everything, and the kill timer is very short. If you get a kill, don't try to do anything fancy. Push your minions into the opponent's tower, then either recall or get a jungle camp. Think carefully before you commit to a camp. It can take a surprisingly long time to solo a camp if you are low level and don't have good AOE. You might lose a wave or two or have your opponent come back and catch you weak. Take note of your relative strength vs. your opponent's right now. If you can push them, do it. If you need to hang back, do that instead. The game might be different later.

Mid Game - You may find you want to take the tower now if you can. If you have a good opportunity and can take a solid run at the phoenix, go for it. If you have good jungle clear you may want to take camps just for the xp. Here's a tip you don't often find in normal play. You can refresh a jungle buff that isn't expired from the same buff. So take both damage camps if you can, and so on. Then your opponent can't get it later. Take note of your level and gold vs. your opponent's. If you are ahead, try to make the most of it and maybe end the game early. If you are behind, start planning for the late game if you can and try to hold on until you are both fully built.

Late Game - As you hit max level and have all your items fully built, there are a few things to remember that aren't always immediately obvious. Jungle camps are pointless now except for the buffs. Remember the elixers if you have extra gold. Also, if you find things are very close you may want to adjust your items even if it means selling stuff. The death timer is longer now and a single kill might end the game, so be cautious but at the same time be aggressive if you see that opportunity. Remember that a god with sufficient physicial protection or the right skills can tank a phoenix directly now, and a surprising number of gods can kill your titan (if undefended) without minions to help. That's something to watch for, or maybe take advantage of if that's you.

I really don't want to create a tier list for Joust. I mean I really don't want to. It will only get picked apart by people who know more than I do, and anyway this is a guide for beginngers. So here are some gods I consider strong candidates for early success at Joust, and as you get more experienced you can adjust accordingly. Note these are in no particular order. Also, I do realize that I'm naming more than half the gods. I could just as easily create a list of bad picks, but somehow this seems more positive.

Assassins: Bakasura, Bastet, Hun Batz, Kali, Loki, Mercury, Nemesis, Serqet

Guardians: Ares, Athena

Hunters: Anhur, Apollo, Artemis, Neith, Rama, Ullr

Mages: Agni, Anubis, Ao Kuang, Aphrodite, Chang'e, Chronos, Freya, He Bo, Eset, Poseidon, Vulcan

Warriors: Chaac, Hercules, Osiris, Sun Wukong, Tyr, Vamana