"Time Destroys All" - Detailed Kali Guide (Ravanna Patch)

Hi guys, my name is cooliothex, and this is my first guide here on smitefire. Today we're gonna be talking about my favorite god in Smite: Kali - The Goddess of Destruction.



(old) Stats to back up the guide:

Spoiler: Click to view

Kali is a high burst, high sustain assassin, usually played in the jungle role in conquest.

Pros Ridiculously strong lategame damage Built in lifesteal and heals to full health Decent mobility Invincibility! Cons Weak early game ganks and clear Vulnerable to hard cc Vulnerable to healing reduction (Weakening curse, Divine Ruin, etc) Wrecked by attack speed reduction (Enfeebling curse, Witchblade)

Let me start of by answering your first question: Why no crit?
These are some numbers to explain why.

This math took me a while but if you want the short version of it: A build using qin's, attack speed, and penetration does more DPS to all targets than crit or Qin's and Crit (except ironically those building full tank). The maximum DPS on those targets is based on Qin's and Crit, but since you rarely focus the support that build is both gold and DPS inefficient. Pen is mathematically more efficient than crit.

Onto the items!

Explanation

Bumba's Mask gives you very good sustain and more importantly in this meta the ability to get full gold from splitting camps. This item should be picked up every game you jungle.

Short Bow gives good attack speed which helps your early clear and frees up an active slot which can be crucial lategame. This is a standard item to start with.

Rage of the Gods saw a nerf last patch, decreasing it's usability. However if you think the enemy team will invade, this lets you secure camps and keep up in farm with the enemy who's early game is presumably better.

Achilles' Spear Is a fun item, and with its low cooldown can get you kills and help you keep up in farm. It does make you more vulnerable to God damage however, so if the enemy jungler has a better early game I would avoid this item. Since Kali's early game sucks, it's a rare pickup.

Healing Potion and Mana Potion are essential for your early sustain. If you like you can pick up a Ward but most game's I don't feel it necessary, especially after the nerf.

Explanation

Most of your damage will be from Qin's, so power is less valuable than attack speed. You need the movement speed for sticking to targets and moving around the map, so this item is the obvious choice.

Explanation

You can pick this item up either before or after boots. Cheap attack speed and power with a little bit of penetration this item helps your early clear and like everything else in your build works to maximize the damage from Qin's Sais.

Explanation

Once you get this item online you should be able to start picking up kills. Attack speed to help Qin's Sais DPS and movement speed but most importantly the fantastic passive which lets you stick to your mark. All around fantastic item.

Your Lord And Savior

Ah yes, your bread and butter, your sustenance, all that is just and good in your poor life as Goddess of destruction. Qin's Sais. As Kali, your attack chain consists of 1 normal speed normal damage attack and then 2 half speed half damage attacks. Which means you're getting 3 attacks, albeit less powerful ones, in the time it takes those other miserable deities to get 2.

This is why Qin's Sais is so good on Kali. With max attack speed you're getting 7 attacks in every 2 seconds, which is 28% of someones health in addition to the damage you're getting from your basic attacks, (though mitigated by protections). It's a massive damage swing, even though the attack speed and damage were nerfed. Don't pass this item up.

Explanation

Due to the way percentage pen works, this item decreases in effectiveness against your mark at higher levels. However, the flat penetration it gives is fantastic and the attack speed synergizes great with Qins. If there were better options I would pick them up but as it stands, this is the way to go.

Magi's Blessing

Your Options

For highest DPS, you need pen. Qin's deals physical damage not true damage so pen is needed (see the spreadsheet at the top of the section to verify the damage numbers). Titan's Bane unfortunately synergizes terribly both with Kali's passive and the executioner passive, so you really have 3 options.

The Crusher offers the highest DPS for the lowest price. It also offers very strong tower push so if your team lacks a strong physical pusher or if none of the other options are needed, this is your go-to. It's a weird pickup I know, but for sheer DPS it's amazing.

Brawler's Beat Stick offers the same stats as above, for a slightly increased price. Same DPS, but if their team has a lot of lifesteal or healing, go for this item

Asi offer's almost as much pen, but no power. In exchange you get lifesteal and attack speed, and a significantly lowered price. Great from behind or if you feel you need the extra lifesteal in addition to your Lash

If you don't feel like you need the DPS, there are some great options for utility and defense as well.

Magi's Blessing gives decent defensive stats, and more importantly a passive that blocks CC temporarily. Since you're still vulnerable to CC in your ult and your bead's won't always be up, this item is fantastic to stay alive in teamfights.

Witchblade gives some defense, and a passive that helps you box ADCs or other attack speed gods. If the other team has a lot of those, pick this item up.

Winged Blade gives you amazing utility. Movement speed, attack speed, health, CDR, this item has some of the best stats in the game plus a passive that works wonders against teams with heavy slows. You do have slow immunity in your ult but against someone like Ah Puch, this item can be lifesaving and game winning.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you buy Asi, Witchblade or Winged Blade or substitute in some other item that gives attack speed, replace Ninja Tabi with Warrior Tabi in order to prevent significant attack speed overcapping.

Qin's Sais

Ichaival

Rage

Deathbringer

When you load into the game, look at who the enemy jungler and solo laner are. If it's an early game god or someone with CC like a Thanatos, Osiris, Bellona, or Ymir start safe with a hog 2 and some pots, and watch out for invades. If their jungler is someone you go even with early like Serqet or Nemesis, or they have a mage solo, you can build a Short Bow or Achilles' Spear.

To start the game, clear the speed buff for yourself, then the blue buff for your solo laner and then head to their lane. If your solo laner has good clear or you both built hog, you can clear back harpies before speed and blue.

After getting one or two waves in solo lane, rotate to mid to try and secure at least one of the mid harpies, preferably on the solo lane side.

If possible, you should share some waves with mid lane and they should split early back camps with you. This is the most efficient way to farm in terms of clear time and gold.

As the game progresses, keep your jungle cleared. Some people like jungling routes but I don't believe they help. The game is too variable for a set route to work. Focus on being there for mid camps (which respawn every 3 minutes), clearing back camps and red buff with your midlaner, splitting speed and blue with solo lane, and if possible helping your ADC/Support with purple buff. Early game Kali is farm, farm, farm.

Only gank in a few situations:

1) If your jungle buffs are all down, which is rare nowadays with their shortened respawns or

2) if a lane is pushed really far up and low on mana/health.

Early ganks are just as likely to get you killed as your enemy. Only make them when the odds are really in your favor.

Once you get Hastened Fatalis online you should be able to make somewhat successful ganks as you'll be able to stick to targets easier and actually deal some damage. Gold Fury fights will be happening more often. During these teamfights the best thing you can do is get to the backline and take out squishies who are low on health or blew their escape. Picking targets off is your number one goal in these fights.

Once you get Qin's Sais online you'll be chunking people. Teamfights will be more and more frequent. In these fights, wait for supports to initiate and then attack. Squishy damage dealers are the most important targets but more important than that is attack whoever your team has decided to focus. Splitting up is a bad idea, as you get bursted fairly easily without your ult up. However, with your ult up it's possible to dive deep into the enemy team for a priority kill and get out alive. Judgement on these things will come with more and more practice.

With your ult and your beads up you are totally unstoppable for 5 seconds. That's enough time to take out at least 2 squishies and get out alive. Lategame your job is to run through the enemy team and annihilate their health bars and their spirits. Use your strength wisely.

I hope you enjoyed my first guide on Smitefire for my favorite god in the game. As it is my first guide, any feedback (especially on the BBCoding) is very much appreciated.

Expect to see more guides in the future as my computer and internet temporarily limit actually playing the game...

Special thanks to Jordenito and TormentedTurnip for the BBCoding and guidemaking guides that helped me a ton with making this one, and a shoutout to West Coast ping for inspiring me to take a break from playing and start writing.

Let me know what you think below!

Coming soon: Updated stats, God Matchups, Other gamemodes, Other roles

Updated for June 30th 2015 Combo Breaker (Ravanna) Patch