Dance of Bliss and Destruction - Shiva Guide

Hello everyone. This is my first SmiteFire Guide and it's on one of my favourite gods - Shiva. Let me know your thoughts and if there is anything I can do to improve the guide!

NOTE: This guide is not to be followed step by step. Merely this is just some helpful tips and tricks to help you dominate on the battleground!

General Health: 665 (+87) Mana: 210 (+36) Speed: 375 (+0) Range: 16 (+0) Attack/Sec: 1 (+1.2%)

Regen HP5: 8 (+0.7) MP5: 4.5 (+0.39) Protection Magical: 38 (+1.2) Physical: 22 (+3.2)

Basic Attack Damage: 39 + 2(+100% of Magical Power) Progression: 1/.75/1.25 damage and swing time . . . .

Pros: Can 1v1 Gods with ease Good Waveclear and harrassment with Emblazoned Sweep and Damaru's Tempo Good Healing and Mana Sustain Has two knock-ups (arguably the best CC in Smite) Good Healing and Mana Sustain Can provide Block stacks to himself and his teammates Enemy Protection Debuff One of the best Backline divers

Cons: Very mana reliant early game Weak to early game poke Hard to counter better pushers in lane early game Cripples and CC Immunity make him very vulnerable Vulnerable to anti healing such as Contagion or Brawler's Beat Stick . . .

Passive - SamsaraShiva cycles between the states of Bliss and Destruction by dealing damage to enemy gods with attacks and abilities. Each state provides HP5 and MP5 buffs to himself and allies or HP5 and MP5 debuffs to enemies. On switching between states Shiva's non-ultimate ability cooldowns are reduced by 2s. This is Shiva's hardest part of his kit to master. Knowing what stance you are in can play a big factor in fights as you can use the effects to your advantage - such as the movement speed with Emblazoned Sweep in Bliss stance and the Block stacks you get from Pillar of Dawn in Bliss stance

1 - Emblazoned SweepThis is Shiva's first part of his bread-and-butter combo. Upon activating Emblazoned Sweep he spins around his trident, pulling in any enemies in the vicinity and creating a fire wall around himself. The firewall provides various effects depending on what stance Shiva is in at the time. The effects can be:
Bliss – Allies gain a Movement Speed buff on passing the firewall.
Destruction – Enemies suffer a Protection Reduction debuff on passing the firewall.
It is crucial not to miss this ability, as in doing so it makes it harder on you to follow up with Damaru's Tempo and chain CC the opponent.

2 - Damaru's Tempo Shiva's second part of his combo and arguably his best ability in the early stages of the game. Shiva smacks the ground dealing damage in a cone in front of him. Before activating this ability, you can select 1 of 3 sections of the cone. That chosen area will knock-up enemies in the highlighted part of the cone. Depending on which stance Shiva is in, this ability provides an additional effect:
Bliss - Allies gain an Attack Speed buff if the energy passes through them
Destruction - Enemies suffer an Attack Speed debuff if the energy passes through them.
This ability is the best ability to start the game at level 1 with. Damaru's Tempo can clear Blue Buff very quickly and can apply great early lane pressure

3 - Pillar of DawnShiva dashes into a pillar of fire where he meditates for a short duration, taking reduced damage and becoming immune to CC except for Stuns and Time Dilation, before being able to dash out again. Each dash deals damage to enemies and as he meditates the pillar emits an aura. Depending on what stance Shiva is in, the pillar has an additional effect:
Bliss – Allies in the aura gain a block stack while Shiva gains up to 3 after leaving.
Destruction – Enemies in the aura suffer constant damage.

4 - Shiva TandavaShiva begins to channel his Tandava, and for the next 6 seconds he gets CC Immunity. Every 1.5s he performs a step that can be preselected to perform a different effect.
Step one – Ally Healing and Mana restore.
Step two – 50% Damage and Healing and also amplification of next step radius and effects.
Step three – Damage and Shield reduction to Enemies.

Chaining your Abilities
Shiva's combo potential is what makes him an amazing warrior. Knowing and mastering the Emblazoned Sweep into Damaru's Tempo combo can help you reach the fullest potential with Shiva. As well as this, the full damage output of Shiva's Ultimate Shiva Tandava can be game-changing in dire situations. The best combination of steps you can do for maximum damage is Step 2 -> Step 3 -> Step 2 -> Step 3. You can replace Step 3 with Step 1 if you need to heal yourself or teammates.

Knowing Shiva's Weaknesses
Shiva gets countered very hard by poke match-ups, and Gods that have built in CC immunity and Cripples. Some notable examples that you would find in the Solo lane are Guan Yu, Artio and Sun Wukong. These are a few of Shiva's weakest matchups and I would advise avoiding playing into them as these gods are good at exploiting Shiva's disadvantages. Furthermore, Magi's Cloak and Purification Beads can nullify Shiva's combos so be wary if the enemy picks them up

The Stages of the Game
Knowing what to do at each stage of the game can be the best way to improve. Below I have listed some useful information on how to play at each stage of the game:

Early Game
Level up Damaru's Tempo first as it is the best ability to start with to clear blue buff the fastest. Head to lane and use your 2 on the wave - if possible try and hit the enemy solo lane as well. After, start aa'ing the back row of archers and creat some space between you and the enemy. When Damaru's Tempo is off cool-down, use it to finish off the archers and melee minions and hit level 2. If you hit level 2 before your opponent, try and all-in with your Emblazoned Sweep and if you get a kill, Great! Focus on harassing the enemy lane with your 1 -> 2 combo and warding and clearing Totem of Ku when possible.

Mid Game
At this stage of the game, it depends on whether you are behind or ahead of the enemy. If you are ahead, look for roaming opportunities and helping in taking objectives like Pyromancer, or participating in team fights. If you bought the Teleport relic, I would recommend buying Persistent Teleport from the item tree, so that you can return to lane to defend the tower after slaying some Gods. If you are behind, look to counter roam with Teleport Fragment if the enemy Solo roams. If not, focus on farming minions and taking towers to regain the gap in gold and Exp.

End Game
At this stage of the game, you should be team fighting the majority of the time. In said team fights, look to use your 1 -> 2 combo on the enemy mage or assassin to set up a kill or force them to use their relics. You should be prioritising harassing the enemy backline so that your team can follow up and get some kills. Look to secure objectives when possible and for the love of all that is holy, BUY WARDS! Some people do not understand the impact that good vision can have on a game.