Glass Cannon Ra

Greetings! I'm DecimusBrutalis, a user playing MOBA games (namely League of Legends) for quite some time. I picked up this game a little while ago and despite being a free champion, find Ra to be my second favorite MP carry in the game, only behind Poseidon. He has a nice heal/damage AoE, a nasty, long range burn, a blind that can royally piss off any range champion near you, and an ult that will rot anyone in a row. All in all, I find this to be a very safe pick for any newcomers to the game, and a nice champion to have in the back pocket for any seasoned veterans. I've based this guide for more quick paced games, namely arena, as it's a very glass-cannon build that will nearly oneshot anyone without high magic resist.

Pros
HIGH Burst
Nice utility set
Blind effectively a hard CC
High Risk, High Reward Ult

Cons
Very Squishy
No escape
no *actual* hard CC
High Risk, High Reward Ult - it's easy to see and dodge

basically, the pros vs cons are
One Shotting vs One Shottable.

Celestial Beam
Your bread and butter. It has a nice range, and a beam comes along in a line from the sky at a relatively fast pace. It has no ramp up time, activating almost instantly, so close enemies have no chance to dodge it. With a fairly low cooldown, use this to farm minions, and hitting enemies with it at full build will rot about 30-50% of their health. Finish them with an ult afterwards. 70% magic power scaling, so about 600-700 extra scaling full build, no consumables.

Divine Light
I max this ability last because I really prefer not to rush into enemies. It is a VERY nice ability late game against all types of enemies, but early game if you get close enough to use this, you will die. Note that it has a 3 second ramp up time, so you should either charge it before you go in, or use it before you get focused by assassins. It does have a slow to help catch people though. It will blind people FACING YOU, so keep this in mind. It will help you juke melees, blind ranged archers, etc. It will simply piss off your enemy because they will see NOTHING they're doing. My favorite thing in arena is charging it, running to a pillar, and running away once it goes off, watching the melee continue around the pillar before realizing I'm nowhere close anymore. All in all, a good one-point-wonder type of spell.

Solar Blessing
This ability is so ignored, that it's an absolute blessing to have (HA. HA). It buffs any ally in it, healing them and doing more damage, while any enemy in the area has the opposite effect: they're damaged and do less damage. It has the width of about 3-4 gods, so it's a nice area, and will hit enemy minions and heal your own, so it's amazing for pushing waves. Note that as this game is still in its relative infancy, it seems a very high lack of players understand it heals allies, so make sure your allies in Assault or Arena know it. Finally, if you have any gods like Ymir, Odin, or Ares on your team, where they have god-placement control, toss this ability accordingly to assist your allies well.

Searing Pain
The big kahuna. The ace in the hole. The holy **** what just happened to their face.
this ability at full rank will do SEVEN HUNDRED (7-0-0) damage to anybody in a ridiculously long line, plus >100%< of your magic power. That adds up to about 1500-2000 damage based on book of thoth farm and consumables. If any damage at all has been done to a god, this will kill them.
So there's a catch, right?
Sadly, yes. It doesn't say it in its description, but it takes about a second and a half to fire, and you rise up into the air in a near crucifixion type way, so if enemies are paying attention they will not get hit. The hit radius is about two gods wide, so it's easy to avoid, but easy to land if they're predictable or not paying attention as well. Simply, only land if they're, for example, running back to base in a straight line, have a lot of their team in a cluster, or are CC'd.

Boots of the Magi

Boots of the Magi are a perfect pickup for Ra to melt through some slightly magic protection-build squishies. As boots are nearly required for this game, the magic power, speed, mana, and penetration at full build are a nice gear-up asset. I suggest buying level 1 immediately. Level 3, if they aren't immediately diving you with annoyances like Ne Zha, Fenrir, or Loki, is not required, but as they build magic protection, you really should get it.

Bancroft's Talon

Bancroft's Talon. Magic Life-Steal, a ridiculous amount of Magic Power, a fully upgraded bonus that makes you more terrifying as small AoE's hurt you, and a very cheap level 1 buy. This is a very essential item that, unless you pick up Pythagorem's Piece in an assault, will be your only sustain until you back. With a very low cost of 540, I suggest this item as a level 1 buy in arena mode, along with the boots. This leaves 260 gold leftover to buy an active if desired (namely Meditation to spam spells early on in arena) or potions to sustain.

Rod of Tahuti

Rod of Tahuti is basically Rabadon's Cap, for anyone from LoL that is new to Smite. It is the Deathbringer of Casters. It is basically what every single burst mage in this game needs. With a malicious 125 Magic Power, a relatively nice 15 mp5, and a solid 25% extra total MP, it is, hands down, required for a glass cannon build. I'd get at least level 1 for the mp5 it gives early on, plus the nice amount of magic power, but level 3 isn't necessarily required until you get a few items upgraded. Just do some simple math: is 25% magic power going to give you enough to ignore lifesteal, or health, or slow, etc. Will it be enough to impact you THAT HIGHLY?

Gem of Isolation

Gem of Isolation is a nice little gem I like to pick up (haha) later in the game when people are needed to kill instead of harass, and they're getting away. On top of that, it gives the mana and health needed to survive a little bit longer. With 70 MP, 250 Health AND Mana, and a level 3 that Slows people (the only slow you'll have unless using Divine Light in their face), it's a nice pickup to finish them off or keep them slow enough to ult.

Ethereal Staff

Ethereal Staff is basically what makes this Glass Cannon guide not a free kill to any assassin on the enemy team, such as that evil ninja Loki. It boasts 600 health, 300 mana, and 30 magic power. While that power is laughable at best, at level 3 it gives a bonus of 2% health-->magic power. This late in the game (when you're able to almost straight up buy out the staff in a single back), you'll have about 2600-3000 with the staff, depending on how quickly you are leveling and acquiring gold. This accounts for a nasty 52-60 magic power, totaling 82-90 magic power, WITH 600 extra health! Compared ot the items giving 70 MP, that gives it instant credibility as the tanky item in this build

ASSAULT BANNED

Book of Thoth

This item is a nice final addition to the build as you clear waves in a single Celestial Beam. It gives mana, a surprising 100 magic power, and even more MP5 to ensure the only time you have to return to base is to heal, defend, or buy consumables. The bonus is 10 extra mana per minion kill, and 3% of mana becomes ability power. A nice addition to any mage, just compounding on top of the Rod of Tahuti's natural bonus.

POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES (And the assault replacement for Book of Thoth)
Pythagorem's Piece gives 90 power, mana, and 25% lifesteal when accounting for the aura. Basically, since you're in assault, you can't go back to base, so you want as much mana and healthsteal as possible to be practically topped off in health after every trade or encounter, or when farming minions. The extra lifesteal helps make sure you stay high on health, with a decent amount of magic power anyway.

Magi's Blessing - getting one shot by an ult? Need to stop an initiate that is consistently one shotting you before you can do anything? Swap out the Book or Gem for this, and get resistances plus a nullify to a spell every 30 seconds. That's way more often than an ult.

Obsidian Shard - are they realizing you're destroying their team? Replace the book or gem with this. Pierce through that nasty defense. You'll practically do the same damage if they've got a lot of magic defense.

Spear of the Magus - alternative to Obsidian Shard if you have a lot of other magic users on your team, and want to help them out.

Warlock's Sash - I wouldn't get it in Arena, because it's more about kills than farming there. But in other modes it may find its place. It's banned in assault though, remember.

Items I wouldn't buy
Divine Ruin - unless they have such a stupid amount of healing that this is really necessary, like a Hel with a Ra who is using his AoE for heals, and just...unless they heal to full near instantly, this is just not that important. Smite is a very very burst oriented game, to the point where in teamfights, your team will more likely insta-kill someone before healing takes a toll. I've seen many a Poseidon ult just eat everyone, where there is no chance to heal. Sincerely.
Doom Orb - You're a glass cannon. You will most likely die, but bring many more with you. I do not like items that completely wipe on death. But if you are THAT CONFIDENT, and they have no chasing power, go for it. One thor or ares or fenrir on their team though, and you're done.
Updated Opinion
Polynomicon - You aren't as basic-attack based as someone like Poseidon, and your abilites are more situational that spammable, so having an item that gives your next basic attack a buff doesn't really find it's place on Ra. Additionally, that requires you to stagger abilities when you might need rapid placement, or get close enough to basic attack. If you want to buy it though, it may be useful as it gives a 100% magic power scaling, but your actual abilities will suffer from it.
EDIT: As I play with this item more and more, the damage bonus seems to do better and better. However, there are only really two items I'd switch out for it: the gem or the book. The gem should never ever be switched out if you don't have a good CC on your team: you will never follow up with a guaranteed basic attack hit if they are not slowed or CC'd. It's just too risky for no reward. The book gives a ridiculous amount of AP, but if you're sure you can land it, the overall DPS is better, and it gives good sustain. Still though, it's up to you if you have the ability to land it or not.

Basically, use common sense in buying and don't be stupid on the field. Use your AoE to heal allies and hurt enemies, poke them with your celestial beam, and use your ult to finish them off. Do not get in their face because you are a glass cannon - you will get wiped out relatively quickly. You can stand a single non-assassin enemy toe to toe with your lifesteal, extra health, and burst, but a team will wipe you out.

Get MP, Win.

Don't. You're a mage.
Please don't.
Please?

If you are DEAD SET on jungle ra, I can try to help, but it's a really really bad idea

Jungle creeps will hit you hard compared to other, melee champions, but ideally, you open by channeling a blinding light. Rush in when it detonates, celestial beam, and AoE to heal yourself/damage them.

Order of Buffs in my ideal mind:
Damage - It's Damage
Speed - Faster speed to lanes or other camps
Mana - You might have issues?
Cooldown Reduction - You really don't have long cooldowns to begin with, but faster ults mean quicker good ganks, I suppose. It's really not that vital.

In Arena Mode, you should generally be helping team and rotting carries, but if they're all back/dead, you won't be ganked, don't want to back, and your wave is ready to enter their portal, pick up Damage Buff and Speed Buff - you won't be as easy to catch or hit, and you'll hit harder. CD reduction will mean faster ult as well, but the mana buff is near negligible. Book of Thoth and Rod of Tahuti give you enough mana to last until you inevitably die in the arena or back.

In a teamfight, your role is simple: kill. Place your Solar Blessing under where the main bruisers will be, as that's a relatively static area of fighting. Beam through the middle of as many as possible, hitting their carries as you can. If you are being dived, as you very well might be, try to pre-charge your blind to avoid them. Finally, ult through as many as possible to wrap it up. Most of the time the fight will split up as most ults are used, but do not chase unless you're worth a kill - rushing in means most likely dying, unless their entire team is in retreat ahead of you. If you cannot see someone, they are a threat

Note that a dead team is better than a 70 second death timer by trying to go back and doing nothing anyway. If you get ulted by Ares, Loki, or Fenrir, your best bet is probably to live to see another day, because that will HURT. I suggest getting an Aegis, because invulnerability to ultimate attacks is always a good idea!

Just remember, Stay Thirsty My Friends.
Thirsty for blood!

So you've gotten assigned Ra in assault, huh? Well, I'm here to explain just the right mechanics to go through it with a positive outcome (provided the RNG gods haven't completely abandoned you)

First, put a point in every spell, with a 2nd in Q. Follow the normal skill path from the guide.
To start out, I suggest level 2 Bancroft's Talon, level 2 Boots of the Magi, plus a Meditation for the sustain that is so direly needed in assault, or 3 mana potions, 2 health

Now, based on your teamcomp, you're most likely going to be an Isis-type mage in this mode: the support and burst mage. You are, in most cases barring a hel, guan yu, or the sort (which most people don't have as they aren't on free week and aren't insta-buys), the only healing in the game. This puts you at a unique, colossally important position. You will be poking with Q as much as possible, as it's relatively static damage that takes a chunk of their health and they can't regen unless waiting it out. Otherwise, stay in the back of your team, and Solar Blessing to heal your team to full. They will LOVE you for it. If the enemy team has a Hades use Solar Blessing on top of the ult to possibly save any teammates from the instant death. Remember everyone has their ults from the start, so they are usually very quickly blown as soon as a teamfight breaks out - you must stay away from the frontline or you will die very quickly.

All in all, you play the roll as pusher, poker, and healer for your team. If they have no tanks, they most likely will have no MR, in this case you can end up getting a Shoes of Focus instead of the penetration boots, but otherwise there won't be too much variation aside from Book of Thoth-->Pythagorem's Piece. If you get Meditation I suggest Salvation as the upgrade, because even though it'll end up a lot less health for you, it's healing your entire team for a solid several hundred. Finally, stock up on mana potions - you will need them to keep your team healed with spammed Solar Blessing.

Also, if their team is literally *all* physical, it is NOT a bad idea to pick up a Hide of the Nemean Lion in place of your staff or book of thoth replacement, as it's a solid number of health, a lot of armor, and damage return before mitigation. Tell your tank to pick up a sovereignty, and GG. Again, the RNG Gods can be cruel, so take advantage of unconventional team compositions.

This is my first actual guide to building a champion, and as such I'd like (constructive!) criticism! I'm looking forward to updating very actively, because there's nothing more suspicious than a guide with 300+ upvotes that's 300+ days since its last update. Keep your questions and suggestions updated in the comments, and I'll be happy to respond/update the guide. I'm looking forward to placing a video section, as well as a 'Suggestions from You' section with completely accredited info directly to who suggested it.

I hope you liked the guide, and I hope you do well!