GRANDMASTER HOU YI ADC GUIDE

Hey, this guide is brought to you by TottiGR! I started playing Smite on PC in February 2014. I have been playing competitive since 2016 and I have been a professional Smite player between March 2020 to July 2023. I have played in different teams like JustF6, Gilded Gladiators or Tartarus Titans this last year in the Smite Pro League (You can always check the SmiteVod Youtube Channel where there's my proffesional games recorded). I have peaked 3500 MMR GrandMaster/Masters in Ranked Conquest on PC plataform every season since 2017 (SEASON 4). I also made Smite Masters (LAN) 4 times in 2022 so I really think I have the knowledge in guiding about the ADC role in SMITEGAME. I hope you find this guide as a useful learning resource for playing Hou Yi as an ADC.


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Passive - Suntouched This is Hou Yi's passive ability. If he is struck by a Critical Hit - he will become immune to ALL Critical Hits for 3 seconds. Making this a very useful boxing tool against Critical Hit Based Gods like Jing Wei and Critical Hit Based Builds. Additionally, this cannot be removed by any form of CC, so it always lasts for the full 3 seconds.

Ability 1 - Ricochet This is ALWAYS the first ability maximized as it is his only form of good waveclear and damage during the early game. Ricochet is an ability that can bounce of a surface up to 2 times, with each shot gaining 40% more damage per bounce. (Note: This "Bonus Damage" is only against enemy gods. This ability is useful for clearing waves and camps. It is also good for poke due to its 10 second cooldown. Ricochet can be deadly in close-quarters due to fast rebounds causing large amounts of damage in short periods of time. Also, Ricochet can be used to poke distances at greater lengths when rebounded off a wall. This means that more distance can be between you and the enemy whilst still applying damage (note: This shot is easier to dodge though). This skill can be upgraded at level 9, as well as Sunbreaker. By holding your Level-up Point gained at level 8, as it gives more dmg output overall. Not a necessity but it might help you in early game. Ricochet can also be used to kill recalling enemies, due to them thinking they are at a safe distance so the bounces allow for a kill from greater distances, giving one of the most satisfying feelings in Smite.

Ability 2 - Mark of the Golden Crow This ability gives Hou Yi's entire kit a bit more flavour, by applying additional effects to one singular enemy with the 10 second Crow's Mark. Each ability gains a new secondary effect: - Ricochet gains a 1 second stun (stuns DO NOT stack with bounces). - Divebomb gains a small knock-up effect. - Sunbreaker gains a 20% slow lasting 0.5 seconds (each sun causes a slow). Also, enemies become visible on the minimap whilst having the Mark of the Golden Crow and a ping sound (same as a ward) plays when the enemy is behind a surface (Note: For some reason minions and other gods can act as surfaces, creating the ping). This Ability should be used on the god you are focusing either in a solo fight or in a team fight, as it gives potential for additional effects and damage to be applied.

Ability 3 - Divebomb There isn't much to this Ability, it is Hou Yi's leap. (Note: I'd highly recommend this for an escape only, as it has a lengthy 15 second cooldown) The main use for Divebomb is to escape tricky or un-winnable situations, the ability can leap over walls and can be circled in a full 360 degrees. Divebomb can be used to execute or chase an enemy on low hp, this is only advised if you have more than 50% Health or if being trade killed is worth it, as in the late game it can take up to 60 seconds to respawn and that isn't really worth 1 kill. Finally, if the Mark of the Golden Crow is applied to a target, who then dashes away it MIGHT interrupt a dash or other slow casting abilities by providing a slight knock-up, but it is very difficult to apply this interruption and requires hours of practice plus good timing.

Ultimate - Sunbreaker Hou Yi's ultimate skill, he shoots 9 arrows into the sky causing 9 suns to fall from the sky to a fixed location within a radius of 30 units. The Ability lasts for 4.5s seconds (Note: Each sun falls every 0.5 seconds). Each time a sun hits the floor damage is applied, so enemy Gods take damage every 0.5 seconds when in the radius of Sunbreaker. Also, enemies with the Mark of the Golden Crow are slowed. Sunbreaker is very useful in team fights as it can change the flow of a team fight, as the enemy should focus on evading Hou Yi's ultimate and this allows for a few extra basics or a Ricochet. It can cause massive damage when coupled with the stun from Ricochet (using Mark of the Golden Crow) it means the enemy god is stunned for 1 second, they take a minimum of 2 hits from Sunbreaker. This ability should be used sparingly, however it can be used to clear waves and defend the tower if you're being pressured by an enemy god..

Mark of the Golden Crow > Ricochet > Sunbreaker > Basic Attacks

Mark of the Golden Crow > Divebomb > Ricochet > Sunbreaker > Basic Attacks

Mark of the Golden Crow > Sunbreaker > Ricochet > Basic Attacks.

There are a lot of types of combinations with Hou Yi but it's essencial to ALWAYS start a fight or a duel against the other ADC with Mark of the Golden Crow because it will decrease the enemies defense stats and will play a psycological paper in the enemies, they will know they can be in danger if you hit your Ricochet and stun them, this situation will make you have some free basic attacks over them.

• Start at the Gold Fury side Green buff. When it spawns, hit it with an auto attack to leash/aggro the camp and pull it towards the exp camp, meanwhile the support deals damage to the camp, after doing both things, you two will go to the purple buff, do it and then come to lane to push the minions.
  
  
• After these camps are cleared you will be level 1 so will need to take 1 minion of the first wave to get level 2 and level up your dash Divebomb so you will have an skill that can be used for escaping or for starting a duo lane fight by stunning the enemies.
  
  
• After pushing 3 wave, shield buff will spawn so your support and you will go for it depending of the pressure wave; if you have no wave pressure you will need to ask your jungler for coming to fight it or just leave it, but if you have hardly won the push of the wave you should use your attack speed shard to do it as quick as possible, for securing the buff you should always maintain your Ricochet available. The good part of the Ricochet in the shield buff is that you can hit it three times and that will do a lot of dps over the buff so you can easily secure it as Hou Yi. Anyways, I do recommend as a hunter that if someone comes to contest, you should always try to fight them instead of securing the buff because you have a really good god for early fighting.
  
  
• After picking it up make your way back to the centre of the lane. If you think it's going to be hardly difficult to secure the buff, just run back into the lane and pressure the enemies by pushing the wave quickly.
  
  
• As Hou Yi try always to look for fights in the jungle, this will help you hitting multiple times your Ricochet over the enemies marked by Mark of the Golden Crow,stunning them and most of the times, costing their lives. This tip will help you a lot during laning phase and getting a lead over the enemy ADC.
  
  
• From here you will usually fight the enemy ADC and support during wave pushes in lane with your own support. Most of the fights you should take are around shield buff and depending on yours and their early pressure/clear around your own purple buff or theirs (remember you can pull the Purple buff wherever you want so if you have no pressure / you are low hp ask your support to be in the pit before it spawns and tell him to leash it as far as needed to not get invaded by the other duo lane)
  
  
• This hunter has a really good fighting kit of skills so you should be always looking to fight 1vs1 the other ADC (if you are ahead). Don't try to risk your life so you can poke the enemy ADC from the distance by using Mark of the Golden Crow in the enemy hunter and then trying to hit the Ricochet this will poke him out and easily convert him into an easy kill for your teammates. I need to clarify that if you don't wave any wards spotted on the map remember you should always take care of it. Just be confident during laning phase, your confidence will play a really good paper on succeeding, so just try it out. If you don't risk you will never achieve :p.
  
  
• An important advice as an ADC main is to be active in communication, always try to tell all the information you can to your team like your own purple, shield and their purple timer (if possible), if there is any one spotted in the wards you placed, if someone is trying to dive you, if they are doing Gold Fury... This type of information will make your jungler and support pathing to gank your lane easier and make you having bigger chances of getting a lead over the other hunter.
  
  
• REMEMBER to always buy wards, warding correctly with aggressive Sentry Wards will determine half of the game around the Gold Fury objective and warding defensively will make you be more aware about possible ganks so you will be safer in lane.

• As the match goes towards the mid game, other than the usual farm opportunities you'll be looking to rotate over the Stygian Beacon for your team and try attempt, contest and steal (if the enemy is attempting to kill them) the Gold Fury.
  
  
• Remember to rotate when there is no duo jungle remain like purple or shield buff and to have the wave pushed before rotating because you will fall much behind in farm compared to your enemy ADC. (DO NOT ROTATE IF YOU ARE 2 OR MORE LEVELS BEHIND THE OTHER HUNTER!)
  
  
• When the Beacon spawns often both teams will try rotate over to control it, especially the mid, support and jungle. You will need to think about who is more likely to have their teammates to rotate over first to impact your decision if contesting the beacon will be worth it and if there is any kill potential around the objective.
  
  
• As for Gold Fury opportunity they will vary on factors such as: your team's overall objective shred, your ADC's current objective shred / build, your team's map pressure, how strong each team's teamfight is, where on the map everyone is (i.e. if one team is doing Gold, the other may decide to do Pyro as a smaller trade), if any members of the enemy team are on a respawn timer, etc...
  
  
• It is so important to have warded (with Sentry Wards if possible) the Gold Fury during the Mid Game because it is the principal objective between minute 10 to 20 with the Pyromancer.
  
  
• Stay aware of rotations (jungle and support) during this minutes because your death as ADC will be a really good factor over pulling Gold Fury or even burst it. So your team won't have any chance of contest.
  
  
• Not dying over rotations, map awareness and warding are highly important over the games. You will always need to position yourself beside de midlaner for peeling each other over team fights (call who is doing engage on you, relics and this type of stuff that is going to make an easier way to make your team win the team fight)

• As for late game teamfights, most often you will be positioned in the "backline" (behind your team's solo and support - who generally are the "frontline") and will play around your midlaner to deal with the enemy frontline and jungler, while making sure to put out as much damage as possible to the highest threats on the enemy team.
  
  
• Make sure you have upgraded Temporal Beads and Aegis of Judgement before going into the Fire Giant. I really good advice is to use actives as soon as the solo laner, support or jungler engages on you to try to avoid as much damage and crowd control as possible, if you stay safe as an ADC on a late game teamfight, your team will have enough DPS to do Fire Giant or if you kill all your enemies, you can even finish the game.
  
  
• When it comes to Fire Giant opportunities, often there can be stalemates where both teams will try to force a teamfight or look for lone picks in order to gain an advantage, sometimes involving one team going for a non fully committing attempt at doing the objective to bait the other team to step up.
  
  
• Remember if someone engages on you, use Mark of the Golden Crow on him, this will decrease his defenses and help you killing him, then use your ultimate Sunbreaker to slow him out and facilitate hitting Ricochet stunning him and costing most of his HP or actives. THIS HAS A LOT OF VALUE FOR YOUR TEAM OVER THE LATE GAME TEAMFIGHTS AROUND OBJETIVES OR STRUCTURES!
  
  
• BE CONSTANTLY CALLING ALL THE INFORMATION: WHEN THEY ARE ENGAGING ON YOU, BE ALWAYS SURE ABOUT YOUR DECISION MAKING, IF YOU DOUBT YOURSELF OR EVEN YOUR TEAMMATES YOU WILL NEVER SUCCED!

Here are warding spots for ADCs if you are behind with gold or experience compared to the other hunter. If the enemy team has your purple timer you should always try to Sentry Wards your purple buff and make sure to call your teammates at least 1 minute before spawning.


In case you have low pressure god but none is invading purple you can also ward like in the photo below. You will always know when someone is coming and you won't have to outposition yourself to ward so you will be safe.



Over here is shown the ideal normal pressure warding spots around duo lane, you should always look to Sentry Wards defensively and use a normal ward on the offensive position. Enemies could Sentry Wards your normal ward so you should call your support for warding there.



In case you have a high pressure duo set up (hunter with good clear and fighting capability and a support with crowd control, push and mobility) you should look to invade purple buffs. This type of wards will make an easier way for you and your teammates to come over purple pit before spawning and being ready for stealing it [you will always know who is coming to gank you so you must be prepared for getting ganked over duo] .



When you start fighting around Fire Giant, you should always look to ward in the same places as a midlaner because you two (ADC and Mid) form what we call as "backliners" (the roles who are supposed to deal DPS and damage to enemies), you will be sharing the responsibility for this rather than handling it alone, especially when it's not safe for you to step up to place deeper wards. Any wards placed closer to the objective within the Fire Giant pit tend to get destroyed by Sentries more often than not, so they tend to not be reliable.

Remember, minions act as moving wards in the lanes, and are able to spot nearby gods. If your towers are down, keep your minions pushed up as much as possible to provide an extra set of eyes and pressure.

• White Circles: These are all offensive locations that allow you to spot enemies near to or approaching objectives, and are helpful in covering multiple approaches. The closer you get to the Fire Giant, the more contested those spots will be and the more likely enemies will try to counter-ward. The ones closest to the enemy base can give you very early notice.
  
  
• Red Circles: Fairly obvious, but it's always good to have vision on the main jungle objectives, especially the Fire Giant. Sentry Wards are key here, as they allow you to spot and remove enemy wards. You can place wards directly on top of the objectives, or put them slightly to one side to try to spot enemy wards or protect yours from being detected.

Counter-Warding: Enemies may drop wards on your defensive side in similar (opposite) spots to where you would place yours. If the Fire Giant is already covered and you have a spare Sentry Ward, place them in these spots to limit the enemy's vision on your team.

Defensive Warding: If you're pushed back to your phoenixes or inside your base, locate your wards in the nearby jungle and general approaches.