In depth Mid and Support guide (Updated 6/28)

Hi guys my name is PhantomSins, and this is the first guide here on this website. Aphrodite is one of my favorite gods to play, as she has amazing sustain, a decent amount of damage, and can easily dominate a lane if played right. She's great asset to a team and can turn the tables in a loosing game with her skill set. I hope you guys enjoy this guide and I would love feedback.

Pros

-Amazing sustain
-Excellent push
-Stun
-Very versatile

-Kind of squishy unless building tanky
-Needs to lane with melee god if playing support
-In support lanes damage depends off of your teammate
-Doesn't have an incredibly high burst damage

loving embraceLoving embrace
Gaining Aphrodite's favor is a blessing in that 30% of all mana gained by Aphrodite is granted to her soul mate.

This passive is useless as a mid laner, but when acting as a support it can help give your partner more mp5.

Kiss
Aphrodite blows a kiss to an allied god, making them her soul mate and giving them both increased movement speed. If the kiss hits an enemy god, they are stunned and Aphrodite's soul mate gets jealous, making them deal increased damage.

Movement Speed: 4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20 %
Stun Duration: 1s
Jealousy Damage Increase: 4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20 %
Jealousy Duration: 8s
Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70
Cooldown: 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 s

This skill isn't used much when playing Aphrodite mid as it is used mainly to make an escape, let the enemy take turret agro, or once you build Polynomicon. When playing Aphrodite support use this skill to give your partner a damage buff and make it easier to land some kills. Over all I usually max this out last as the damage buff isn't that important.


Back Off!
Agitated by all the attention, Aphrodite commands enemies to get away from her, doing damage around her and knocking them back. If Aphrodite has a soul mate, they get agitated instead, and the damage originates on them, dealing the same damage and slowing.

Damage: 90 / 160 / 230 / 300 / 370 (+60% of your magical power)
Slow: 25%
Slow Duration: 2s
Cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90
Cooldown: 12s

This skill does quite a nice amount of damage and allows you to get some of those pesky melee champs like Fenrir off of you. When playing mid use this skill to aid in running away, or use it to put damage on after using Kiss. Aphrodite support however benefits only if your laning with a melee god such as Kali or Fenrir. Use this skill when they initiate to slow the target and help do some damage. If your partner is being annoying you can also use it to KS. Over all I max it second


Love Birds
Aphrodite calls forth a flock of beautiful doves that fly forward in the area in front of her. The doves circle around all enemies in the path, damaging enemies every .5s for 3s. Aphrodite and her soul mate are healed for the same amount.

Damage per Tick: 15 / 25 / 35 / 45 / 55 (+15% of your magical power)
Heal per Tick: 10 / 17 / 24 / 31 / 38 (+15% of your magical power)
Cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90
Cooldown: 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 s

This is your bread and butter skill in both mid and support lanes. It offers amazing sustain, and a pretty good amount of damage once you max it out. Spam this skill to clear minion waves with ease, heal, harass enemy gods out of lane, and if you have Gem of Isolation you get a nice AOE slow. However without Chronos' Pendant it can drain your mana rather quickly.


Undying Love
Aphrodite pledges undying love to herself and her Soul Mate. While this is active, her and her Soul Mate are invulnerable to all damage for a short duration. All crowd control effects are also removed when activated.

Invulnerability Duration: .8 / 1.1 / 1.4 / 1.7 / 2 s
Cost: 100
Cooldown: 90 / 85 / 80 / 75 / 70 s

This is an amazing ultimate and is the reason why Aphrodite can be so versatile. When playing as a mid laner you no longer to worry about Poseidon and his pesky Release The Kraken!. It also makes escaping No Escape when laning against Ares a breeze. The great thing is that when supporting your soulmate also gets the cc and damage invulnerability.

Mid lane build

Chronos' Pendant

This item is necessary for your early game as you will run out of mana very quickly without it. Its tier 3 also gives you 25% cdr which is always helpful.

shoes of focus Shoes of Focus

These boots give you the extra cdr to hit the cap which will help greatly with your ult.

Polynomicon

This item is essential for mid Aphrodite as it allows you to kill your enemy instead of just pushing them out of lane, and also makes your basic attack useable.

Rod of Tahuti

Essential for damage

Book of Thoth

Gives you tons of mana, and also gives you tons of magic damage with its passive, if you have the money to spare I would definitely get this. However if you find yourself behind in lane it would be better to pick up a cheaper item.

Gem of Isolation

Gives your Love Birds a nice AOE slow, can help you chase down enemies easier, gives decent magic damage, and health

shoes of focus Shoes of Focus

These boots give you the extra cdr to hit the cap which will help greatly with your ult.

Bancroft's Talon

Gives you even more health back with your Love Birds and increases magic damage the lower your health is and can be a very good item to boost your sustain even higher.

Chronos' Pendant

This item is necessary for your early game as you will run out of mana very quickly without it. Its tier 3 also gives you 25% cdr which is always helpful. Aphrodite

Bracer of Replenishment Bracer of Replenishment

Item gives a nice aura and can help with the mana regen of your lane partner even more.

Rod of Tahuti

Essential for damage

Gem of Isolation

Gives your Love Birds a nice AOE slow which can help when Kiss is on cd

shoes of focus Shoes of Focus

These boots give you the extra cdr to hit the cap which will help greatly with your ult.

Bancroft's Talon

Gives you even more health back with your Love Birds and increases magic damage which can give you some amazing saves.

Void Stone

Although you shouldn't be laning with a magic damage god like Ra Void Stone will help during late game team fights, as well as give you some extra damage, and can be usefull when laning with a magic damage tank like Ares.

plated greaves Plated Greaves

Typical boots for tanks

Chronos' Pendant

This item is necessary for your early game as you will run out of mana very quickly without it. Its tier 3 also gives you 25% cdr which is always helpful.

hide of leviathan Hide of Leviathan

Offers a good amount of both physical and magic defense, as well as mana, health, and cc reduction.

Hide of the Nemean Lion

Offers a really good amount of physical protection as well as damage reflection, and is greatly needed.

bulwark of hope Bulwark of Hope

A great item to have since it gives you 450 health as well as some magic protection. Its passive can also give you some time to use Love Birds to gain your health back.

Breastplate of Valor

Gives some physical protection as well as some cdr.

stone of gaia Stone of Gaia

More magic protection + health and mana regen.

Ethereal staff Ethereal Staff

Gives you quite a bit of health, mana, and damage thanks to it's passive.

Actives

Meditation

A great buy in support lanes as it can also give your partner a good amount of mana.

Purification Beads

Buy this if the other team has either Ymir or Ares so you don't waste your ult.

Aegis amulet Aegis Amulet

Another viable active that can go with Purification Beads and is quite usefull against Hades.

Mid lane
If possible start at either the speed jungle camp (if left or mid lane), or one of the gold jungle camps to get a level advantage over your enemy. Early game is an essential time for Aphrodite. Your goal is to use Love Birds to push your enemy out of lane, once you get good at landing this you should be able to push them out of lane by level 3 or 4.

You will face one problem however, until you are able to max Love Birds or get a decent amount of magic damage you will have a hard time farming minions, as your basic attack does minimal damage.

Love Birds

Bracer of Replenishment

Mid lane
Once you hit level 10 your Love Birds should be able to clear an entire minion wave by themselves. This will give you amazing push and put the enemy mid laner behind by a lot. Your goal mid game is to destroy the outer mid tower, and begin ganking other lanes. However be careful if the enemy team has a jungler they will be definitely ganking mid a lot once you begin pushing hard.

Once you take a turret start to gank other lanes. This is where Kiss becomes useful. Either Kiss a friendly melee god and attack from afar, or Kiss only enemies, and use Back Off! and Love Birds to pick up some kills.

Mid lane
Late game goes 3 ways, it either doesn't happen because you push so hard that your entire team is 5 levels higher than the other and they surrender, or your pushing doesn't go to well and the teams are even except for their low level mid, or your team feeds.

When your teams just about even this can be the most fun part of playing Aphrodite. If you have at least built your core items you should be dominating the late game. In 1v1 fights and sometimes even 1v2 fights. Use Love Birds to chunk their health, wait for it to cooldown, then dive them opening with Kiss followed by a basic attack, then Love Birds and Back Off!.

If your team feeds it may be hard to come back, but remember a deicide can turn the tables and you lead you to a win.

Love Birds

Back Off!

Kiss

Teamfights are similar for both mid lane, and support Aphrodite with the difference being the amount damage you do.

During team fights never initiate unless built tanky. I would recommend using Kiss on your teams tank or bruiser depending on your team comp, and spam Back Off! and Love Birds to do some heavy damage. Make sure you watch carefully during team fights. If you see an enemy Poseidon ready to Release The Kraken! make sure you Kiss your teams ADC and use Undying Love to prevent them from dying.

Partners
Of course you will only have a partner when in a support lane. Aphrodite goes well with melee gods, never lane with a ranged god. If you play Aphrodite support try to lane with one of these gods.



Ymir + Aphrodite = win: Ymir will pretty much never have to leave lane unless he needs mana or wants items. Have Ymir initiate with Frost Breath and Glacial Strike while you use Back Off! and Love Birds to heal him and do some nice damage. You may want to use the mid lane build for this, as you will do more damage then him.



This is personally one of my favorite gods to lane with when playing support. Make sure he has full runes and have him imitate with Unchained and Brutalize while you use Kiss to stun them again, Back Off! to slow and damage, and Love Birds to heal.


bakasura
Another lane much like Fenrir where you absolutely dominate. Have him initiate with Take Down and Butcher Blades while you use Kiss, Back Off!, and Love Birds



When laning with Hades you have the potential to output a lot of damage. If he's building magic damage your in luck, have him initiate with Death From Below and Pillar of Agony, use Back Off! to slow and Kiss to ensure Hades gets the kills. When laning with a tanky Hades follow the mid lane build to obliterate your enemys with Back Off! when Hades uses Pillar of Agony



Being that Kali has one of the better sustains with enrage and siphon blood along with Aphrodites Love Birds, they are able to play as aggressive as they want giving your lane some very early kills.



I've laned wit several Odin players that built similar to Kali and we absolutely dominated in lane. When he uses Ring of Spears just make sure you don't get caught in it. With the bonus protections Odin gains + the sustain from Love Birds make him a huge threat to the other team.



Ares is another great laning partner and together with Aphrodite the enemy has no chance to escape. Using Shackles gives a nice movement speed debuff which allows Aphrodite to land Love Birds with ease. Using Searing Flesh along with No Escape and back off give a pretty good amount of damage and should earn you some kills.



This can be a tricky but very profitable lane. Hun Batz can break the range of Kiss rather quickly with Somersault and Sacred Monkey so you must be very careful not to let him over extend.



Another amazing lane with a double stun which completely wrecks in lane. Ne Zha should be able to pick up kills by level 2 once you have Kiss and Love Birds.



A very good combo with Athenas taunt and Aphrodites Kiss which allows you to give the enemies a lot of turret agro.

6/28/13 - added Hun Batz, Ne Zha, and Athena to Good partners. Also added tiered boots, as well as my tanky build.
6/8/13 - added Ares, Hades, Kali, and Odin to Good Partners.
6/7/13 - guide published