Kali - In Which I Try to be Complete

Okay, guys, seriously. Why so few Kali builds? When I looked up Kali, there were only 5, and none of them looked appealing. This site caters to those new to the game, so why has one of the starter gods been overlooked?

Okay, rant's over. Time to start with how to build Kali. First off, how she functions. She is a physical carry (correct me if I'm wrong Animusliberus) and functions a lot like Bakasura, but with some quirks of her own. Like Bakasura, she tends to be a bit squishy, and relies heavily on lifesteal to not have to back overly much. But, like Bakasura, her damage output (especially from her Blood Lash) is quite amazing, and she can gank almost with impunity. But enough with the praise: you want to know how to build Kali. And that's what you will get.

This is basically just an introduction to what each skill (in my opinion) is good for.

Enrage This is Kali's passive. It is a major help to you, especially since she has so little health. Since it is always at work, you will often not notice it. Mouse over it for more details.

Kali Rage This is a lot like Bakasura's Butcher Blades. It is a powerup-style ability that adds to Kali's damage and movement speed. Really useful (especially when used with Sprint) for that burst of speed that you need to catch up with that enemy god and kill them.

Blood Lash This, people, is your bread and butter. Just mouse over it for a second and marvel at its damage output. This is why Kali can stand on her own two feet as a playable god. You max this out first, because of that beauteous 365 damage, and that's not even counting the 150% of your physical power.

Siphon Blood Now we have the basic heal-and-survive ability. This is a circle around Kali that damages enemies all around while heaking you. This can be used in conjunction with your cone attack (that's what I call the Blood Lash) to get rid of a pesky minion wave. Maxing this second gives better sustain.

Frenzy Your ultimate. A beautiful one, because it can (in good situations) take the place of Purification Beads, leaving your second ability open for a situational Sprint or an Aegis Amulet. This one is one you put a level in every chance you get, so you can do more and more damage to whoever is dumb enough to chase you. If they chase too far, in fact, then just use your 3 to heal up, then 2 them and they should be dead.

Now I will attempt to explain the reasoning behind each item choice, so that you will understand when I think it is good to get them. But understand this: the decision of what is a good idea in what situation is up to you.

So first off, I suggest you buy Death's Toll. It adds a bit of physical power, not much, but a good starting amount, and then adds some health. I find this imperative in anything approaching competitive play, because Kali is, truth be told, squishy. The attack speed is also a nice bonus, and, of course, the lifesteal is what we all want on a Kali.

I also suggest Hand of the Gods because it helps you gain experience (and, more importantly, stacks. Stacks are key to scaling into the later phases of the game, because they add to the effectiveness of the items they represent.

Then, as soon as you can, buy the Devourer's Gloves. They are very nice for their lifesteal and their physical power, but their most important feature is that thing I mentioned earlier: stacks. These particular stacks add both physical power and lifesteal, making them a great addition to Kali, and what's more, they are not lost on death. Thus, they are nice even on the most n00bly of players (such as myself).

As with any assassin, the Warrior Tabi is a great asset. The physical power and the critical chance, coupled with the speed, really helps you chase down the squishies.

As of now, I only have a few partners who I can recommend/warn against, but I will make an effort to add more as I go.

Agni - Still to come, but I strongly suggest against laning with a mage.

Anhur - Still to come.

Anubis - Still to come (see Agni above).

Ao Kuang - Still to come (again, see Agni).

Ares - Can be good, the chains and his ult can pull a lot of people into your cone attack, which is nice.

Artemis - Still to come.

Bacchus - Good for taking aggro, but really, don't lane with a drunk guy.

Bakasura - NO. He will not support you, and you will compete for kills, getting you both in trouble.

Bastet - Still to come.

Freya - Still to come

Guan Yu - A good lane partner. He has decent CC, and his heal and slow effects are really helpful in a lane.

Hades - Probably the only mage I would ever voluntarily lane with. He has enough HP to not just leave you hanging when you could really use a second body in the lane.

He Bo - Mehh...

Hel - Still to come.

Hercules - Can be good, but...

Loki - NO. See Baka for why.

Neith - Still to come (all the Neiths I played with went mid).

Odin - No, simply because getting caught in his ult = almost certain focussing and death.

Ra - Not really a fan of Kali+mage.

Sobek - Good CC with Tail Whip and Charge Prey, but a bit MP-dependent.

Sun Wukong --Still to come.

Thor - Another good lane partner. His ultimate is very helpful, as it stuns them, making them use their beads (in which case he Tectonic Rifts them) or allowing you to catch up. Can be a bit squishy, though; count on him having to back a lot.

Vamana - Still to come.

Vulcan - Maybe. The turrets can come in handy.

Xbalanque - Still to come, though he will probably mid.

Ymir - YES. Tanky, tanky, tanky, wall, stun, slow, ult, YES. He can get focussed for a long time while you cone and auto-attack them to death, and if they focus you, he freezes them while you get away, then walls them off from you, and ults.

Zeus - Maybe. BIG maybe.