Rama Arena Build v1.0

Here is my reasoning for the items selected and their order. Also I will discuss it's effect to Rama as a whole.

Warrior Tabi: Boots are a staple in SMITE, being the starting item for most builds, this included. This adds a good boost in Physical Power (Phys. Power) and some movement speed so you can get out of a few situations a little easier.

Golden Bow: This item I don't see on other Rama's too often, and I think it has great potential and potency. It's +35 Phys. Power allows for a little bursting power early game but also allows for some good boxing power when fighting against other Hunters and i have been able to put off some Assassins as well as Mages from pushing. One problem I have had is Nox early game has been an issue for me, so is best to stay clear of Nox but try to keep your distance. The extra 5% movement speed is always nice early game and it feels nice to be able to move a little faster. The 10% crit chance is also very nice so them lucky crits are very welcome. If you land your basics well early game you should be able to do this well. Use your 2 with this too to get some extra attack speed this can be a potent combo. The passive, which allows for your basics to do 75% damage to surrounding minions and 50% to gods is amazing for clearing minions. Mid game onward, you'll clear the minions really fast and they won't cause much problems.

Ichaival: I chose this item next as this supplements the Golden Bow quite well in my opinion. With the attack speed increase of 30%, this allows you to have some decent attack speed. I have noticed I get this item after Warrior Tabi and Golden Bow around level 9-11. This item also yealds 10% Phys. Penetration (Pen.) which is good for when people build early protections. This, again, building on the basic attacks, allows for you to get past a few threats who build protections. Some gods such as Guardians can get in your way but Ichaival can help a little bit. Ichaivals passive, "PASSIVE - Every successful basic attack increases your Physical Power by 10, and reduces your target's Physical Power from items by 10, for 3s (Max 3 Stacks)" allows for 30 extra Phys. Power if you land three successful basics. This means the more you hit, the more damage. This is very good with Rama and allows you to box quite well with other Hunters, especially with their Phys. Power also being reduced.

Bloodforge: This item has saved my life a few times when on really low life. Bloodforge gives 10% lifesteal and +40 Phys. Power, allowing for more damage as well as some decent lifesteal. This allows Rama to dash out with his 3 and attack some minions and regain some life before retreating again. This tactic works well and allows you to get out of some sticky and unfavorable situations. Bloodforge's passive is, "PASSIVE - Each successful hit on an enemy grants you +5 Physical Power and +2% Physical Lifesteal for 4s (max 5 stacks)". So, when you have max. stacks, you will gain +25 Phys. Power as well as another +10% lifesteal. This can be game changing when boxing. It allows you to have some sustain whilst in the process. This can help secure that kill in some cases. This might not help much against really tanky Gods, but you can still do some damage to them as well as get some decent lifesteal.

Deathbringer: This was a clear item since we got Golden Bow. The reason I didn't rush this earlier into the game as simply I could not find the reason to. I only really needed those heavy crits later into the game as Rama scales pretty well by himself. But, into later game, this item becomes a MUST pick up. The +50 Phys. Power is only the beginning with +20% crit chance. For those who know Deeathbringer already, you know the real power lies in it's Passive, "PASSIVE - Critical strike damage is increased by 40%." This passive makes it so when you do crit - which is a 30% chance in this build - allows you top hit insanely hard. This passive alone makes this whole build tie together and make your basics some to fear.

Asi: My final item might not be one that you may expect. I chose this item as it is a good all around item. I use this item when I feel I am not dying very often and I can get many kills easily. If I feel like I am getting killed often, I would switch this item, but I will explain that a bit later on. The extra attack speed helps out with the basic attacks, in which this build in centered upon, and allows you to maybe hit a few more hits off. The +15 Phys. Pen. is a nice amount to have and it will help a little more against the opponents who got protections. The passive is, "PASSIVE - If you drop below 35% Health, you gain an additional 25% physical lifesteal for 5 seconds. Can only occur once every 15 seconds." This passive allows for you to have good sustain when you are low on health. This makes Rama a severe threat late game.

This combination is very hard to overcome as it has most things covered including sustain and critical damage which I have seen make up to 700 damage in one hit.

In this, I will explain why I chose this sequence of skills.

I chose to max out Rama's 2 because this gives a good attack speed boost, which can make or break a kill in all game modes, not just arena.

This allowed me to dash in with my 3, and use my 2 to fire them down. Your ult allows you to stop any people getting back to base due to its long range.

This works for me, but this is very personal and you can make it work in any order.

There is lots of different ways to use Rama. I got a 21/0/11 ratio in my last arena match with Rama and this build.

From the start, I get Beads (Purification) as first relic. What I do at the start of the match is to clear all the jungle camps to gain all the early exp and some buffs for the team. After, I return to base, finish my boots and get back to clearing minions and trying to keep enemy gods at a distance. Then build Golden Bow and carry on this process.

Late game, you should be able to clear the minions very quickly and then concentrate your basic attacks onto the enemy gods.

After this, just clear minion waves and go for kills. Rama is very good when practised so take your time.

In this section, I will describe some hell if you find yourself stuck in any way, and I will update this section if any comments arise with problems.

Item Switches: Often in SMITE, other players know how to counter build a team, from gods to items, this can be a fundamental part of SMITE and how it's played. A god counter to most other Hunters is Hou Yi. This is simply because he has crit protection. In this case, I would still build crits, mainly because the rest of his team won't see it coming. You just need to be careful around Hou Yi and make sure you don't expect the amount of damage you'll be dealing.

An item switch I sometimes run is instead of As I I use Witchblade. This is really the only switch I ever really do and the main reason I use this is when the team is mostly physical. If you feel this doesn't work, try other items and see how they work for you, it is trial and error and learning to play Rama in different ways will help your understanding of him as a god in a whole.

In conclusion, Rama works well with this build, and I feel it can be a large threat even though I rarely see him being used.

Pros.:
-Good sustain
-High damage
-Decent mobility
-Difficult to box against

Cons.:
-Some heavy counters
-Beads are his only escape from drums slows and roots
-Can be kinda squishy at times

If anyone has anything they'd like to add or change which would benefit the build, please feel free to add it to the comments section
I will address as many as a I can.

Thank you for reading!

-Musdohr