SMITEFire Community Guide to Ymir (Support)

Hey everyone, welcome to the SMITEFire Community guide to Ymir. In this guide, we'll be going over all the essential info you'll need to get started with the Father of the Frost Giants!

This guide was written by community members like you! Thank you to the following SMITEFire members for contributing to this guide:



Also, special thanks to xSypRo (iGodOfFight) for the Ice Wall example videos.

Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions if you have feedback on the guide. We are continuously working on improving the guide and any feedback is valuable! :)

Frostbite

• Reduces an enemy's damage when affected by Glacial Strike, Frost Breath or Shards of Ice. Note that Shards of Ice will only affect the enemy once it's time runs out or is canceled early.
  
  
• Increases Ymir’s basic attack damage for a short time. This passive plays a big part in Ymir’s offensive potential. Weave basic attacks in-between damaging abilities for a significant increase in damage.
  
  
• In builds that incorporate more offensive items, Polynomicon works well in combination with Frostbite for a nice burst of damage.
  
  
• You can be more aggressive early game because your basic attacks deal double damage. Take advantage of that as much as possible to force your enemies to retreat!
  
  
• This passive is currently bugged and the damage reduction can also stack (additively) up to 3 times. Using Frost Breath will reset the amount of stacks. You could do it by using 3 > 4 > 2 or 3 > 4 > 2 > 2 (with Staff of Myrddin).

Ice Wall

• General: This ability blocks an enemy’s general ground movement, along with ranged basic attacks of all types. Abilities that can penetrate through walls can still penetrate this wall; keep that in mind, as you can cast the ability to block incoming damage, and then use any of your other abilities to deal damage to enemies on the other side.
  
  
• Offensive Function (Chase): Use the wall to block enemy retreat pathways. Follow up with a quick Frost Breath and basics to prevent your target from escaping.
  
  
• Offensive Function (Siege): If you’re attacking an objective, use the wall to delay the enemy’s defense of the structure.
  
  
• Teamfight Function (Separation): In a teamfight, you can isolate enemies for better team focus and less potential incoming damage by placing the wall between enemies.
  
  
• Defensive Function (Retreat): If you and/or teammates are retreating, place the wall in a strategic location to slow the enemy’s pursuit. It can be more effective if you place it in front of them as they may be slow to react, and it will take longer for them to get around the wall.
  
  
• Defensive Function (Retreat Pro-Tip): If enemies are chasing you down (e.g. melee Gods with Hastened Katana), you can place the wall at your feet (facing the direction of your retreat); Looking down before placing helps prevent the wall from blocking you. As long as you have completed boots and are not slowed, you will run through the wall as it forms and cut the enemies off.
  
  
• Caution: Improper placement of the wall can have the opposite effect of what you planned. Remember that the wall can be canceled at any time, which is especially helpful if you've inadvertently blocked yourself or a teammate from retreating.

Below you can find some very good examples from xSypRo (iGodOfFight). :)

Glacial Strike

• This is your main minion clear ability, as well as your best poke/damage option against enemy Gods. It has high base damage and a low cooldown, with a somewhat short range but wide hitbox. It is easiest to hit after you’ve frozen enemies with Frost Breath.
  
  
• Due to the added damage of Frostbite, your best damage potential comes when using Frost Breath, hitting with a basic attack, then using Glacial Strike followed by more basic attacks for maximum efficiency.

Frost Breath

• This ability hits in a cone with a fairly short range. Due to the cone shape, your best confirmation of the hit will be closer to the max range. Don’t use this when an enemy is extremely close, unless they’re already under crowd control or immobile, as it can be easy to miss.
  
  
• Gank / Surprise: A popular combination is to use this with Blink Rune to surprise enemies. You can do this when ganking lanes, and to close the gap on retreating enemies just out of your range.
  
  
• Since the cooldown is quite long, do not use this to clear minions, unless you won’t need the ability’s CC any time soon.
  
  
• Be careful of spamming this ability. Always consider the best time to use it, whether it be for offense (setting up kills) or defense (peeling for teammates).

Shards of Ice

• This ability is amazing at zoning because of its large size, great damage potential and hefty slow. If there are enemies nearby a choke point chasing your allies, you can cast this to force them into a decision; risk high damage or find another way around. This gives your teammates more time to retreat.
  
  
• Shards of Ice auto-fires whenever you die. You can continue to channel it if you don’t think you’ll be able to retreat after you fire it.
  
  
• This is a channeled ability that gains in damage potential the longer it is cast. It can be canceled early to apply lower damage. Be sure to trigger the damage before the enemy leaves the area, as a reduction in damage potential is better than no damage at all.

Shards of Ice has massive damage potential and the cooldown decreases with higher rank.

Glacial Strike is your main minion clear and has a low cooldown so you will use it for your main source of damage. However, you do not need to max it before focusing on Frost Breath, especially since the stun duration increases with higher rank.

Although the Ice Wall has a lot of utility, it is typically prioritized last. It may be useful to prioritize it to a greater degree if you’re facing multiple Gods without any mobility abilities. Note that Gods with leaps and jumps can easily bypass your wall.

This generic build example doesn’t include any specific counter-items, but is well-balanced, providing offensive potential, cooldown reduction, and good protections.

Stone of Binding and Gauntlet of Thebes can be purchased in your preferred order. An earlier Stone of Binding provides good early damage potential in-lane, while an earlier Gauntlet of Thebes allows for stacking and higher durability.

Sell Shoes of Focus for Elixir of Speed and an item of your choice.


This build example follows a traditional Support route, focusing on tankiness and team support with multiple aura items. Early protections transition to later offense, utility, and CDR.

Sell Shoes of Focus for Elixir of Speed and an item of your choice.

Standard start for a Guardian Support. You'll typically pick up 3x Healing Potion and 3x Multi Potion.

Alternatively, you can switch Shoes for another T1 item such as Glowing Emerald if you build into Gauntlet of Thebes, or Druid Stone if going into Stone of Binding.

Ymir greatly benefits from the early cooldown reduction and mana that Shoes of Focus provides, making it the standard choice of mobility. Alternatively, you can consider Reinforced Shoes for more durability, or Traveler’s Shoes for higher base movement speed and some nice mana sustain.

Gauntlet of Thebes is a very strong protection item, providing health, high dual protections, and a protection aura for nearby teammates.

Typically a Support specific item, this is helpful early and mid-game against physical Gods, minions, and structures, which also provides an aura of physical protections and HP5 to nearby teammates.

Besides the physical protection, this item provides high cooldown reduction, along with a high mana pool and sustain to support higher ability use.

Extremely helpful against basic attackers, Midgardian Mail can force an enemy ADC/jungle to disengage because of its slow on both basic attacks and movement speed.

Counter item specifically built to decrease damage against critical strikes. Consider when facing multiple enemies building crit items.

A good anti-healing item against physical heavy teams (4 or more) that have significant healing and/or sustain. Note that its aura will not stack with Pestilence, nor will multiple Contagion auras.

The magical version of Contagion. Good against magical heavy comps that have significant healing.

This item provides magical protection, cooldown reduction, and extremely high MP5 to prevent you from ever running out of mana.

Helpful with multiple basic attackers on your team and for taking objectives in general. Works quite well with Frostbite.

Because Ymir likes to be in the thick of team fights, the passive damage mitigation can help keep you alive long enough to channel Shards of Ice for that extra damage and/or zoning control.

Functional balanced protections with added damage mitigation against high CC enemy comps. Also provides cooldown reduction.

Luxury item that provides a giant amount of protections and some cooldown reduction. The passive is useful especially in teamfights, stunning enemies around and removing CC applied on you.

Good dual protections and high cooldown reduction are appealing stats. The item’s passive is especially appealing. Since Ymir is rooted in place while channeling Shards of Ice, this item helps with extra durability and survivability after the damage is triggered.

This late-game item is used as a counter to enemy basic-attackers. The other stats are generally synergistic with Ymir’s kit.

One of Ymir’s biggest disadvantages is that he has no movement abilities like a leap or dash and slows can easily lock him down. Winged Blade helps with this by making him immune to slows and gives him a brief movement speed burst. The extra CC reduction also helps.

Solid utility pickup, especially when you get Blink Rune as one of your relics.

Ymir has CC in all of his damaging abilities; this item provides an easy debuff of an enemy’s protections, allowing you and your teammates to deal more damage.

Aggressive defense item to provide you and other magical teammates with extra damage potential.

Steal health and mana from enemies for a long time, making yourself tankier.

This offensive team-based item provides an increase in lifesteal and power for you and nearby teammates.

Unique offensive item that provides potential utility in teamfights. After using your ultimate, this allows one ability to be cast twice, which is appealing for any god with strong CC abilities.

Heavenly Wings is typically picked as 1st or 2nd relic. It will allow your team to both chase and retreat without being affected by slows, which is one of the most common types of CC.

Magic Shell is typically picked as 1st or 2nd relic. It provides a temporary health shield for you and nearby teammates. Upgrading this later-game is essential, as it provides 2 stacks of block, completely negating basic attacks.

Aggressive 1st relic choice, or utility as 2nd relic. Allows you to surprise enemies for strong initiation or kill secure potential. Ymir doesn't have any mobility abilities, so this relic provides him with a way to close quickly with enemies.

Good situational 2nd relic for when your team needs extra damage. It uniquely provides a general damage boost to all targets, INCLUDING structures/objectives. Also provides attack speed, which is great for basic-attacking teammates and for quicker objective takedown in general.

Situational 2nd relic choice to counter enemy healing. Its upgraded version also deals extra damage to affected enemies that are trying to heal.

Early Game

Main facts to keep in mind:

• Early Kill Potential: Ymir has great early kill potential, due to his strong CC and base damage. This potential is further enhanced if Blink Rune is chosen as the first relic. Use your threat of CC and damage to control the early lane.
  
  
• Force enemies back or zone them if the matchup is favorable, so you can deny them farm and potentially steal their Void buff. If the matchup isn’t favorable, you can retreat near your tower. With your CC, you can help set up a gank for your Jungler.
  
  
• Mana Hungry: Be careful of using abilities too often; it can be easy to burn through your mana stores, especially with the low cooldown of Glacial Strike. Make sure you always have enough mana in case you need to set up a kill or retreat.
  
  
• If you stand just to the side of the melee minions, Glacial Strike’s wide hit-box can connect with the entire wave, speeding your wave-clear potential to pressure the enemy team.

Mid Game

Main facts to keep in mind:

• This is your most important stage for team support with gank potential. Rotate through the jungle to lanes where you can assist, picking up camps when possible for farm. Surprise and isolate enemies to give your teammates lane advantage to take down structures and push the enemy back.
  
  
• When fighting in the jungle, your Ice Wall is often able to block an entire path; use that to your advantage to trap enemies for easy kills.

Late Game

Main facts to keep in mind:

• Your main role in the later stages of a match should be for fight initiation, CC, and zoning in teamfights. Always stick with teammates, but remember you’re the team’s frontline: you’re not supposed to be on the backline.
  
  
• If there’s havok among your backline and your team needs you to help them, then go right ahead, but, in any other case, you should always try to stun, slow and block out the enemies overextending into the frontline (normally short range mages like Eset, The Morrigan, Zhong Kui, etc), with the intention to create a engage possibility for your team.

Thank you for reading this community guide to Ymir! If you'd like to contribute regularly to guides like this, just send me a Private Message. Everyone who contributes to one of these Community Guides will be credited in the guide.

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