Reminder that smite used to be instant-cast and frame-perfect, but they added a cast time patch 3.14
Just gonna copy/paste an arguement I was having with someone else. Back in 3.14 they updated smite's particle, sound, and icon. And in order to do this, they also added a cast time/delay, because otherwise the particle wouldn't show when it executed a monster. Please bring back instant-cast smite.
link to original comment: https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-plus/HFMUxiVV-after-500-games-played-of-nexus-blitz-with-a-60-winrate-here-is-my-feedback?comment=001f00000000000000000000
Well it feels instant to me compared to katarina E for example which is also instant (which I main. actually bad example well compard to old kat) The whole animation might be delayed but the dmg is instant
I am 99% positive its instant. Perhaps your reflexes are slower (they get slower as you age, also ping could influence it)
No, it's not. It used to literally be frame perfect. If you had zero ping and pressed smite, it would smite on that frame. If a monster was low enough hp to be executed, it would literally just vanish from existence that frame (I don't think monsters had death animations yet?). There is absolutely a delay now.
I don't have video software set up at the moment, but I managed to get a screenshot in practice tool. So assuming screenshots work properly (capture a single frame as it appears in game):
https://i.imgur.com/gNTBqTt.png/img
You can see the smite animation. You can see smite is on cooldown. But the dummy's health bar (top left corner) is still showing full hp. The damage has not been dealt yet. (Although for some reason the DPS has registered the damage - perhaps because the spell is locked in and will hit no matter what, assuming the target doesn't die before it registers).
Here's 2 more (health bar is above the monster):
https://i.imgur.com/emT5s6j.png/img
https://i.imgur.com/aPWUjZV.png/img
And here's one more (health bar is on the top left too this time):
https://i.imgur.com/YvbhuAv.png/img
If you have video software that can capture every frame, and you want to go through it frame by frame and prove me wrong, go ahead. There is a (small) delay before smite deals its damage. It's probably closer to 0.05-0.1 seconds.