SMITE ALL THINGS
Smite is probably the strongest, most versatile summoner ability on the roster. It can be utilized on almost any character, and jungle/objectives are huge priority every single game. So why is it so underrated? How did it become the property of junglers alone? What other spell is a sole give away of role, what other ability marks an archetype to the T like smite does? Absolutely nothing. Flash is the TAKE ALL ability of every champ. Heal, ignite, exhaust, the primary staples of AD/AP carries supports and assassins alike. Is smite not the same? Ah, we must be talking about our friend Primitive Smite, incapable of effecting anything but jungle speed. Hell for a short while SMITELESS jungle was a thing. The good old days. Old, but good.
. Now we have abilities that spring off from smite. Abilities that hold stacks meaning more uses, which amounts to more versatility something all champs need. We have an ability that deals true damage to targets. Ignite? Nope, SMITE which deals true damage with added effects that don't include blocking a handful of "situational" healing spells that amount to anywhere from a scaling 50-300 which late game is about 2 more hits or 1 more spell (less for a softer champ). You want your support to have a AOE slow at all times (75 sec to generate 1 stack, holding 2 stacks every 2:30)? I do. Why not grab a Frost Queen's Claim? It'll only run you 2200 gold and you'll have that 2 target slow every 90 seconds. 10-15 minutes into the game you'll be good to go, and STILL have a 100 hp burst heal every 3 minutes to use. It does generate gold passively, but for that much gold it better wipe my ass for me too.
. I digress tho, this isn't about comparing summoner abilities to items. This is about the effectivness of smite in all roles. Challenger smite brings about many many uses. Not only does it reduce the damage incoming from any target you choose, but it also gives you true damage for striking that target. True damage? Surely you jest, that's useful on anyone with an auto attack and I can think of a few champions that have that feature. On an ADC this means you outtrade any opposing carry. On a melee duelist this means you can quickly drop the most dangerous of targets and live to tell about it. On a tank this means your harassment hurts, and you're not budging. Ouch. What other skills do we have that double as an offensive AND defensive option? Exaust. So again, every 75 seconds you generate a stack and hold 2 max. Every 2 minutes roughly you'll have TWO 10 sec CD challenges meaning any scirmish you're ready to dive in, dive out, and chase down your victims. Or, the alternative which is every 4 minutes you can release a devestating 40% dmg reduction, slow, and arm/res penalty of 10 for a whopping 2.5 seconds. THEY WILL NOT F* WITH YOU.
. I'm not really gonna discuss the importance of warding, which we are all highly aware of. So I won't mention the versatility of the Tracker's Knife. Due primarily to the fact that, I, do not ward as much as I should and would never build an item even to prove a point as grand as this one. I also wont discuss the raw importance of objective dominance. Having 3 smites to take dragon, baby pre-baron, and big boy baron is game changing. Not to mention the spontaneous counter jungling and buff stealing all game. They'll be so busy running around trying to clear out a jungle full of neutral jr.'s that they'll never have time to drop into a lane on your buds.
. SO, full summary, smite is probably the strongest summoner ability in the game. Get woke and stop dodging matches when I spread it on anything. It works, don't wait till you see it in ranked/streamers play. Explore all strategies, and stop hounding players when they don't follow a guideline that you're vaguely aware of. GL and HF out there homies.
