Smite On Supports, Stalker's Blade and Skirmisher's Blade

CyrosGold·Nov 21, 2014·3 votes·3,637 views

With the new Smite Mechanics comes a new opportunity to utilize smite in new ways, I've started trying out Smite on supports with Stalker's Blade so far, I've got a handful of builds with blitzcrank support because in my opinion hes one of the best to run smite, though others would be fun too like Thresh. Stalker's adds another good cc tool to the mix, as well as providing utility for map/vision control. It's est to make sure your team(Especially the jungler) is aware of what camps you smite in passing for buffs.

Here is a my first video with me going with a tank build, here I take the Juggernaut enchantment. Hope you enjoy it I'll post my other build vids as I make them.

6 Comments

CrowaldNov 21, 20142 votes

Stuff like this is probably going to get nerfed because Riot doesn't like how it isn't meta. Enjoy it while you can, I don't think it'll last.

Linna ExcelNov 21, 20141 votes

I've been wondering about this as well. Most supports could go either for AP or tank/tenacity upgrades and still have a slow on a 60 second or less CD. The few that thrive on getting a ton of assists might consider getting the feral flare upgrade and banana you to death.

On a more serious side, smite supports would help out with baron/dragon control. I expect people to at least try it in the preseason.

Duke AnaxNov 21, 20141 votes

She can also nicely use the health regen from Red so that's another reason to pick smite.

CyrosGoldNov 22, 20141 votes

I've done my AP build and it's up at the link below This time featuring AP Blitz with the Magus Enchant. It provides 20% CDR and 80 AP. I've also got a better feel for when to use Smite, it can help land Skill Shots like my hook, or be used as a peel.

Very fun indeed. Blitzcrank Plus summoner 11 = OP

http://youtu.be/VBxDrbEYrJ0

JoskonathonNov 23, 20141 votes

Very interesting video. Definitely wanna try it out, and with a Magus Enchantment+Stalkers Blade+Icebourne Gauntlet I can see Blitzcrank dishing out a considerable amount of damage considering his respectable AP ratios, even when going down the route of a tank.

I'd like to ask, though, what are the Pros and Cons of taking Smite over exhaust, or heal? Obviously better objective control, as well as equalled kill potential once the Stalkers Blade is bought, but I feel like in a skirmish (or team fight) the ability to reduce a targets damage and leave them more open to receiving damage could change the course of the fight whereas taking Smite could not be used to that effect.

If your mid-laner takes heal, perhaps your carry could take exhaust and you'd be well set for teamfights but then you'd be left with minimal sustain for your carry in the laning phase in the form of a Doran's blade and maybe life steal quintessences.

Taking exhaust and smite simultaneously could be an option considering Blitz can escape using his ridiculous move speed steroid, but the lack of flash could hurt in situations where you need to stay alive or have been caught out (by say, a Blitzcrank flash pull)

I'd just like to ask your thoughts on whether taking smite over exhaust or heal outweighs the cons of not having one of the two available in the laning phase and in the span of a game? (or none, if the Marksman takes Barrier).

CyrosGoldNov 25, 20141 votes

While exhaust is a great summoner, you have to think about up time and success rate. Even the best players only fully utilize exhaust about 75% of the time, what with other players having flash or other escapes and mistakes do happen where summoners are wasted. Exhaust has a 3.5 min cool down, smite only a minute. The biggest uses of exhaust has been damage reduction from the target, or to slow them to secure a kill. With the recent changes to Exhaust it's now also used to shred MR and armor it lasts 2.5 seconds. Now Chilling Smite(the effect the Stalker's blade adds to Smite) slows by 50% for 2 seconds and deals true damage that scales with level. While it seems as though Exhaust does much more(which in a single instance it does) over the same course of time Smite can be used at least 3 times. That's 6 seconds worth of slow that are applied to an enemy champion!! It's also 3 chances to benefit from the slow to harass, land skill shots, and secure kills. Over the course of a 30 minute game if both summoners are used on cool down(just to illustrate the point) Exhaust will be used about 8 times, Chilling Smite(After getting Stalker's at about 12 mins in which seems to be the average for me) will be used 18 times. In the long run you get more out of smite than Exhaust as far as the slowing effect goes.

Now smite doesn't only slow though, it's still smite and can be used as such. Thanks to the new smite mechanics and jungle buffs you can gain said buffs as a support to good effect, such as the Raptor oracles effect or the wolf's spirit, not to mention gaining health or mana from red/blue. Most of these would be best taken from the enemy jungle or, with letting your jungle know, from your own(you should even let your jungle know if you take from the enemy so if they go to counter jungle they can know whether a smite buff is available or not). Then there is securing monster kills like Dragon/Baron or stealing a jungle camp. There's also the Scuttle crab, it can have a huge impact on a game to keep these secured for your team.

Blitz also has the Smite grab, a trick of smiting a minion that's in the way of a hook while the hook was already mid flight. Blitz players would take smite for this alone to great effect, now at least you gain more from it. Yes you lose out on the Damage reduction of Exhaust, but you gain a tool that offers way more utility. But as Captain Planet would say, "The choice is yours".