Branmuffin's Joust Tips (Y11, Patch 11.1 "Year 11")

Legend:

• Damage Buff Camp: 1 of these, composed of 2 Tigers and 1 Tiger Buff Holder. Spawns at 2:00 into the game, respawn time of 3 minutes (180 seconds).
  
  
• Speed Buff camps: 2 of these, on the same side of the map closest to the phoenixes, composed of 2 Tree Demons and 1 Tree Demon Buff Holder. Spawn at 0:10 into the game, respawn time of 3 minutes (180 seconds).
  
  
• Mana Buff Camps: 2 of these, on the same side of the map, composed of 2 Turtles and 1 Turtle Buff Holder. Spawn at 0:10 into the game, respawn time of 3 minutes (180 seconds).
  
  
• XP Camp: 3 of these, 1 across from the Demon King camp and 2 on the same side of the map close to the Damage camp. Composed of 2 Tree Demons. Spawn 0:10 into the game, respawn time of 2 minutes (120 seconds).
  
  
• Bull Demon King Camp: 1 of these on the side of the map. Spawns 4 minutes into the game, respawn time of 5 minutes (300 seconds).

• Starting Level: 3
• Starting Gold: 1,500
• Setup Time: 45 seconds
• Speed and Mana Camp Initial Spawn Time: 0:00
• Attack Speed Buff Camp Initial Spawn Time: 0:25
• XP Camps Initial Spawn Time: 0:30
• Damage Buff Camp and Celestial Comet Initial Spawn Time: 2:00
• Bull Demon Spawn Time: 4:00
• Gold Spooling: 7/second

• Damage Buff: 20% damage + 10 mag power / 5 phys power. Best taken by the god with the highest (and easiest) damage potential..
  
  
• Mana Buff: +15 MP5 to you and nearby Allies within 55 units. Restores 4% of your missing mana upon damaging a god with an ability. Taken by the main ability-based god. Can be taken by a tank if they are mana-hungry..
  
  
• Attack Speed Buff: Increases Attack Speed by 15% while basic attacks reduce the target God’s Protections by 2% plus 2%/1% of your Physical/Magical Power from Items for 3 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times. Typically taken by the ADC, but anyone with good basic attack function can use this well.
  
  
• Celestial Comet / Indra's Scepter: The Comet crashes down at a random location, dealing a small amount of damage and knocking back gods in the area. It has 10 pips and can be damaged only by basic attacks. Each time it is damaged, a chunk will fly off it, and picking it up grants 3 XP and 5 gold. After the comet is destroyed, Indra's Scepter will spawn. Due to needing to be close to enemies to deal damage, Indra's Scepter is best taken by the god that will be close to enemies most often...usually the tank/front-liner.
  
  
• Bull Demon King's Might Buff: Grants 4% HP5 and 2% MP5.

• Objective Clear: Having at least one god that can quickly clear objectives (e.g. towers, phoenixes, Bull Demon) is extremely helpful. Often, you'll have only a temporary advantage and opportunity to push the lane, so you want to make the most of it. ADCs or other gods with basic attack focus are usually best at this.
  
  
• Wave Clear: Yes, this is different than objective clear. It's typically best if you have one god that can quickly clear waves from distance (this is often a mage). The more quickly and efficiently you can clear minion waves, the more time you have to attack the enemy gods, go for jungle camps, etc. Mages tend to be most effective for wave clear, though some mages are better than others.
  
  
• Crowd Control: Although in any given match, you can get away with weird comps, all squishies, etc., your best bet is to have as much CC as possible. This provides you with the ability to set up kills, peel for teammates, etc. Guardians and some warriors typically have the most CC in their kits, though some mages work here too.

1. It covers the main points above...Objective Clear (Hunter), Wave Clear (Mage, situationally hunter), Crowd Control (Guardian). The hunter should be built with the standard ADC mindset for high objective damage. The mage is typically best with burst damage potential, though they can opt for a bruiser mage if preferred. The most effective guardians seem to be the ones that not only have CC but also have good offensive inclinations, such as Sobek, Bacchus, Kuzenbo, etc.
   
   
2. 2 magical gods, 1 physical: Keep in mind that the map's damage sources (objectives, minions) deal physical damage. By only having 1 physical god, it forces the enemy to counter-build with magical protections (which are only helpful against gods) if they want to reduce incoming damage. This means possibly less enemy physical protections, so they will be less inclined to tank tower damage, for example.

• 2 Guardians, 1 Hunter: Lots of CC in this comp, hopefully with some displacement from gods like Sobek, Atlas or Kuzenbo. The hunter can mostly farm safely until they have enough items to deal significant damage.
  
  
• 2 Warriors, 1 Mage: Warriors often have some CC and pretty good damage output while still being tanky. They can be aggressive together and make things tough early-game for the enemy team, while the mage can nuke from the backline. This comp typically wants to win early as their damage can fall off later and their objective push isn't as strong without an ADC.
  
  
• 1 Assassin OR Aggressive Warrior, 1 Mage, 1 Guardian: This comp can have some good damage output from both the assassin/warrior and mage, and the physical gods can usually pump out good damage even when they build some protections.

• Mobility (Initiation / Escape): When possible, choose gods that have some form of mobility, such as a leap, dash, or teleport. Being able to close on a retreating enemy can help you secure a kill, but even more importantly, having a method to escape a dangerous situation is key. It is almost always safer than the alternative...when in doubt, have an out.
  
  
• Mobility (Through Obstacles): Some abilities allow you to bypass obstacles, which can come in the form of either existing walls of the map or player deployables ( Odin's Ring of Spears, Ymir's Ice Wall). These are by far the most valuable forms of mobility. Keep in mind that leaps that can get you past wallscan give you a huge element of surprise or the means to escape otherwise certain death.
  
  
• Aggressive Guardian / Building: When you use my main setup, you have 2 magical gods. Having an aggressive guardian that can build with some offensive or bruiser focus can give additional advantage to the mage on your team (e.g. building Void Doumaru), and in a smaller 3v3 match, gives your team more damage potential to help secure kills. Other examples of items that provide some offensive function include Ethereal Staff, Magi's Revenge, Archdruid's Fury and Pridwen.
  
  
• Healing: Lifesteal has been reworked, and now works less effectively on minions, so it's meant to help sustain you in a fight. Gods with actual healing abilities can help you sustain for longer without having to back. The Chalice of Healing, especially for squishy gods, can also be really helpful.

Assassins

• Bastet: Easy high-damage poke is difficult to counter. Her ult goes a long distance and has huge displacement potential.
  
  
• Camazotz: Good poke abilities plus a regular initiation escape ability on top of his ult which also provides dive and escape potential make him very effective in going for an aggressive Assassin. You might consider building 1 protection item, which won't hurt his damage output that much.
  
  
• Fenrir: Can be played tanky or for damage potential, which is pretty high, while also providing him with high mobility. His ult provides strong displacement potential and is a beads-burner.
  
  
• Ne Zha: Strong CC with a banishing ult that can work offensively or defensively to take an enemy out of play. Allows your teammates to focus the enemy when they drop back down. Also, very easy poke. Hit the back minions to get as many hits on the enemies as possible.
  
  
• Thor: Super easy CC and poke to whittle down enemies, plus your ult to dive a fleeing, low-health enemy.

Guardians

• Bacchus: A quick, damaging leap that also works as an escape, and one of the best burst damage kits of all guardians with his ult. High burst in a tank is extremely effective.
  
  
• Cabrakan: Is Cabroken. High burst potential and good control as long as you engage when you know enemy mobility is down.
  
  
• Kuzenbo: Solid CC/displacement in his push and ult, plus easy and annoying poke with his Kappa. Great against DoT and quick tick damage as he can pop his 2 and get some crazy CDR.
  
  
• Charon: Easy poke damage with some annoying silence and root functions. His escape is usually very safe and in side corridors his ult can be very effective.
  
  
• Atlas: Huge displacement potential if he can grab the enemy.
  
  
• Ares: Can keep enemies locked down and prevent movement abilities, forces beads easily with his ult and can output a lot of damage with no offensive items.

Hunters

• Hachiman: Strong poke, decent AS steroid, and can finish off low health enemies with his ult (which also doubles as a secondary escape).
  
  
• Hou Yi: Has an escape, a great, huge AOE ult, and his Ricochet can be deadly in the small paths of the jungle areas.
  
  
• Anhur: Strong early damage with a lot of control potential if played well.
  
  
• Medusa: Has an escape, good wave clear, and a nice AOE ult.
  
  
• Xbalanque: Has a pretty good escape, and while he doesn't have much CC, his damage output is extremely high.

Mages

• Baba Yaga: Great poke, a solid escape that can get her through walls, and an ult that can zone really well is a great kit combination.
  
  
  Baron Samedi: Can work as a tank, and has very strong CC and can connect on his abilities easily. Baron's Brew for everyone is a bonus.
  
  
• Discordia: Extremely easy poke and a short-range but nice leap.
  
  
• Ix Chel: Very strong burst damage with low cooldowns. Just have to be a bit safe and position smartly since she doesn't have an escape ability.
  
  
• Kukulkan: His ult's hitbox is fairly wide, especially considering the narrow jungle paths. Fire-and-forget wave clear makes it easy for him to concentrate on enemies.
  
  
• Morgan Le Fay: Good CC in her abilities plus a lot of easy poke damage. Her ult's distance can finish off enemies nicely.
  
  
• Persephone: Constant poke pressure from an extremely safe distance is consistently annoying. Her ult has significant control potential.
  
  
• Raijin: Safe escape, nice poke, and an ult that can finish off enemies or CC them.
  
  
• Thoth: Almost all he has is ranged damage, but that poke comes often and can help him snipe enemies. As long as he can stay in the back line and continue throwing abilities he'll be very effective.
  
  
• Vulcan: That cannon of his is extremely annoying, and deploying it to block incoming attacks can be really effective. Lots of CDR has him spamming abilities and dealing lots of damage.

Warriors

• Achilles: Mobility, an easily-applied stun, and a good execute ult.
  
  
• Hercules: Huge sustain potential, strong displacement, and good damage while being tanky as all hell.
  
  
• Chaac: As long as he's not the main tank, he can focus on just harassing with easy damage and slows. Combo his ult with teammate cooperation to focus down enemies quickly.
  
  
• Horus: Has a ton of CC in his kit, along with healing to sustain his teammates. His ult can get the drop on enemies, especially if they're going for the Bull Demon.
  
  
• Mulan: Good damage potential with easy-to-connect displacement/control.
  
  
• Shiva: He also shouldn't be the only tank, as his CC, while easy to apply, doesn't last long or displace much. His damage potential is very high however, and he has escape and sustain in his kit to make him a well-rounded bruiser.

• Horrific Emblem: This item, and especially the T3 upgrade, got a significant rework and provides bloated effects...slow, enemy damage decrease, anti-heal, anti-shield.
  
  
• Relic Dagger / Bewitched Dagger: If facing an enemy basic attacker, Relic Dagger is a great item to pick up along with Horrific Emblem and a second teamfight relic for higher use. The Bewitched Dagger glyph upgrade specifically helps to slow down those basic attackers' damage output, and you're no longer limited to just one glyph.
  
  
• Specific Aura Items:
  
  - Protections: Depending on which enemy gods are chosen, Sovereignty or Heartward Amulet (in addition to Gauntlet of Thebes or Prophetic Cloak) can be pretty helpful for the tank to grab early and help reduce damage for teammates.
  
  - Penetration: Void Shield and Void Doumaru situationally make sense to grab for the protection reduction effect for increased damage output.
  
  - Anti-Crit: Spectral Armor is basically essential when facing enemy crits.
  
  - Anti-Heal / Anti-Shield: Besides Emblem, you've got a variety of other items that can reduce enemy healing and shielding. Consider Tainted Steel and its upgrades, Pestilence, Contagion, and Erosion when needed.

If you're looking for good gods to pick, take a look at Kreshoa's recent review of Yash's tierlist.

GM Kreshoa's Review of Yash's Ranked Joust Tierlist (2023/12/31)

Warding is arguably a bit less important in Joust compared to Conquest, but that doesn't mean you don't need to do it. It's helpful throughout the game, and whether you're winning, losing, or in a stalemate. The following locations are the ones I consider most common.

Keep in mind, it's EVERYONE'S job to ward. Vision = Awareness outside your field of vision. Awareness = Advantage.

Legend:

• Green: Standard warding locations in the early game. The two locations near the mana buffs are the most commonly used, and give you good vision for when enemies are looking to flank the main lane for gank attempts.
  
  You can put a ward near the Red buff if you want to keep an eye on the enemies going for it.
  
  
• Red: If your team is being the aggressor, or you've got abilities that can go over walls, this ward can be helpful in attempting to steal the buff when they're looking to clear it. It is also used for general vision of the enemy coming back to lane from the side.

Sentry Ward

Legend:

• Green: Safe / defensive warding locations for when your tower is down and you want to protect the locations where you're likely to be. This prevents the enemy from easily surprising you as you're concentrating on the lane minions.
  
  
• Yellow: The same locations, but on the enemies' side. These are good for when you're pushing for the enemy's Phoenix or Titan.
  
  They serve a second function, in giving you forward vision if your team is looking to take down the Bull Demon safely.
  
  
• Magenta This ward (preferably a Sentry Ward) gives you direct vision of the Bull Demon area, specifically to make sure the enemy won't take the objective without you contesting it (or at least preparing if you can't contest safely).

(To be populated by me and others as feedback comes in)

• Farm!: There are several jungle camps in this map, and you shouldn't forget about them. Farm up as much as possible to give yourself extra XP and gold. If you've pushed the enemy back or gotten a kill or two, look to steal camps on their side of the map if you have enough time. Keep an eye on the camp timers and do what you can to secure as many as possible. Staying ahead of the enemy team in farm and levels gives you a pretty obvious advantage.

For this guide, I'm looking for additional tips to add, so please feel free to comment and throw in anything you've learned that can help give you an edge in your matches.

Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any and all comments, suggestions, etc. Feel free to add me/invite me if you want to play!

Brandon / PC IGN: Muffinman17