Mercury Drive-Thru Crits

Hey, there!

I'm SlayItConan!, or JoeshyByProxy for my fellow Xbox One casual Smite fiends.
This is my first guide ever and I'd like to do it right, so give me your feedback!
I would really appreciate any votes, as it gives me incentive to keep this updated.
I've been playing Smite for about a year, now, and I've come to love Mercury above all.
Every god has their downsides, but for me, he is the ultimate late-game "get in, crit hard, get out" assassin. (Loki who?)

So... let's get on to the items.

I'll be laying out explanations for each item in my usual build.
I will add variations in the future, but let me know what you prefer and why!

Warrior Tabi
Ok, so I know a lot of people like to build Ninja Tabi instead, but If you think about his already fast base attack speed and then the use of his 2 skill, Merc would benefit more from the additional 20 points of power. He's going to get plenty of attack speed from other items and his 2 ability to eviscerate any wayward gods in the jungle or stragglers hanging back from the fight.

Bloodforge
I know, I know.. A lot of people I have qualms about this little number.
It's not that pricey for a second item and it offers some decent early life-steal that Merc will desperately need. This item is close to par with Dev. Gauntlet when both are fully stacked. Merc is not going to have much luck farming in most games, so the less stacks needed early on, the better.

Brawler's Beat Stick
This item is a clear choice to me for penetration and an AA healing debuff on your target.
Essentially, a combo of Bloodforge and Brawlers Beat Stick says "No healing for you, only for me!"
The hunters of smite are typically squishy with a fair amount of lifesteal, which means this item could make Mercs natural predators into his new favorite play-things.

Ichaival
Do you ever feel like that fourth item is just like a mid-week work day?
Me neither...
Regardless, we still want to crank that puppy out fast and get on to our crit.
What item gives us a cheap boon to attack speed and penetration as well as a great AA debuff?
Why, Ichaival does, my good man (or lady). It's a steal and helps to starting putting your gold into crit faster.
That's my reasoning behind Ichaival, but I often sub it for either The Executioner or Odysseus' Bow depending on the situation.
In all honesty, it's fine to build ichaival sooner. You can put your extra cheese before, after, or between patties.

Rage
This item really needs no explanation.
Your chances of getting crits are insane with this item and Merc's AA speed.
This is the tide-turner for most games and makes jungling and 1v1's a breeze with the life-steal, penetration, and attack speed we've built so far.
Hey, it also offers a respectable 30 attack power to boot!
I typically always use rage and alternate my last crit item based on situation.
Rage really helps to stabilize your crit rate and offers a more reliable damage model.

Deathbringer
Now this pricey bad-boy is my go to last item.
The reason being, your crits are multiplied by 1.5x!
You were dealing 700-750 damage every 2-3 hits after Rage? Enjoy dealing 1050-1125 damage when you add Deathbringer to the mix.
The other crit items have their uses, but for me the huge boost from this item to overall damage output is too good to pass up. I typically avoid this item if I don't build rage first (which is rare) because you may be swinging a big stick, but you can't hit that sweet spot as dependably.

I'll get on to how I play Merc.

Pros:
Great mobility
High attack speed
Long-range Ult
Useful Passive
Great ambush bait
Best annoying laugh emote
Late-game OP

Cons:
Squiiiiish
Mage-bait
Tricky to position juust right
Can't farm worth a lick
More of a "warm body" during some team fights

The way I like to play with Mercury changes (like most of this guide, apparently) based on who i'm up against.
Typically, it is good strategy to play in a reserved way early on. Keep an eye on the map and try and stay away from groups of enemies. Pick off anyone you see by themselves, using your own discretion of course. The jungle is your friend, and helps increase odds of 1v1. If you make it to late game you can deal damage that verges on meta-breaking and I have yet to find anyone who can withstand more than a few blows. At level 20, I roid up on potions and just start wading into outlying enemies during teamfights. Again, use discretion here.

The thing is that you cannot get cocky in the least. The second you feel beefy and try to push that extra inch, the opponent can take a mile. I usually try to reserve my 3 ability for escapes or positioning of myself or a single target.
The 1 ability is for pokes, which can be more like stabs later on.
The 2 gives a sizable boost to attack speed and should be used religiously.
Merc's Ult is super useful for engaging and escaping, but also as a snipe. It deals a little less damage than other long-range attacks but it moves Merc to the end of its range. The trick there is distance and timing. If you let it reach out too far, you can leave yourself or allies exposed. If you ult, right up to them, the stun should be long enough to get in your killing blows.

My favorite thing to do, while admittedly risky, is to ult the enemy from behind their tower. Just charge it while 1/2 way through the jungle and by the time you line it up down the lane, it should reach to your own tower or close. This is great on the single lane joust and can get you to a team-mate in need faster. If they are inside your tower, try to line up the minions as well. When they're dead the enemy gods will be targeted by the ballista and hopefully stunned. You can use your 3 to keep em inside its range a little longer and try your best to body block them in while wailing on them with AAs.
I almost always build with Meditation and 2-4 Healing Potions to help with the early sustain.

If you can get up close and personal, another of my favorite things to do is show them the rope-a-dope. Move in serpentine patterns when approaching and when you're in their grill, unload those AAs while moving in semi-circles around them. Go one way and then back the other way, basically keeping yourself always on one edge of their vision. Using your 2 ability while trying this can yield some awesome results.

Once I can take a camp on by myself, I make a habit of trying to farm as many camps as I can. I love to do this in Joust, but in other games, it's important to keep your mind on your jungling duties and your eye on the map.
Play him strategically, don't let your power blind you to how squishy you are, have fun and be positive.