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Mage's Blessing
Lost Artifact
Mana Potion
Healing Potion
Mage's Blessing
Magic Focus
Mana Potion
Healing Potion
If you need anti-heal, buy Divine Ruin in place of Spear of the Magus.
If the game goes long enough to buy an Elixir of Speed, sell your boots and buy whatever else you might need in your build. You can opt for some CDR with Soul Gem, more power with Doom Orb, Mantle of Discord if you need defense. Staff of Myrddin is also a solid option if you're able to utilize the item's passive well.
Shoes of Focus
Chronos' Pendant
Spear of the Magus
Soul Reaver
Charon's Coin
Rod of Tahuti
Divine Ruin can be swapped out if you don't need anti-heal. Spear of Desolation can go here for some more CDR. You could also opt for Pythagorem's Piece if you want to get percent pen earlier.
If the game lasts long enough to buy an Elixir of Speed, you can replace boots with something else you feel you might need. A good option is Chronos' Pendant which allows you to spam your abilities. Rod of Tahuti will also be a massive power spike. You can also opt for some defense in Mantle of Discord.
Shoes of Focus
Doom Orb
Spear of the Magus
Divine Ruin
Soul Reaver
Obsidian Shard
This is an EXTREMELY situational build. I'll pull this out only if the enemy team comp has 3+ physical gods that can dive the backline well. Keep in mind that Breastplate's usefulness lessens the longer the game goes, so once your build is complete, I would sell Breastplate and pick up Mantle of Discord if you still need the defense. Divine Ruin can also be replaced with Spear of the Magus if you don't need to buy anti-heal.
Once the game has gone late enough to sell your boots and buy an Elixir of Speed, you have a few options. Given this is a counter-dive build, Soul Gem can be helpful for sustaining through the dive. Otherwise, you can opt for Chronos' Pendant for the CDR or Rod of Tahuti for even more power.
Shoes of Focus
Doom Orb
Breastplate of Valor
Divine Ruin
Soul Reaver
Obsidian Shard
There's really no reason to buy anything other than Beads and Aegis. On certain occasions, I will purchase Aegis first depending on the scenario. When in doubt, default to Purification Beads first.
Purification Beads
Aegis Amulet
Elemental Mastery should always be leveled when possible since the damage from the stance switch can easily turn a fight in your favor.
A common misconception is that you should prioritize the 2nd ability in leveling since it's your wave clear. However, you get the best results and damage output from prioritizing the 1st ability before the 2nd.
Elemental Mastery should always be leveled when possible since the damage from the stance switch can easily turn a fight in your favor.
Y
B
A
X
Tap each threat level to view Merlin’s threats
Fenrir guide (which is currently outdated). I've been on hiatus from Smitefire since Season 5 and since then I have transitioned from the Jungle to the Mid lane. And during that time, the mage I've played the most and have fallen in love with is Merlin. Merlin, like other stance switchers, can be extremely intimidating for players unfamiliar with him, especially since he has 3 stances at his disposal. Make no mistake, this god takes some practice to be good with. His kit is extremely strong, especially in team fights. But like any other god, he has weaknesses and vulnerabilities that you will have to learn to play around sooner or later. In this guide, I will explain how to do all of that.
Change Log
Merlin - Pros & Cons
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........ Pros ........
+ Strong Teamfight + High Counterplay Potential + Instant Mobility + 7 High Damage Abilities + Strong objective burn |
....... Cons .......
- Easy to dive - No built in CC immunity - Predictable Mobility - Weak early game - Requires good positioning - Weak objective secure |
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Overload |
"Every time Merlin casts a spell he gains a stack of Overload. When Merlin next fires a basic attack it will be augmented with lightning, dealing extra damage to the first Enemy."
I think of this ability as a built-in magical  Hydra's Lament. Though this passive may seem weak at first glance, even borderline useless for a backline AOE mage, there have been certain scenarios where it was the difference between getting the kill and the enemy getting out with low HP. While it's not make or break, keep this ability in the back of your mind, especially in the early game.
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Eclipse (1) |
"Merlin conjures an orb of condensed celestial energy that grows in size as it travels, dealing damage every 0.4s and marking Enemies hit. Enemies marked take additional damage if they stay within the outer range of Eclipse."
One of Merlin's many tick-damaging abilities, Eclipse is one of your lesser options in terms of early game wave clear. However it will also be your strongest tool in most team fights not only due to its damage but also because of its large AOE effect.
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Vortex (2) |
"Merlin deploys a field of arcane energy at a location. After a delay, the Vortex deals damage and pulls Enemies towards the center."
This ability is most effectively used in combination with Eclipse (see combos section for more details). Aside from the combo in team fights, this ability is also amazing if you need to peel someone off your teammate, or even yourself, by creating a bit more distance. |
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Radiate (1) |
"Merlin channels a beam of intense fire for 2s that deals damage every 0.5s. Each time Radiate hits an Enemy, it also applies a Burn, dealing additional damage over time."
One of two of Merlin's abilities that are designed to do one thing and one thing only: deal a lot of damage. This ability has a noticeably shorter range than the abilities in Merlin's other two stances, so it should be used wisely and with caution. This being said, it's his strongest tool both for burning down objectives as well as enemies. Keep in mind that this ability applies a burn effect as well as the tick damage.
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Dragonfire (2) |
"Merlin summons forth two ethereal dragons that spout flames towards each other, dealing damage to Enemies every 0.25s. If caught in the center of the area, enemy god's protections are reduced. The dragons last for 3s."
Just like Radiate, this ability is built to shred whatever is in it. It's like a ground AOE version of Radiate. The difference, though, is that instead of applying a burn effect, it gives Magical Protection Shred to enemies caught in the center of the ability. |
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Frostbolt (1) |
"Merlin hurls a Frostbolt that explodes if it hits an Enemy, dealing an additional 15% damage if they are slowed."
Frostbolt is great for instant burst damage that can be actually be used from pretty far away. It is also a relatively low cooldown compared to the rest of his abilities. It is important to know that it deals additional damage to enemies who are slowed (regardless of the slowing source). That being said, it is most commonly used after using Blizzard. |
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Blizzard (2) |
"Merlin creates a Blizzard at a target location. After a brief delay, shards of ice start hurling down every 0.7s. Enemies hit take damage and progressively get more Slowed while they stay within the area."
This ability, beyond the first couple levels, will be your bread and butter for both wave clear as well as long-range poke. This ability can be cast from far away and can be used over walls. |
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Flicker |
"Merlin quickly teleports a short distance in front of him."
Known more popularly as a combat blink, flicker does exactly what it says. This is Merlin's 1 and only mobility. While you shouldn't be afraid to use it to get away, it has a relatively long cooldown even with full CDR so for that reason it's extremely important to pay close attention to your positioning. It should be noted that this ability shares a cooldown no matter what stance you are in. It can also be used for aggression or to chase (especially to proc Overload), but do so with extreme caution. A pro tip, that has made the world of difference for me, is to set this ability to instant cast. I highly recommend doing this.
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Elemental Mastery |
"Merlin taps into his inner potential, exploding with energy in the stance he is currently attuned to. During this time Merlin can choose which stance to enter into next. After the explosion reaches its apex, it collapses in on itself. Enemies are dealt damage from both the explosion and the implosion and suffer different effects depending on which stance's energy they are being hit by."
This ability is Merlin's stance switch. The ability description can be confusing, so allow me to explain in a more simplified way.This ability will switch you to one of his three stances: Arcane, Fire, or Ice (you will always start in Arcane at the start of the game). How they are listed above is also the order they will go in automatically when you switch stances. However you can, of course, choose which stance to switch to by selecting the stance while switching. The order is, again, as follows: Arcane (1/X/Square), Fire (2/Y/Triangle), and Ice (3/B/Circle). When you switch stances, you will have 2 effects, an Implosion and an Explosion. Not only do these do damage, but depending on the stance you are in and the stance you're switching to, they will have different effects as well as dealing damage. The Arcane stance will apply a small knockup, the Fire stance will apply a burning tick damage effect, and the Ice stance will slow enemies. Utilizing this effect properly is extremely important. It is extra damage and effects that can make the world of difference, but you don't want to put yourself out of position in order to apply these effects. So as an example, let's say I'm in Arcane stance and I'm switching to Ice. On the Implosion, I will apply a small knockup to enemies within range. On the explosion, I will apply a slow and deal damage from the explosion. Once I'm in Ice, if I switch to Fire, I will apply a slow on the Implosion, apply a burning tick damage on the explosion, then deal damage to enemies in range. |
ArcaneFireIceObjectives
Merlin does well is he's able to easily proc the passives on certain items, which can be extremely potent. This being said, you also need to build properly in order to fill the role that your team needs you to. The builds I've listed are what you can default to, but it is extremely important to counter build and not get into a mindset that you will build the exact same thing every game.
Relics
Cooldown
Power
Penetration
Defense
Lifesteal
Merlin in the Mid lane, and it's basically the same as any other Mid laner. This is NOT a Midding guide. The map will assume that you and your jungler are doing the standard start in Conquest in S7.
First Waves Information
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Help your Jungler with Speed (1). Starting in your Ice stance, use  Blizzard to help kill the Speed Buff. If your jungler has slow level 1 clear, you may need to use a few Auto Attacks on the big minion before going to lane to make sure you get the XP and Gold for it.Clear first Minion wave (2). Use Blizzard to hit the entire minion wave, switch to Fire stance, then use  Dragonfire. This, combined with a few autos combined with  Overload procs, should be enough to clear the wave and hit level 2.Clear side Mid camp (3). As soon as you clear the first wave, put a point in your  Radiate and use it to clear the side Mid camp. As of patch 7.7, this camp is now one harpy is a bit tankier. Don't be afraid to go ahead and pop a potion of healing or to use multiple abilities to clear this (since you should be level 2 after the first wave).Clear 2nd Minion wave(4). Use your abilities to clear the second wave. You can get some poke off if the enemy mid pushes up, but be extremely careful. This is around the time the Junglers are headed towards mid and pushing up too far is asking to get blinked on and first blooded. Clear the Neutral Mid camp. (5). Place your ward down either on the enemy side to get vision on their rotation or on your own for safety and proceed to the Neutral Mid camp. You can expect the enemy mid to contest (maybe even their jungler as well), so proceed with caution. Something to note is  Frostbolt is a great utility to steal away one or both of the harpies if the enemy has pressure there over you.After this point, rotations depend on the flow of the game. | ||||
Additional Tips
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Eclipse
Vortex
Nemesis
Book of Thoth
Mantle of Discord
Ne Zha
I could mention it, but what are the advantages of doing it this way? Testing it, there's not a massive difference in the time it takes to clear the wave. Also comparing the damage of
This being said, using
Here's a video of another pro doing it the same way.
Arcane stance for your 1st ability key.
Fire for the 2nd ability key.
ice for the 3rd ability key.
you don't shuffle them with your ult key.
^ basically this.
Your ult is your stance switch. If you're using default controls, it's Y on an Xbox controller and Triangle on a PS4 controller. When you're switching stances, you have roughly a second to choose which stance you switch to. So you use your ult then you press the button for which stance you wanna switch to. Ability 1 (X/Square) for Arcane, Ability 2 (A/X) for Fire, Ability 3 (B/Circle) for Ice.
Arcane stance for your 1st ability key.
Fire for the 2nd ability key.
ice for the 3rd ability key.
you don't shuffle them with your ult key.
My only suggestion would be switch
Anyway, great job.
Thanks for the feedback.
Really well put and informative guide, sweet on where most players seek help with: Skill usage and building a lead. I honestly see you build
Like I could only see Charon's if you weren't building Chronos' Pendant.
CDR Boots > Chronos' Pendant > Divine Ruin > Soul Reaver > Obsidian Shard > Rod of Tahuti
At the very least adjust the build order, swapping out shard for charon's.
At the very least adjust the build order, swapping out shard for charon's.
CaptainTwig on Pos and Sheento on Merlin
When to get obsidian vs when to get charon?
What's the rule of thumb about getting items like obsidian and titan's bane?
Were the buffs even that significant on Charons? How much was the cost reduction buff (50/100 gold?) Is that significant?
Your point was to value obs shard more because of its penetration. The Pen on Charons didn't change though AFAIK.
With the buffs, Charon’s is now slightly cheaper than Shard, and has bonus sustain on it.
As for the build orders in SPL, it could additionally be linked to the minor-ish nerf to Soul Reaver not long ago.
I respect the feedback you're giving to me but I humbly disagree. This is the way I like to play
And you could still have 2 separate builds, I didn't say "only use build 2", I listed a build path that makes more sense for your first example. Not exactly sure what you're trying to say here.
Except you havent given any reasons why the suggested build path I listed is worse?
Or, how you literally get 2 luxury items early in your 1st example build? (Doom Orb and Chronos')
You're basically saying my opinion is wrong because I'm building Charon's over Shard.
My counter-argument to that is I think Charon's is superior over Shard and offers much more for basically the same price tag. I never said the build you listed is bad or even worse, I just disagree with it when both builds accomplish the same thing (CDR focus). Doom orb is in a situational slot and can easily be replaced and wouldn't hurt the build at all.
Thanks for the feedback.
Solid guide, some great tips. I especially like the detail for the first portion of laning.
I think it is important for you to list all of your alternative/optional items at the top too...not just example builds and starting items.
Also think, even if you don't prefer it much,
Regarding Spear of the Magus, I have to disagree. I think this item is in a really bad place. For almost 2500 gold you only get 75 power and 10 pen with a relatively weak passive. The only god who I think might be able to make it work well would be
I have to agree with Bran on this. I understand not wanting to clutter the top, but from what I hear, I think the majority of players are just going to quickly look up SF Builds on their phone before the start of a match. They won't bother reading the items section.
So I propose a compromise:
Only add the important items to the top.
For example, you talk about
So just don't add items like
Other really good items, such as
Again, the choice is completely yours. Just listing my preference. I've CCed others into this thread to see what their opinions are (would they prefer some items listed in the top, or do they think just listing the build is best?)
People that want to better learn a character will look more into the guide anyway.
honestly my preffered type of top stays a bit of the Core items + offensive/defensive one (which is getting quite outdated in smite nowadays) or the item 1 pick one of these 2-3 boots/items continuing on for every item with helpful notes (like if you don't have any cdr/pen pick item x it's recommended to pick item X.
And if you don't like Magus, that's fine too. Was just a suggestion.
+1 for good guide.