Zhong Kui, Demon King. (Conquest)

Welcome to my guide to Zhong Kui. I'd like to think my record with this God speaks with itself, but we all have our down games and down teams so I'll put this guide out in the hope's that my experience will raise the game of a few zhong players out there.

Zhong Kui is a god who needs a solo lane, be it short or middle, it is vital that he be ahead of the curve in both experience and gold. As a duelist and lane clearer there are few who can match his sustain, clearance and killing power. So lets talk first and foremost about his kit.

Pros:

-Incredible survivability and sustain.
-Strong AoE Damage
-Strong CC
-Great initiates late game
-Huge advantage vs almost any other mage in mid lane.
-Late game kiting/escapes
-Skill synergy makes him a blast to play.
-Fantastic against jungle ganks in the early-mid games.
-Late game support/heals are superb. Not up to a dedicated support like Aphro or Hel but they won't have half your cc/AoE capabilities.

Cons:

-Must not go back before level 3 or game will fall to pieces.
-Late game dueling is iffy.
-Ultimate is a bit too critical to any encounter, especially if you haven't got Gem of Isolation.

Passive: Demon Bag

For every target hit by Exorcism whilst under the effects of Expose Evil, Zhong Kui will add one soul to his Demon Bag. Each soul is worth 3 physical and magical defense up to a maximum of 20 souls - 60 defense.

This is an excellent passive, not only does it allow Zhong to trade very well in the middle but it also gives him extraordinary tankiness in the late game compared to other traditional mid laners. It will be up to you to keep this bag as full as possible, as often as you can. I'll go into maximizing souls per exorcism later.

1: Expose Evil

The cornerstone of Zhong Kui's kit. Not only is Expose Evil the most versatile spell in and of itself, it also empowers his other two base spells. Expose Evil applies a green tag to all targets in a wide line. Anyone hit will be slowed by 20% on each tick and damaged for a moderate amount every second for 5 seconds. If Exorcism or Book of Demons is used on a target affected by this spell, 50% of the damage remaining on the DoT will be dealt instantly as bonus damage.

The projectile is pretty fast and has a wide range for hitting as many minions as possible.

I choose to max this 2nd over Books of Demons simply because it does more damage, both for your combination spells and by itself. If someone is getting away from you into the tower, a well placed Expose Evil will whittle away that last sliver of health and it's your longest range spell. Having experimented between leveling Book of Demons up first for the extra stun duration, I found Expose Evil's damage and finishing potential to be more useful in the early and mid game.

2: Exorcism

Deals good damage in a frontal cone. In addition, any target hit by exorcism whilst already under the effects of Expose Evil will add a soul to Zhong Kui's demon bag. Up to 3 targets hit by this combo will also heal Zhong Kui.

A fairly standard spell, but also the most vital to his early game. The heal on this spell combo will allow you to outlast any other mid laner. It enables Zhong to be very aggressive and still come out on top. Every chance you get, you'll want to tag all 6 minions with Expose Evil and use Exorcism from a side position to clear the lane and add to your demon bag as your standard lane clearing combo and heal. Be efficient with your casts and try to squeeze in as many tagged minions as you can.

Max this out first after getting 1 level in all three for greater burst damage and stronger healing.

3: Book of Demons

Whilst off cooldown, you'll have a pet. For every auto attack the book will fire a 2nd projectile for 50% of Zhong's auto attack damage. When activated the spell does moderate damage and stuns for a small duration, the duration is doubled when used on targets under the effect of Expose Evil.

This will be the lowest priority spell to maximize, but your very first spell to spend a point in.

When going in for the kill with Recall Demons, it'll be this skill that you'll want to use to expend Expose Evil's tag. Whilst off cooldown, the auto attack bonus will allow you trade really nicely and do some excellent bonus damage until the need for the stun arises.

Get 1 rank in this at the start for the interrupt and auto attack bolts then max it last.

4: Recall Demons

AKA: The game changer. This spell is frankly, ridiculous. It does brilliant damage, excellent healing and gives you cc immunity for the full duration. It'll be hard to tell you all the situations where this spell will turn the tide but it effectively turns you into the most important target on the field, if only they could cc you!

First and foremost, any souls in Demon Bag will now provide you with 6 magic and physical resist per soul. This can therefore give you an obscene 120 bonus resistance with 20 souls in the bag, for 5 seconds.

Any enemy or ally within the enormous AoE range will invoke a demon every second. Every demon invoked will chase the target relentlessly and deal damage to enemy targets or heal friendly targets and Zhong Kui for roughly 50% of the damage amount. Once the ultimate is over, Zhong will lose all souls from Demon Bag, requiring you to restock.

Perhaps the most obscene thing about this ulti is that you can still cast and attack whilst the ultimate is active!!

In a 1 on 1 duel there is almost nothing another god can do whilst you are under the effects of this ulti, save for a combat blink. Not only this, but a jungler coming into assist will most likely melt and have his cc rendered useless whilst it's active. This can turn what the enemy might consider a guaranteed gank into a double kill in your favour.

When ganking from middle lane, or initiating a team fight, this will be your opening move.

Rank it up whenever possible.

IMPORTANT NOTE Recall demons does not hit enemy minions. Do not underestimate the damage/barrier these bastards will provide early game. If you rush past 6 minions in a level 5 rush to kill, those archers will really turn the tide against you unless you hit them with expose/exorcise. You have been warned. It's the equivalent of playing a King/10 unsuited in poker, you have a deceptively weak hand, do not overplay it.

I have to be honest....I build Zhong exactly the same way every single game. There's a reason for this, his kit is so flexible that this item build will never be obsolete.

Zhong excels in three key categories. Dueling mages, crowd control and smashing hunters. The priority with items, therefore, is to maintain these qualities in the early to mid game.

Your starting build should be a Vampiric Shroud, first rank of Shoes and one of each potion. The healing potion will cover any mistakes/allow you to be aggressive early until you reach level 3. At level 3 you will now have the Expose Evil / Exorcism combo for sustain, so mana will be critical to outlast your mid lane opponents.

Vampiric Shroud is a highly underrated item, and it shocks me how many Zhongs will start without it. Its Mp5, health, Magic power and bonus regen for last hits fit Zhong perfectly.

From there a rank 1 of Meditation will nullify all of Zhong's mana requirements and should be prioritized over upgraded shoes. With Meditation, Zhong can keep himself in lane indefinitely.

I highly recommend the Shoes of Focus over Shoes of the Magi. 15% cooldown reduction is just so much better anyway you slice it and as we'll be investing in Void Stone for defensive purposes, penetration will not be an issue. Zhong's priority targets will never be tanks, his strength is in dealing vast amounts of AoE damage to fragile targets, eliminating them quickly and leaving tanks to be dealt with last.

Once shoes are complete and rank 1 meditation is acquired, you want to boost your cc and give yourself an edge over almost any opponent. Thus, Gem of Isolation is your first big item. Expose Evil + GoI means a 45% slow for 7 seconds....that's insane. Your ulti means a 25% slow in huge AoE for 7 seconds....also insane.

Gem of Isolation is just so flexible, no Zhong should ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever be without it. If there's one thing hunters and assassins cannot stand, it's cc, this will cripple them. The extra health and mana barely even come into it, even without it this would still be your priority item.

From there, Focused Void Stone will continue to give you power over any other mage, and boost your already considerable defenses. Mages will tend to be more of a threat to you than any physical hero, for the simple fact that any Auto-Attacker is much more effectively kited by Zhong Kui's slows.

From there we go pure power. Rod of Tahuti and Bancroft's Talon. I'd say Rod of Tahuti is absolutely essential to remain relevant in the damage department.

Your 5th purchase is more of a flavour item. I prefer Bancroft's Talon for a mix of strong offense and extra healing in the form of spell steal. If you're against a high defense/low offense team Soul Reaver would be a very suitable alternative. In a high offense/low defense situation the 13% extra spell steal from Pythagorem's Piece would serve you very nicely.

Should the game get to the very, very late stages, swapping your Vampiric Shroud for Hide of the Nemean Lion will ensure you'll be the last thing any hunter or assassin wants to attack voluntarily, but they won't have a choice with all your spells tearing them to pieces.

In summary this build will give Zhong Kui excellent cc, insane survivability from the combined power of his passive and heals, superb team fight damage and even some spell steal.

So, onto the early stages of the game. Mid lane is your natural environment. With a starting rank in Book of Demons you will have more auto attack power than almost anyone, allowing you to clear the minion waves nicely. At rank 2 you get Expose Evil. If possible always aim to hit both minion waves and the enemy mid laner. 20 damage per tick might sound small but against a squishy mid laner you're talking about almost 15-20% of their health in 5 seconds in the early game, depending on their starting items.

Hit level 3 and things will start to look bad for your opponents. Fill your Demon Bag as much as possible. Wait for the enemy to get behind the minion archers, tag them all with Expose Evil, rush past the melee line, use Exorcism and walk back whilst enjoying your incoming heals.

When adding stacks to your Demon Bag, always try to get the enemy god in Exorcism's blast as well. Exorcism does very decent damage early game. The key is to turn it into a war of attrition that you will always win if you get the hits in. Wear them down, heal yourself and demoralize them into retuning home, or making a foolish move on you which Zhong Kui can easily punish with Book of Demons.

The key is to wait for them to make to first move, then turn the tables with the heals from Recall Demons and Exorcism. If Anubis whiffs a stun, He Bo gets in too close or Zeus is trying to auto attack within your range, hit your ulti and immediately tag them with Expose Evil. Run them down and throw some auto attacks with Book of Demons' extra bolts and before the tag wears off, stun them with Book of Demons' active. Finally, use Exorcism to polish them off.

Aggression is very important here, if they come into your range, bait them into firing on you then charge them down. Being timid with Zhong Kui will have you falling behind.

Remains the same but minus the early aggression. Let your enemies try and make a move and make the mistakes, and just outlast them with your heal combo and minion clears. If they make a bad move, you'll have Recall Demons before they have their ulti. Pop it, tag them, lock them down with Book of Demons and your ranked up Exorcism will melt them and leave their under-leveled support at your mercy, mostly likely with you not much worse for wear if you dodge well.

If all has gone to plan, you'll be far ahead of your mid lane opponent. If you're in a stalemate, fear not, Zhong Kui's ganks are legendary. Come from behind pop Recall Demons, Expose Evil, Book of Demons and mop up with Exorcism and your team mates. If they get away, chase them down with a 2nd Expose Evil (with Shoes of Focus. Expose Evil's cooldown is alarmingly short.)

The reason why Zhong Kui needs to be solo is simply because if he isn't ahead in levels and gold, his lower than average offense will begin to tell. You can never allow yourself to be ignored as a target. If they simply bypass your damage and focus on your team mates in a gank, you've thrown away Zhong's high survivability. You want to be the guy taking the hits for your team mates.

The fastest way to overcome his lower offense is with crowd control. This is why Gem of Isolation is so vital at this stage of the game. If someone is getting slowed for 45% for 7 seconds, it doesn't matter how much damage they're taking, they're a freaking sitting duck for your chums.

Recall Demons is the game changer, if someone is in a bad 1/2/3v1 situation in the jungle, you can easily turn the tide with this skill and a good stun from Book of Demons. When the main laning phase is over, try to keep Recall Demons in your pocket. There's nothing worse than being without it for the first big team fight because you decided to burn it to melt some under-leveled Fenrir at the fury camp.

As with any Mage, try to avoid auto attacking. Use your ability to cast at full speed whilst on the move to evade counter fire and out damage your opponent. Only use auto attacks on a fleeing target that's tagged with Expose Evil.

This is where most mages' weak points really begin to show. Not so with Zhong Kui. If you build with my items and maintain a combination of offense, control and defense; not only will you be able to duel with almost anyone, you'll be the biggest asset in any team fight.

Those you can't duel, you can kite/wear down until back up arrives or they get bored and run. Except there is no running, because you're Zhong Kui.

As always, any team fight should start with Recall Demons. This is mostly for the cc immunity. Charge the enemy team down and entrap them with Gem of Isolation, if they try to fight back, tag them with Expose Evil, stun with Book of Demons and continue to let your ulti wear them down whilst nullifying their damage against your team mates. Use Exorcism to hit as many of them as possible. Against someone like Ymir, or Athena, just stroll past them. They won't be able to do a damn thing to you, because your ult will heal their meagre damage and your cc immunity negates their utility.

Auto attacking rules apply here too, just strafe and dodge around whilst casting your spells. Using auto attacks just makes you a slower, easier target.

When you can and when it isn't a detriment to your jungler, use forest camps to get blue buffs and boost your Demon Bag's soul count. When you clear a lane's minion wave with your combo, duck into the jungle and get more souls/exp/gold with your rapid clearing speed. Keep your Book of Demons off cooldown because the extra auto attacks will clear them faster and leave you with a stun panic button should you get ambushed.

If you die or head back after a team fight, your path back to the action should always include a couple of jungle camps to get your defenses back above average.

So these are the priorities you should bear in mind with your zhong play.

1. In Mid lane / 1v1 short lane: The key is to outlast/harass and out level your lane opponent using his immense kit. This will allow you to bully them out of lane and thus allow you to gank your outer lanes and get an early exp/gold advantage.

2. In solo lane VS 2 Is to simply out last your opponents and capitalise on their mistakes. You can clear lanes so fast, you needn't worry about your tower. Let them make their move and use your Recall Demons to punish any attempt to take you down.

Team fights. You'll become both an initiator and priority target. Always approach from behind or the side. I see the same basic mistakes over and over. The biggest difference between Smite and any other MOBA is enemy visibility. Coming from a blind spot makes you 200% more effective in any situation. Never just charge face first into team conflict situations. Zhong Kui makes a lot of noise, if they hear a tidal wave of netherwordly pain approaching from behind, chaos will ensue.

Use Gem of Isolation and Expose Evil/ Book of Demons combos to entrap squishy targets whilst initiating and most importantly be brave. Rely on your fantastic innate tankiness to pull you through. If you go down whilst smashing 3-4 targets with all your abilities, chances are your team mates will get free kills from your efforts. In late game you will have the survivability of a main tank whilst dealing more damage to multiple targets than any Ymir or Athena could hope to do.

Jungle encounters. If someone over pushes in the jungle chasing down a wounded team mate, no one is better at punishing/rescuing than Zhong Kui. Recall Demons will keep them alive, whilst your slows and stun will keep them away from their intended target. Even in outnumbered situations with 4 people chasing your jungler, a well placed Recall Demons/ Expose Evil/ Book of Demons will send them scurrying.

So, there we have it.

I'd like to add a few links to some of my games to show you how to best tag/exorcise....it's hard to put experience and positioning down in words but Zhong Kui is one of the strongest all-rounders Smite has to offer. Master him and your team mates will love you. Experience counts for all but this item build is almost foolproof.

I have to admit, I hate seeing enemy Zhong Kuis. Simply because I don't like mirror encounters and I know how huge his potential is for turning the tables. If you take all this on board, I hope I never have to see you on the opposing side, a strong Zhong Kui is as powerful and flexible a team asset as you could hope to have.

Best of luck Demon Kings and let me know how you get on with this build.