The latest SMITE patch has brought in a slew of different changes – and while most of the roles have remained untouched, nerfs to particular items have generated some large shifts in meta for solo laners. The usual Mystical Mail start has reigned supreme for some months now, but are changes on the way?

Mystical Mail = 2850

+60 Physical Protection

+220 Health

PASSIVE = Deals 40 magical damage per second to enemies within 25 units

NERF = Health 300 -> 220

Mystical Mail has been a core laning item for solo lane bruisers since Divios reintroduced it at the Summer Split LAN. Before its reintroduction, it was considered too costly at 2850 gold – an enormous amount for a first item. Yet, the stats it provided were exceptional, granting 60 Physical Protection and providing a aura dealing 40 magical damage (before mitigations) every second, assisting with lane clear, providing poke on your enemy in early laning slap fights and dealing out free damage in mid-game teamfights.

These strengths remain, but a notable drop off in health from 300 to 220 makes it a difficult purchase considering the hefty price tag. To compare, Midgardian Mail, an alternative to Mystical on the Steel Mail tree, provides 350 health, as well as the 60 protections Mystical offers, and a passive where there is a 30% chance to slow your enemy's movement and attack speeds by 30% for 2 seconds when basic attacked. All this, and for 600 gold less.

In stream, 0mega, solo laner for NA second seed Team Eager said in stream: “Mystical Mail? Right now I feel like it’s sub-par”

So what changes now, if anything?

A lot of the strength of Mystical Mail came from the early clear it granted. All solo lane bruisers benefitted from the aura it provides, not only improving clear but making you nigh-on un-gankable from early on in the game. This lack of health makes it much less efficient, especially considering the cost, and the more cost effective options greater outweigh the pros of a Mystical Mail rush.

Because of this, we may see a return to the Runeforged Hammer rush.

Runeforged Hammer = 2050g

+55 Physical Protection

+350 Health

PASSIVE = 15% of your Physical Protection is converted to Physical Power

Providing 130 more health than Mystical, and only 5 less Physical Protection, a return to Runeforged Hammer being picked up as an early laning item is likely. Despite being picked up through mid-game pretty universally on solo laners, the benefits of picking it up post-boots or even starting the game with a Smithy’s Hammer seems beneficial as the passive power you earn helps with early clear, and benefits you all the way through the game with the current popularity of items such as Mail of Renewal, Midgardian Mail and Spirit Robe, amongst others.

The most notable strength of an early Runeforged over an early Mystical, however, is the price. Runeforged is 800 gold cheaper, which is maybe 3-4 minutes of farming less early game, meaning you are getting more health and power earlier than you would with a Mystical Mail – which may mean a phasing-out of the Mystical Mail meta.

Midgardian Mail = 2250g

+60 Physical Protection

+350 Health

PASSIVE = When hit by a basic attack, there is a 30% chance to slow your enemy's movement and attack speeds by 30% for 2 seconds

A complete shift to early Midgardian Mails for laning seems unlikely, particularly seeing how strong an early Runeforged can be.

Despite not helping with early clear, Midgardian Mail will definitely be the safest possible start to solo lane, providing the protections of Mystical, with the Health of Runeforged, for only 2250 gold. However, it does not provide any assistance to early clear, so if it were to be picked at all it would be a situational pick up against heavy Attack Speed based Gods, and would provide safety against clingy slow-based characters such as Bellona and Osiris in lane.

Other Possible Starts

Breastplate of Valor = 1950g

+75 Physical Protection

+300 Mana

+25% Cooldown Reduction

Early Breastplates have usually been reserved to Mage solo laners, but a reduction in price just a couple of patches ago may make it appeal to bruisers. The 25% CDR/300 Mana combination on this item will allow for a little more ability spam for Gods like Sun Wukong or Chaac, but would be largely redundant on your Attack Speed Gods such as Bellona/Osiris.

Notably, a lack of Health on this item makes it difficult to sell. The 300 Mana may come in handy for Sun Wukong, whose recent nerfs increased his mana costs to his Magic Cudgel and Master’s Will, but Mana management is not usually an issue for bruisers thanks to the blue buff.

Frostbound Hammer = 2300g

+25 Physical Power

+325 Health

PASSIVE = Enemies hit by your Basic Attacks have their Movement Speed reduced by 30% and have their Attack Speed reduced 15% for 2 seconds

Frostbound received a small nerf in this past patch, with a reduction in Health from 400-325. While it seems like a steep drop off, it is easy to forget that 400 Health on a largely offensive item is absurd. The nerf won’t change whether you will pick it up on your Attack Speed Gods, but nerfs elsewhere won’t make you want to pick it up as a first item still.

The ideal starting items for solo usually provide Physical Protection, allowing you to bully your laning opponent by shoving the lane and allowing you to dive towers for potential early kills. However, where we may see some change in the meta is the reintroduction of the Heavy Hammer start.

A Return to Heavy Hammer?

Time for a little theorycrafting. Before its nerfs back in April, Heavy Hammer was somewhat frequently picked up as a starter item, granting an early passive slow, which was good for invading and providing early power in lane – something that the usual starter item, Death’s Toll, does not provide. This fell out of favour after the nerfs to Heavy Hammer, and with the popularity of early Mystical Mails, being efficient with money meant Heavy Hammer starts were too expensive and delayed Mystical Mail by too much. Now that we may see less Mystical Mail, we could see this reintroduced. In some special cases, we may see a Heavy Hammer start, into Warrior Tabi, then into a Runeforged Hammer. This provides a lot of early kill potential with the power from all three items, and the sticking power from Heavy Hammer will give you enormous lane presence.

If your lane opponent were to still go with the Mystical Mail start we saw for the past few months, the 80 less health only increases the chances of early kills, particularly as by the time their Mystical would be complete, you may even have your Runeforged on the way or completed.

Try these potential new starts for yourself! Let us know what you’re enjoying – something from above, sticking with Mystical Mail or something entirely different?

And don’t forget, Super Regionals start on the 17th of November with the North American quarter finals, and remember to cheer on our Team Dignitas boys when they kick off their campaign for Worlds on the 18th against Paradigm in the quarter finals!

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