Recently, Poseidon has made quite a splash in the Smite scene. He has become one of the best mid lane gods in the game. We will explore why, after years of poor to middling performance, the God of the Oceans rose to the top. From the meta favoring his strengths to better itemization options, there are a few reasons why Poseidon has returned to his position as a premier mid laner.

The Kit

Before we can see why Poseidon is so strong, we need to know what he does. Poseidon’s passive is called Changing Tides. This passive has a meter that ebbs and flows based on how Poseidon attacks. Hitting basic attacks charges up the meter while using abilities consumes part of the meter to deal additional damage. Poseidon also gains increased movement speed based on how high the Tide is. Carefully utilizing Changing Tides allows a Poseidon player to dish out high damage and remain mobile.

Poseidon’s first ability is Tidal Surge. It sends out a slow-moving projectile that deals damage and slightly knocks back enemies hit by it. Tidal Surge is great for clearing minions and disrupting players during fights.

Poseidon’s Trident ability buffs the caster, increasing his movement speed, and causing his basic attacks to spawn two additional shots. These projectiles fire off on either side of the basic attack and spread as the attack travels. Trident does not consume Tide, but all Trident hits generate Tide. Trident allows Poseidon to be a great boxer, as all 3 strikes can hit a close-range opponent for massive damage.

Whirlpool is Poseidon’s signature ability. It creates a field that does damage over time, cripples opponents caught in it, and slowly pulls them towards the center. This ability is Poseidon’s bread and butter. It is great at clearing waves and amazing during fights. Not only does it have high damage and good displacement, but it can shut down initiations or escapes with the cripple. Whirlpool can be used as a zoning tool, a catch, or just for AoE damage.

Poseidon’s ultimate ability is Release the Kraken! This ability is made of two concentric circles. Enemies hit in the outer circle take some damage and are slowed. The inner circle is more dangerous. The Kraken deals massive damage as well as knocking up and stunning enemies hit in the middle. Release the Kraken! is a great team fight ability, able to eliminate a single target or sew chaos in the middle of a team.





Itemization

Poseidon has access to strong itemization and build choices that help him be a top mid laner. A key to Poseidon’s strength is the item combination of Gem of Isolation and Hastened Fatalis. This combo is often referred to as “Gemtalis.” Gem of Isolation slows enemies hit by abilities while Fatalis removes the basic attack movement penalty when you hit a basic attack. Together, they hinder enemies while allowing Poseidon to always catch up and pump out damage. Poseidon’s whirlpool has a large area of effect, making the application of Gem very easy. Trident also has great synergy with Gemtalis. The side projectiles proc Gem and the center shot triggers the Fatalis effect. Together, Poseidon can stay locked on a close-ranged target, slowing them and keeping Poseidon mobile. Fatalis was buffed in Season 4, gaining penetration in exchange for attack speed. This buff was enough to slot it into almost every Poseidon build.

Outside of Gemtalis, Poseidon likes to build penetration and power to augment his good damage. Poseidon’s footwear of choice is Shoes of the Magi and he builds an item from the Magic Focus tree depending on team compositions and personal tastes. With Gemtalis and pen, the rest of a Poseidon’s build is up to the player’s decision based on compositions, game state, and player preference. High power items such as Doom Orb, Rod of Tahuti, and Soul Reaver are great. An early pickup of Dynasty Plate Helm provides power, protection, and more penetration. Poseidon has strong itemization options, allowing him to be powerful in any match-up.

Meta Shifts

Poseidon is very strong right now partially due to aspects of the meta favoring him. Right now, mid laners start in lane and clear the first wave before rotating to the jungle. Poseidon has great clear at level 1 with Whirlpool and can pressure weaker mages, forcing them under the tower early and invading their jungle or taking neutral jungle camps. Poseidon keeps this pressure on, out-clearing most mages and applying a lot of pressure. This can snowball games and rotating after clearing the wave can open up ganking opportunities for your team. The movement speed from Changing Tides and Trident allow Poseidon to move around the map with ease.

Poseidon is also strong against high-mobility gods, who are very good right now. Large cripples like Whirlpool are very valuable in controlling these characters. Junglers like Serqet and Awilix are denied two abilities by a cripple. Poseidon can be picked in response to these assassins in the draft phase of ranked or competitive play, or picked early to discourage the selection of hyper mobile characters.





Fighting Power

All these factors combine to make Poseidon great in fights and skirmishes. Poseidon’s kit has great tools to win a variety of fights. Whirlpool is a great way to control an area, especially when paired with Gem of Isolation. Release the Kraken is a large damage threat that forces answers or kills, especially at level 5 or 9 when it leveled up and the opponent does not have much defense. Trident is a great boxing tool that allows Poseidon to do high sustained damage to a single enemy and is even stronger when paired with Gem and Hastened Fatalis.

Poseidon does a lot of damage in the early and late game but falls off in the mid game. During this time, Poseidon is played like a control mage. The whirlpool is great at zoning and you should have Gem of Isolation online at this point, making whirlpool very dangerous. The Kraken is great at burning Relics off of targets. Forcing an opponent to use Aegis with the Kraken means that they will be vulnerable to further engages. The Kraken has a lower cooldown than Aegis at every stage of the game, so burning the Relic can allow for a well-timed Kraken to hit that target later for great burst and set up.

Poseidon can play different roles in a team fight. He can combo Whirlpool and Kraken to assassinate a target or blow their actives to allow a teammate to follow up. When his burst is expended, Poseidon is still able to whittle down and box targets with Trident. Poseidon can also control the battlefield and the positions of enemies with his area of effect skills. When paired with his preferred itemization, Poseidon’s kit allows for strong fighting potential in a variety of scenarios.

Poseidon is one of the best Mages in Smite right now. His itemization got buffed with the Gemtalis combo and the meta is suited to his strengths. Poseidon is also great at fighting and skirmishing. Overall, Poseidon is in a great spot right now and the god of the oceans is looking to stay on his throne.

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