Welcome back, once again, to another Smite Season 7 countdown! In this list, we'll go over the (Next) Top 5 Mages in the game as of March 2020. Like before, we're going to be excluding the Mages that already made their debut appearance in my other lists: Persephone, Isis, Olorun, and Hel.
With over 100 gods in the game, it's only fair that some of the other top-tier picks get some love, especially with regards to Mages, who didn't get as much love as Hunters and Assassins did this season, as the item buffs and god balancing kinda left them holding the bag.
Thus, Mages are in a position right now where "holding your head above water" is considered a success. So which Mages are the best at surviving this hostile new environment? Let's find out!
Before that, though, to get it out of the way, here's a brief recap of those Mages not appearing on this list due to appearing on prior lists: Persephone excels at long-range poke and self-sustain while being capable of killing you after you've killed her; Isis combines short cooldowns with devastating effects, from HP-chunking stuns to AoE silences; Olorun crits like crazy while providing life-saving support; and Hel brings huge heals and buffs while carrying some burst damage in her back pocket.
And now, without further ado, let's go over the Next Top 5 Mages in Smite Season 7!
5. Scylla, Greek Monster - Primarily Mid Lane
Scylla is one of those Mages who you pick when you're trying to feel out the waters. If there've been map changes, major god balances, or even if you just haven't played in a few months and are trying to get back into the game, Scylla's gonna be one of your go-to picks. Because Scylla is always good.
She clears fast, she kills fast, she moves fast, she levels fast. What's not to love? And if you happen to be good with Scylla, then you'll just flat-out carry the match by yourself. Especially if you can land some clutch triple-roots into an I'm a Monster nuke.
The meta is very unfriendly to the squishy, delicate Mage class right now, but Scylla rises above it and terrorizes the competition back into submission.
Where did those wolf-serpents come from? ...Where are Scylla's feet?
Why Scylla is Top-Tier:
- Very safe pick in an otherwise Mage-unfriendly meta
- Can out-bully nearly any other mid laner, and probably out-damage them, too
- One of the best teamfight kits in the game, able to completely decimate the enemy team
4. Janus, Roman God of Doors and Portals - Primarily Mid Lane
This entry on the list is gonna feel a little redundant because Janus is in almost the exact same position as Scylla--an extremely safe pick who manages to find great success despite occupying a meta stacked against him. The only real difference between Janus and Scylla, performance-wise, is that Janus is a more defensive option with a myriad of escape potential while Scylla is more offense-oriented.
That being said, Janus is an excellent option as a utility Mage, as you can focus less on his damage and more on providing teammates shortcuts through the jungle or hampering the enemies' ability to escape or advance with his Threshold. There may have been a time where Janus was brought for his damage, but Season 7 isn't it.
However, the utility Janus brings with regards to speeding through the jungle or slowing the enemy team is incredibly useful, so Janus finds a spot on the list anyway!
"Those Black Mesa hacks will be hearing from my lawyers!"
Why Janus is Top-Tier:
- Another safe option, if you want to Mage it up in the mid lane without too much risk involved
- Brings heaps of utility to any fight, whether it be dropping enemies into portals or carving shortcuts through the jungle
- Still deals respectable damage, even if he won't light the world on fire with it
3. Merlin, Arthurian Wizard and Arthur's Mentor - Primarily Mid Lane
For a moment, disregard everything I've said until now: Merlin is a Mage, and he deals so much damage that it's a little scary. Which is why he's gotten a few nerfs lately. Which hasn't stopped him at all from being a little scary.
With three different elements to choose from--stack huge DoTs via fire, slow and nuke with ice, or pull and nuke with arcane--Merlin's always got tricks up his sleeve, and those tricks will absolutely destroy you. Oh, and he has Blink as a standard ability. What a nuisance! Merlin is also one of the rare Mages who can just completely melt jungle bosses like the Gold Fury or the Fire Giant, dropping them faster than the enemy team can even respond to your presence there.
Mages may be in a rough spot right now in Season 7, but clearly someone forgot to tell Merlin.
"That's funny...I can't find Avada Kedavra anywhere in my spell list..."
Why Merlin is Top-Tier:
- Bonkers damage output makes him a terror at any level
- One of the few Mages who can deal massive damage to jungle bosses, making him one of the best objective-secure gods in the game
- Boasts some nifty utility, with an arcane pull, frost slow, and a built-in Blink
2. The Morrigan, Celtic Illusionists of Fate - Primarily Mid Lane or Jungle
"She can stealth, she can nuke, can The Morrigan,
And she's never any stranger to wins;
With a burst in a line, and a cone-stun in mind,
She will vanish and crawl under your skin." - Billiam Shakesman...probably
Full disclosure: I really, really hate playing The Morrigan. I always feed, I always die, and I get nothing done. But evidently that's a "me" problem, because everyone else completely dominates with her. I hate playing as her because I suck, and I hate playing against her because she's nuts.
She can apply a DoT every 3rd basic attack, her line ability hits hard and hits again if another ability hits you, her stun smashes your face like a truck, her stealth is super tricky because it also spawns a clone that doesn't (immediately) let you know she stealthed, and, oh yeah, she can transform into anyone else in the match. Which is kind of a little bit good. "Oh, that Artemis is beating me in a fight? BETTER TRANSFORM INTO ARTEMIS AND OUT-ARTEMIS THE ARTEMIS!" she says, as she one-ups you at the character you thought you were playing well with.
The Morrigan is sneaky, and The Morrigan is dangerous, and The Morrigan JUST TURNED INTO YOU!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH RUN AWAAAAYYYY!!
The Morrigan's got the deadliest case of Multiple Personality Disorder you'll ever see.
Why The Morrigan is Top-Tier:
- High damage output combined with stealth makes her a dangerous lane opponent
- Rare for a Mage, The Morrigan makes for a very effective Jungler, capable of some devastating ganks
- The ability to transform into any other player in the match can turn the tide of just about any teamfight
1. Kukulkan, Mayan God of the Nine Winds - Primarily Mid Lane
Kukulkan is simply infuriating to fight. Kukulkan is also an absolute joy to play. Contrasted with The Morrigan, I LOVE playing Kukulkan, and I'm pretty good with him, too!
Kukulkan only just barely didn't make it into the original Top 10 Gods of Season 7 list due to the utility Isis brings to the mid lane, but underestimate him at your own peril--this deceptively simple god is a complete mid lane monster. It's practically a meme at this point that Kukulkan is the safest mid laner in the entire game, because you really can just drop a tornado on the minion wave and just run off to partake in some other activity (or sit under your tower, if no such activity is available). The enemy mid laner will rip out their hair in frustration as every attempt to lure you out fails miserably.
But if they do lure you out, you can probably just splatter them into a fine red mist with the preposterous damage you put out. And if they surround you, you can just drop a tornado on yourself and knock any would-be Assassins out of the way with your ultimate (if you don't outright kill them with it). This snakey boi has been in the game since Day 1 (originally as the pre-revamped Ao Kuang), and he's been one of the best mid laners the entire time.
It's one of the inevitabilities of life: Death, taxes, Kukulkan sits under tower and hits level 20 at the 18-minute mark. It's like clockwork!
A winged serpent? That just sounds like a dragon with extra steps.
Why Kukulkan is Top-Tier:
- Completely trivializes the wave clear and objective killing process with unmatched safety
- Tremendously high damage with huge mana reserves, ensuring he can stay in lane for a long, long time
- Contains a surprising amount of self-peel for such an immobile god
And that's it, folks--the Next Top 5 Mages of Smite Season 7! It's rather unfortunate that the Mage class is in a bad spot right now, but the contenders on this list prove that, even when the meta's turned against you, you can still rise up and grab victory from the jaws of defeat. It just requires you to play a little more conservatively than if you were any other class or role, but it can still be done with style and huge explosive damage numbers. And once Mages (or more likely, Mage items) get buffs and crit gets nerfed (as it always does), you're gonna see plenty of magic-wielding gods rising in the ranks once more. But for now, if you're looking for a magical time in the mid lane, these are your surest bets.
