In Smite, how do I address the problem of jungling/ganking in Joust 3v3s?

Question

In Smite, like many, my favorite game mode is Joust 3v3 because it alows faster leveling and game-play, in a game where my individual play effects the outcome more heavily. However, this is the same reason than when playing an assassin such as Loki, I come under fire when my team doesnt do well, blaming me for being in the jungle. Note, at this point I never fail to have "top everything" (top gold, xp, kills).

Here's my take on it:

As Loki, (or any assassin) I benefit from getting my stacks in the jungle and leaving the lane minions to my team's mage or adc who also need stacks. This frequently puts me in position to gank from behind the enemy at the right times. Or it could be said that, since I need to gank (attack from the sides) to be fully effective as Loki, its convenient and vital that I make up for this lost time by farming the jungle camps. However you think about it, I need to jungle the camps and gank.

However, if my two teammates are killed while Im grabbing a jungle buff, or deal no damage to the enemy, my ganks are ineffective, and I'm unable to get the kills I need to become powerful mid-game.

I feel that early game I rely heavily on my team to damage the enemy significantly so I can secure needed kills, and that even 2 vs 3 while Im getting jungle buffs, they should be able to do this without dying.

However, I'm always blamed when we fall behind. I'm not a bad Loki, my recent game include K/Ds of 34/6, 20/7, 21/5, 19/9, 23/5, 23/9, 18/7, and so on, but also in between those games there are 6/5, 6/3, 9/7, etc where I could not get ahead because of situations as I describe above. Im not saying any of this to brag - Only to explain the situation that I'm asking about properly, since it would be a different scenario if I were executing my combos poorly.

So I have a few questions about this:

• How can I better ensure success in the early game, including jungling and ganking tactics?

• Am I to blame when my team dies / gets hurt badly while I'm jungling / ganking, leaving them 2 vs 3?

• How can I recover from failure early game to get kills, or early deaths without kills from failed ganks?

Answer 1

It sounds like you're trying to be the "star of the show". I highly recommend not jungling. Early game success is mostly about team coordination.

At the start of the game your team has a choice. To invade, or go for buffs. Usually buffs are the better choice. Once buffs are collected, go to the lane and help your team with minions while poking the enemy gods. If you have a good team combo, you could pull off an early game deicide. Just be careful of their team combo.

If you're team dies, and you're in the jungle collecting buffs, you could be blamed, depending on how fed your team is, the gods you are all playing and the reason of their death. This would most likely be a team tower dive, in which case, you are too blame.

Early game does not revolve around getting kills, and if you die once early game, you can recover by working as a team and getting a kill. You don't need to be the one to get the kill. Smite is a game based around teamwork. A kill is a kill, no matter who gets it.

Personally, I find Loki to be quite a bad joust god. Try playing Thor. Try gathering some friends and coming up with a team who can combine ultimates. For example, Hades, Hou Yi and Thor. Thor can go into jungle and collect a buff, then ult. Hades and Hou Yi ult, and Thor executes the last bit of his ult, securing the kill.

Hope this helps, good luck!

P.S. I love loki as a character, but he performs better in Conquest or Arena.