Guardians in Smite serve as the toughest of tanks in the god-versus-god MOBA. Gods belonging to this class are tasked with defending their team at all costs, with toolkits designed specifically for defense, sustainability, and tanking damage as much as possible. However, given the nature of Smite as an action-oriented MOBA, a Guardian’s role has more than meets the eye.

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Instead of just accompanying teammates to tank damage in teamfights, Guardians in Smite almost always have dedicated secondary roles. Aside from defenders, Guardians become delegated as secondary DPS or even secondary support. When it comes to this widely varied role, which Guardian Gods dominate the game?

10 Khepri

Khepri

The textbook representative of a Guardian, Khepri excels in both eliminating the backline and general aggression. Of course, players do need to pick a combat focus in order to properly fulfill their obligations as Guardians. Aggressive players need to be decisive when it comes to positioning Khepri, especially when aiming directly against vulnerable opponents. Likewise, those aiming for backline elimination need to focus on how to dish out crowd control, as being out of position can ruin Khepri's playstyle.

Khepri's Fortitude (Passive) constantly gives him and other Gods some boosted shields, helpful for incursions. His Abduct (S1) is a lunge attack that can pull an enemy backwards, perfect for teamfights. Rising Dawn (S2) and Solar Flare (S3) make for a mean defense debuff and stun combo, great for quick skirmishes. Lastly, Scarab’s Blessing (Ultimate) lets Khepri buff an ally’s movement speed, grant slow immune, and even remove crowd control effects. Moreover, a blessed God that is killed will come back at Khepri’s location.

9 Sobek

Sobek

Representing the waters and the Nile River, Sobek doesn’t let the gushing forces of the waters hinder his role as a team’s Guardian. Despite being a melee fighter, Sobek specializes in crowd control and sustains. As such, Sobek’s primary purpose in combat is to disrupt the enemy’s formation by forcing them to scatter. With Sobek’s backline offense, he can pick off enemies quickly. However, this aggressive potential does come at the risk of leaving the team vulnerable.

With Blessing Of The Nile (Passive), Sobek’s attacks grant him increased protections. This incentivizes a more aggressive approach, courtesy of Charge Prey (S1) that is a dash attack immune to knock-ups, Tail Whip (S2) that is a knock-back attack, and Sickening Strike (S3) that lowers all enemies' healing. Lastly, Lurking In The Waters (Ultimate) lets Sobek travel to another location quickly, damaging enemies when he resurfaces.

8 Bacchus

Bacchus

Bacchus uses his love of wine to his advantage. Oddly enough, he makes for quite an effective Guardian in the game, utilizing his damage potential to unleash mayhem in teamfights while protecting his charges. While Bacchus does boast a strong wave clear, he suffers from the choice of capitalizing on his damage to pick off the enemy in encounters, versus focusing on defending his allies.

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His Drunk-O-Meter (Passive) gains buffs the more he uses Chug (S1), especially when he kills enemy Gods. This drunkenness boosts the efficiency of his attacks, namely Belly Flop (S2), which knocks-up opponents, and Belch of the Gods (S3), which reduces enemy healing. Lastly, Intoxicate (Ultimate) does damage and intoxicates enemies, debuffing them in the process.

7 Geb

Geb

Geb is a dual-nature Guardian, and can serve well as either a teamfight initiator or a protector of the backline. Being a Guardian, Geb specializes in defense, and his shields are a great way to solidify the team’s survivability. However, in a chaotic teamfight, a scattered enemy team can leave themselves quite open for Geb’s devastating Ultimate. As with any aggressive builds, though, attacking with Geb can leave the rest of the team without a lot of defense.

Geb's Hard As Rock (Passive) gives him great defenses against critical strikes, while Stone Shield (S3) is perhaps the best blocker to grace the game given its immunity to all damage during its duration. Geb also has mean offense, with Roll Out (S1) which slows enemies, and Shock Wave (S2) which knocks up enemies. Lastly, Cataclysm (Ultimate) is a stunning Ult that can become a deadly teamfight setup.

6 Cerberus

Cerberus

It’s quite fitting for the Guardian of the Underworld to be a Guardian in this fight to the death. Cerberus is great at soloing opponents or even countering healer-oriented Gods, thanks to its ability to reduce the efficacy of healing abilities. And while it’s tempting to disrupt enemy lines by attacking their backline, this does leave the team’s own backline quite vulnerable for the counter-attack. This puts a lot of emphasis on careful target selection on the part of Cerberus, especially when facing Assassins.

Cerberus is a natural healer deterrent courtesy of Spirit of Death (Passive), which reduces active healing in its vicinity alongside a nifty lifesteal. Paralyzing Spirit (S1) stuns opponents, while Ghastly Breath (S2) is a neat protection debuff. Likewise, Soul Expulsion (S3) is a powerful burst attack, with Stygian Torment (Ultimate) essentially becoming a knockdown initiator for teamfights.

5 Ymir

Ymir

The Father of the Frost Giants is very protective of his kin, and Ymir will stop at nothing to protect his allies. A more aggressive Guardian, Ymir has an in-your-face attitude towards combat, which players need to greatly take advantage of, from his Passive to his Ultimate. His solid defenses and decent damage make him a great frontliner. However, Ymir receives pressure to level up, or else ends up lagging behind his teammates when it comes to damage output. His lack of mobility means Ymir has to strategize his movement carefully.

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Regardless, players may still be able to pull off Ymir with the right knowledge of his skills. His Frostbite (Passive) ensures enemies deal less damage whenever Ymir attacks them. Ice Wall (S1) releases a wall that blocks movement, while Frost Breath (S3) freezes enemies. Both attacks excel in boosting the team’s defense. Meanwhile, Glacial Strike (S2) and Shards of Ice (Ultimate) aim to slow down enemies.

4 Cabrakan

Cabrakan

Serving as the Destroyer of Mountains, Cabrakan showcases his strength through acts of ferocity that can tear down the very earth. In Smite, Cabrakan relies on extreme aggression, which makes him quite deadly despite being a Guardian. When built right, Cabrakan can become either an impenetrable defense or a secondary DPS. Of course, his heavy-aggro nature can cause players to stray away from the protective duties of a Guardian.

Regardless, Cabrakan’s base abilities help him shine in the battlefield. His Shadow Zone (Passive) gives him and nearby allies 5% reduced damage, something players can take advantage of in the early game to interrupt Junglers like Assassins. His Seismic Crush (S1) gives him increased speed, increased attack speed, and immunity to Slows and Roots. Refraction Shield (S2) has a passive phase that absorbs damage and an active phase that unleashes a knockdown effect. Tremors (S3) will release shockwaves that drag enemies towards the hero, while Tectonic Shift (Ultimate) creates walls that constantly damage his foes.

3 Yemoja

Yemoja

Embodying the river of life, Yemoja is proof that water can both give and take life. Unlike other Guardians, Yemoja proves the unrelenting pressure of water — which is reflected across her abilities and playstyle. Yemoja excels in lane pressure, with her abilities offering her teammates setup in the early game and sustains in the late game. However, her Ultimate does need effective positioning, and can’t do much without her Omi resource.

Yemoja uses Omi (Passive) instead of Mana for her abilities, with her basic attacks being able to heal quite a bit. Moonstrike (S1) bounces and slows down enemies within range, while Mending Water (S2) can damage both enemies and their shields. Meanwhile, Riptide (S3) can knock down enemies and boost allies’ movement and protections. Lastly, River’s Rebuke (Ultimate) creates two impassable walls of water that can trap enemies, damaging them when they crash down.

2 Athena

Athena

True to her nature as the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena is quite the effective Guardian in the game. Her global presence is her best asset, as her Ultimate ensures she can be anywhere an ally needs help — an excellent asset in teamfights. The straightforward nature of her abilities makes her easy to play, and her taunting makes her great for team-ups. However, Athena does rely a lot on team synergies to maximize her abilities. For instance, her global teleport is only useful if allies aren’t dead, and her dash attack can be quite slow and predictable.

Athena really excels in the synergy of her abilities. Her primary movement comes from Defender of Olympus (Ultimate), which essentially works as a teleport to any ally in danger. In combat, Athena can use Confound (S2) to ensure enemy Gods put their attention on her. This is great, considering Preemptive Strike (S1) is a dash attack that can slow enemies she hits, while Shield Wall (S3) gives her a two-strike attack that’s very useful in engagements.

1 Cthulhu

Cthulhu

When the Gods have wreaked enough havoc across the multiverse, the Old Gods can rise to take their place. Such is the case of Cthulhu, with the eldritch entity finally taking his place amongst the Guardians of the Battlegrounds. Cthulhu is as spongy as he can get, boasting high damage, high defenses, and great potential with regards to engagements. Despite his slow movement, Cthulhu can dive right into a teamfight and survive. However, players do need to be wary of his long cooldowns and lack of crowd control.

Cthulhu does compensate for his slow movement with extremely deadly abilities. His Prey on Fear (Passive) lets his hits stack Torment that eventually turns his opponents Insane, giving him a damage buff. His Sanity Break (S1) lowers an enemy’s attack speed, while Rushing Terror (S3) is an effective stun. Likewise, his The Mire (S2) is a great zoning ability, serving as Cthulhu’s main dash. His Descend into Madness (Ultimate) unleashes Cthulhu’s final form, giving him three alternate abilities that fires projectiles on enemies and even heal his allies.

Smite is currently available for the PC, Mac OS, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

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