SMITE is filled with brilliant Guardians but there are some that are, at this point in time, stronger than others. Every patch those on this list will be changed depending on the impact the patch has. However and in line with 3.1 Dwarven Corruption, these are, as far as I’m concerned, the best five Guardians.

Updated 19 July 2016.

Fafnir

Fafnir is the newest Guardian to SMITE and is already one of my favorites: primarily because he plays like a mix between Muradin from Heroes of the Storm and one of my favorite Hunters - Ullr. His double skill set when he uses his Ultimate combined with his mobility and utility make him formidable. The fact he can stun enemies, leap, bolster those around him while also having AOE pressure and a powerful disarm leaves me in no doubt about his power. What’s also particularly interesting about him is his Passive, allowing him to earn gold quicker than other Heroes whilst gaining protections when he’s carrying over 1000. Pairing with another Hunter allows Fafnir to truly excel and if he lands his Cursed Strength, there’s an opportunity to deal enormous damage. The stun, combined with its 3 second slow followed up with Underhanded Tactics is a great deal of crowd control few can deal with. Best of all, once he has exhausted his skills he can switch to a dragon, resetting his cooldowns and gaining a new set of skills.

Sobek

I remember fondly first starting SMITE and hating Sobek. Not that I disliked his kit or his look, but the fact that I constantly died because of his actions. I'd argue he has always been on the fringes of the Guardian meta in SMITE - his kit makes him a safe bet. It's in recent months however that I see much more of him (likely due to Golden Bow being removed). His ability to single out a target and throw them behind him can be invaluable against a high value target. He can also defend himself and others with his with Tail Whip (it knocks enemies back). Certainly with the rise of gods who can self heal, he can reduce their ability to by 50% and his Ultimate provides an invaluable escape or opener for him and his team. 

Cabrakan 

I've always loved Cabrakan but he seems to yo-yo in power. Even now, Hi-Rez are still tweaking him when I think he was - for the first time in a long time - in a good place. Although I don't get overly excited about his Passive (all allies take 5% less damage near him) it's the rest of his kit that's particularly strong. Seismic Crush is pretty epic and allows Cabrakan to become enraged, giving a 35% movement speed increase and a stun on his next basic attack. It's pretty awesome for chasing players down and if trapped in his Ultimate (Tectonic Shift) they're going to take serious punishment. What I also love about Cabrakan is the fact he's capable of excellent area denial. Tremors, Refraction Shield and Tectonic Shift all zone in some form, while bringing utility and damage. Should he need to, he can always use Seismic Crush to escape. In the current meta, he's fantastic. 

Khepri

Still the go-to Guardian for many, Khepri is an incredibly strong God that offers invaluable group support. His kit not only offers light shielding (Passive) but a pull and silence, damage reduction (and protection debuff), a root and a delayed heal that’s capable of reviving allies if they die once affected by it. His kit combined is incredibly strong and offers so much utility and support that few other Guardians compare. Unlike Fafnir or Kumbhakarna, Khepri is predominantly about helping his team rather than being a threat by himself. This means you have to have a different mindset and one that is not only looking out for your own team in order to help them, but to also maximize your crowd control and team ‘ganking’ potential. Abduct is invaluable for singling out a high value target while Solar Flare is amazing for a group root - allowing your team to then quickly spike them down.

Athena

Athena has been a top rated Guardian for a long time and it’s not entirely surprising. Although I much prefer the playstyle of Fafnir or Kumbhakarna, it’s unquestionable that she’s a high value God. Her Passive, Reach, allows her to throw a ranged attack after using an ability - providing her with some much needed poke during a team fight. In addition, although she has utility it’s her taunt that makes her so strong. Confound allows her to force enemy Gods to attack her for 2 seconds and considering its relatively short cooldown (18 seconds) it’s amazing in a team fight. Whether distracting a high damage target or multiple Gods caught in its cone, it’s amazing for not only protecting your team but allowing your allies to capitalize on the weakened enemy.

Her Ultimate ability, Defender of Olympus, is a global skill that allows Athena to launch herself to an ally - reducing the damage they take by 20% for 4.2 seconds. In addition, when Athena eventually lands those around her take high impact damage. It’s an outrageously strong skill that allows Athena to save any ally caught by an enemy and a fight that might have ended in a team death can quickly become a 2 versus 1. If used in a team fight (assuming 5 versus 5) the blast radius also ensures high AOE impact damage. Finally and to round off her kit she has an invaluable engage (and disengage if need be) in Preemptive Strike

Disagree with the five above? Let me know in the comments below or visit our SMITE Tier List.