Hello once again! In my previous list, we counted down the Top 10 best gods currently in Season 7 of Smite, but now we're gonna narrow our list down a little bit--we're gonna take a look at the best characters in the Hunter role, oftentimes called the Carry. To avoid stepping on the previous list's toes, we're going to be excluding the Hunters already mentioned there: Heimdallr, Izanami, Jing Wei, and Ullr. Because then the list would already be over, practically, and where's the fun in that?
To recap: Heimdallr dominates with superior map vision, fast travel stones, and apocalyptic damage; Izanami sneaks in and out of fights with ease and clears minion waves and jungle camps faster than anyone else; Jing Wei's momentous movement options make her nigh-impossible to lock down; and Ullr's terrifying ability damage coupled with his powerful basic attacks, self-healing, and good mobility makes him the scariest 1v1 opponent.
Now, with those out of the way, let's go over the Next Top 5 Hunters in Smite Season 7!
5. Chernobog, Slavic Lord of the Night - Slippery, Deadly Duo Laner
Chernobog's kit might not be the most exciting in the game, in my opinion, but it's also perfect for what this sneaky boi does. You try to get close, he's going to drop his 1+2 combo and stun you. You live through that, he's going to disappear into a wall. You run away screaming, he'll just use his ultimate and swoop down on you.
Picking fights with Chernobog requires patience and skill because if you slip up, you might find yourself taking the eternal sleep...or, at least, sleep until your respawn timer ends. As for why he's risen up the ranks in Season 7, I think we can safely blame that on the prominence of crit items in the meta right now, and being stunned by Chernobog's crystal shard is an unfortunate situation to be in.
Chernobog's path of destruction is as inevitable as the night itself.
Why Chernobog is Top-Tier:
- Able to get into and out of fights easily
- Has a stun to make ideal use of his crit items
- One of the few truly global ultimates allows him to gank any lane at any time
4. Hou Yi, Chinese Demigod Who Struck Down the Nine Suns - Bursty Duo Laner
So you'll probably notice that crit is a running theme in this list as we go forward, and Hou Yi makes it even more terrifying in two very specific ways--first, Hou Yi's passive makes it so that, if you do crit him, he becomes crit-immune for a few seconds, which is terrible news for the other Hunter; second, Hou Yi's Mark of the Golden Crow increases his damage done to the marked target, which naturally includes crits. And the Mark can't miss. If he wants you Marked, you're Marked. Ruh-roh.
Combine that with his very high ability damage, and you've got a purveyor of mass destruction that you'll need to keep a watchful eye on. Oh, and did I mention Mark of the Golden Crow negates stealth? Izanami hates not being able to stealth, and if you make one of the absolute best gods in the game tremble in terror, you're doing something right.
"I got 99 problems, and the sun was only 9 of them."
Why Hou Yi is Top-Tier:
- Very, very high burst damage
- Able to negate stealth, rendering huge threats like Izanami vulnerable
- Good mobility, clear, and zoning capabilities
3. Olorun, African Yoruba God of the Sky - Support-y Crit Machine of Duo or Mid Lane
Surprise! It's a Mage! One of the few Mages who can fulfill the Hunter role, and easily the best of that small bunch, Olorun is a force to be reckoned with, as he's the only magical damage god who can--wait for it, waaaiiit fooorrr iiiiiitttt--CRIT!
Season 7 truly is an era of crit-happy shenanigans, and Olorun is more than happy to take part. One simple repercussion of being a Mage? The enemy tank now needs to build magic defense, very likely making him vulnerable to attacks from your team's jungler. Already, by virtue of merely existing, Olorun is making your life easier.
He also happens to have good lane clear that deals very good damage to enemy gods and--you know what's coming--it can CRIT! And with an ultimate that can slow down time for enemies and speed it up for allies, your high-damage character also provides indispensable support for your team...and more opportunities to CRIT!
He's already melted your face five times. Time just hasn't caught up yet.
Why Olorun is Top-Tier:
- Is a magical damage god, putting the enemy tank in an uncomfortable position
- Gains a lot of crit innately just by building your usual Mage items
- Very high sustained damage terrorizes other Hunters and objectives
- Sanctified Field is one of the best ultimates in the game
2. Xbalanque, Literally the Mayan Moon - Brawl-Happy Mid, Duo, or Jungler
My personal favorite god in the entire game, Xbalanque is ecstatic about the return to prominence of crit builds, because he was one of the original abusers of it, back in ye olden days. Obviously this means the revival of crit is one of the keys to his success, but that's hardly the end of it--the massive amount of attack power he gains from his passive stacks and his Branching Bolas means that he'll always be at a power advantage against other Hunters, and his Darts + Leap combo is enough to chase away any fool who dares to come close.
It says a lot that Xbal is one of the few Hunters who can actually forego crit and still destroy everything in sight. The fact that he's CC immune during the second half of his leap also means he counters aggressive picks like Ares or Da Ji, which is always a positive trait.
Xbalanque is also fortunate enough to have Darkest of Nights, one of the best teamfight ultimates in the game because making it so that your enemies lose all vision is just a little bit good. Just a little. A wee bit. Wait, did I say "good"? I meant "ridiculously amazing."
The bolas are the least threatening object on Xbalanque's person.
Why Xbalanque is Top-Tier:
- Huge amounts of passive power give him the advantage in a 1v1
- Very high ability damage to complement the huge crits
- Top-shelf mobility that includes CC immunity
- Able to completely blind the entire enemy team at once
1. Apollo, Greek God of Music - All-Around Champion of the Duo Lane
Being able to pew pew your enemies into piles of chunky salsa is, of course, one of the defining features of the Hunter family, but you know what else is? Knocking down towers and obliterating jungle bosses. You know who the king of objective crushing is? Good old Apollo.
Yet another of the earliest gods to appear in the game, Apollo has been consistently great from Day 1, and there's no shortage of reasons why--his lane clear is quick, he has multiple forms of CC, he has the original global ultimate with his chariot, and his passive doubles his attack speed for five shots after so many hits. Being able to mesmerize everyone in a circle instantly, knock people aside while escaping, clear a wave in one swoop, AND knock down the tower in record time, all the while putting incredible pressure on the opposing Hunter? Yeah, Apollo's a little crazy.
Personally, I'm not a huge Apollo fan--I just don't like how he feels to play--but many pro players and world-ranked Hunters swear by him, up and down, all day long, so clearly my opinion is not the majority's. I may not like him, but the pros who actually win games and make money sure do, and it's fairly obvious there's a good reason for that.
Wherein the term "fingerbang" becomes less dirty but far more deadly.
Why Apollo is Top-Tier:
- Incredibly versatile, bringing both offensive and defensive utility
- Can instantly incapacitate every enemy close to him
- Attack speed passive makes Apollo the undisputed king of objective killing
- Global ultimate allows him to get anywhere on the map quickly
- On top of everything else, he's really good at shooting you in the face
And that's it, folks--the Next Top 5 Hunters of Smite Season 7! Obviously, these rankings are subject to change in the event of any major buffs or nerfs in the future, but for now, at least, these Hunters (along with those already covered in my preceding Top 10 Gods of Season 7 list) are your go-to choices for some good old-fashioned wave clearin', face meltin', tower smashin' fun!
