The Most Powerful Non-Ultimates

So much of a god's identity is tied to their ultimates. Apollo's reign as King of the split push rests on 'Across the Sky.' Where would we be without Vamana rampaging across the map during 'Colossal Fury' or the feeling of dread as Thanatos takes to the skies during 'Hovering Death?' How many times has Athena come to an ally's aid with 'Defender of Olympus?' Gods are so reliant on their ultimates that we tend to to ignore the abilities that support them throughout the game. Here are my choices for the Ten Best Abilities.

 

Geb
Stone Shield
Since his release, Geb's 'Stone Shield' has been the target of 4 separate nerfs, yet remains one of the single best abilities on a support. Geb has an incredibly strong laning phase, and with passive critical hit-reduction from his passive Geb transitions extremely into the lategame. Geb's 'Stone Shield' is a direct counter to certain gods such as Sobek and is the single best ability during a counter-engage. There are very few feelings that rival wasting an ultimate on a shielded target.

 

Mercury
Made You Look
Any of Mercury's three abilities could be on this list, but 'Made You Look' is what defines Mercury. Good-range, short cooldown, applies on-hit effects, and mana-efficient, 'Made You Look' has no downfalls. Nearly unmissable come midgame, due to the increased radius, and functions wells during initiation and as a finisher. Given Mercury's control from both 'Special Delivery' and 'Sonic Boom' makes him a stronger teamfighter than most assassins without dismissing his pick potential.

A clever god, Mercury has thus far avoided the nerf bat by hiding among the minions.

Ra
Divine Light
A stacking slow that does moderate damage in the area, gives move speed (thanks to 'Speed of Light') and applies a blind after detonation, Ra's second ability allows him to slip out of otherwise deadly situations. Great synergy with 'Searing Pain' for solo kills and great teamfight potential. Ra's strength lies in his long range support capabilities but he is more than capable of standing on the frontline. With standard itemization Ra offers tons of utility without sacrificing significant burst potential.

 

Kukulkan
Whirlwind
Kukulkan's signature ability has the distinction of being the only DOT based ability that persists after exiting the radius. Early game a misstep will cost  about a 1/3rd of your health, while lategame 'Whirlwind' can easily force a return to base. Combined with Kukulkan's other damaging spell, 'Zephyr', Kukulkan can effectively negate the significant delay on deployment by utilizing the slow.

Kukulkan's other main focus during engagements is as a zoner. Given the long duration and short coooldown on 'Whirlwind,' they are equally effective regardless of the damage and can provide your team invaluable breathing room. Able to farm with relative safety, Kukulkan's potential to get core items early can pay dividends for your team when objectives become more important.

 

Chang'e
Moonlit Waltz
Chang'e's graceful style of play is especially evident during 'Moonlit Waltz'. Functioning as both 'Purification Beads' and 'Aegis Pendant,' Chang'e can carefully bait out enemy ultimates and walk away unscathed. Combined with her movespeed bonus and sustain from 'Moonflower Dance', Chang'e excels at kiting enemies for an extended period of time. Her innate sustain in conjunction with her stellar teamfight makes Chang'e a formidable opponent.

 

Athena
Confound
One of the longest duration cc in-game, Athena's 'Confound' has the capability to interrupt enemy damage and pull multiple targets out of position. While 'Confound' forces you to focus Athena, her 'Block' mechanic mitigates incoming damage significantly. Lastly, using 'Defender of Olympus' to quickly transverse between lanes means Athena is less limited by the her low base move speed compared to other guardians. Fast travel time means she can assist an ally across the map without sacrificing farm and can quickly reposition herself for objective steals.

 

Janus
Unstable Vortex
Buffs to 'Unstable Vortex' makes landing both hits much easier and gives Janus much more reliable waveclear and harass. A short cooldown and high burst potential combined with Janus' high utility makes Janus impressive in both the lane and teamfights. With 'Portal' transporting Janus across barriers, he is quite capabale of popping into a fight and 'shotgunning' 'Unstable Vortex' to do significant damage.  Factoring in the additional scaling from both 'Passage' and 'Threshold' and Janus becomes a potent burst mage even with a low amount of magical power.

 

Zeus
Detonate
Zeus' 'Detonate' has been subject to many nerfs, but still remains his strongest ability. All aspects of Zeus' kit revolves around buildings the charges and pressing 3. Reliable in-hand damage thanks to 'Overcharge' and easily deployed burst damage from his other abilities makes Zeus a potent mid, solo, or even a unorthodox ADC. Zeus is also quite adept at denying chase, thanks to 'Aegis Shield', as overagression can result in 3 stacks and a quick turnaround. One of the few abilities unhindered by range 'Detonate', much like lightning iteself, can strike without warning and poses a great threat.  Zeus said it himself "No one can escape this detonate!"

Zeus struggles to comprehend how a metal shield applies electrical charges but ...

Bastet
Pounce
The most unique jump in-game 'Pounce' has been a staple of Bastet's kit since closed beta. Highly mobile and aggressive early game damage means Bastet excels in picking of unaware targets. Bastet's 'Pounce' primes the target for 'Open Wounds' and the follow-up damage. An additional movespeed steroid during the return state allows her to effectively chase targets and still get out safely.

Hercules
Driving Strike
High base damage and aggressive scaling combined with a relative long stun makes Hercules a dangerous foe. In conjunction with 'Earthbreaker,' Hercules' ability to move people around in a teamfights is comparable if not better than most guardians. Naturally high defenses and the highest base health among warriors, Hercules is nearly unkillable during 'Mitigate Wounds.' Factoring his burst potential and any opponent that finds themselves being tossed about like a ragdoll better pray 'Purification Beads' is off cooldown.

 

 Effective The Winds of Change, patch 1.0.2298.3 10/9/2014