Book of Souls
PASSIVE - Gain a stack each time you damage an enemy god with an ability or Basic Attack. At 4 stacks, your next ability or Basic Attack deals 20 + 4 per level Magical damage.
Pick between Aegis or Beads
Attacker's Blessing
+20 Physical Power +25 Magical Power ROLE QUEST: DAMAGE Damage lane minions and Enemy gods to gain stacks. Dealing 100 damage to Lane Minions provide 1 Stack and Dealing 100 damage to Enemy gods provide 3 Stacks. At 100 Stacks Attacker's Blessing Evolves, gaining 10 Penetration.
Lost Artifact
Pick between Aegis or Beads
Y10 Book of Thoth
PASSIVE - You permanently gain 7 Mana per Stack, and receive 5 Stacks for a god kill and 1 Stack for a minion kill (max. 75 Stacks). You gain Magical Power equal to 4% of your Mana from items. At 75 stacks this item Evolves, gaining 10 Magical Penetration and Increasing the Magical Power gained from Mana to 7%.
Shoes of Focus
Chronos' Pendant
PASSIVE - Every 10s the Pendant activates, subtracting 1s from all of your abilities currently on Cooldown. The initial countdown will not start until you leave the fountain.
Spear of Desolation
PASSIVE - If you receive a kill or assist on an Enemy God all of your non-ultimate cooldowns are reduced by 2 seconds and your ultimate cooldown is reduced by 6 seconds.
This Build looks to take full advantage of Merlin's spam power. It stock's up on mana and hit's the cooldown reduction cap so he can both stay out and fight for as long as possible without having to go back to base and also get other items that maximize spam ability characters such as the first spear and the ring. This build punishes squishy character's the most and will take more abilities and time to be able to kill tanks.
Chronos' Pendant
PASSIVE - Every 10s the Pendant activates, subtracting 1s from all of your abilities currently on Cooldown. The initial countdown will not start until you leave the fountain.
Shoes of the Magi
Y10 Bancroft's Talon
PASSIVE - You gain additional Magical Power and Lifesteal scaled from missing Health. This caps at 70 power and 10% Lifesteal at 40% Health.
(Disclaimer) If you plan to use one of the situational items in this build just build in order skipping the purple talon until you decide you want or need the situational item. Obsidian Shard appears first in this build because it's what you'll buy last when replacing your starter item.
This build is good for teams that are more tanky due to the obsidian shard you'll buy and won't focus entirely on the spam aspect of Merlin. To make up for the Bancroft's talon or Gem of Isolation are very good item pick up's giving you a big spike in power or utility bonus.
S9 Divine Ruin
PASSIVE - Enemies hit by your abilities have 40% reduced healing for 5 seconds.
Celestial Legion Helm
PASSIVE - Every 3s you receive a stack of 7 Physical Protection and 4% Reduced Damage from Physical Critical Strikes, up to a max of 5 stacks. Stacks are removed upon taking Physical Damage from gods. Stacks can only be gained after not taking Physical Damage from gods for 3s.
Book of the Dead
PASSIVE - If you drop below 40% Health, you gain a shield equal to 25% of your maximum Mana. This shield lasts 6s. This effect can only occur once every 90s.
Gem of Isolation
PASSIVE - Enemies hit by your damaging abilities will move 30% Slower and will have Shields applied on them reduced by 50% for 2.5 seconds. This can only occur once every 2.5 seconds.
Magi's Cloak
PASSIVE - Protects you from a single hard Crowd Control effect once every 70 seconds. When this occurs, you gain 1s of Crowd Control immunity.
Genji's Guard
PASSIVE - When you take Magical Damage from Abilities your cooldowns are reduced by 3s. This can only occur once every 30s.
Item One/Divine Ruin- An AntiHeal/Pen item so you'd only get it against a team with healing. Buy this after boots replacing the last spear in the first build and the purple talon in the second build.
Item Two/Celestial Legion Helm- Item if they have a character who does physical damage fucking you up but will still add somewhat to magical power. Can be picked up at anytime replacing the second spear in the first build and the purple talon or ring in the second.
Item Three/Book of the Dead- Item that turns your mana into an emergency shield if you go low health only buildable for the first build replacing the second spear.
Item Four/Gem of Isolation- Very good utility item for Merlin that will help slow enemies and gives a good amount of power as well as extra health and mana. Replaces the second spear in the first build and the purple talon in the second build.
Item Five/Magi's Cloak- Defensive item that gives a shield that works as a beads you don't have to operate with a cooldown of 90 seconds. Example if they have an Ares and a Da Ji that keep pulling you around and killing you all the time this will lessen them pulling you around. Replaces second spear in first build and purple talon in second.
Item Six/Genji's Guard- Magical defense item if they have a mage fucking you up. Pure magical defense plus some cooldown reduction no power. Replaces Second spear in first build or purple talon in the second.
Item Seven/Winged Blade- Defense item if the enemy team is slowing you a lot and it's getting you killed. Gives a bunch of health and movement speed as well as a passive ability that will speed you up even more if you get slowed. Replaces Second spear in first build or purple talon in second build.
This part is pretty cut and dry this is just what abilities you level up. Maxing the one first since it's your most reliable damage ability. Maxing your two second since it's still a lot of damage just harder to confirm all the damage you'll get out of it. Maxing the three third since the cooldown is long and it'll lower every time you level it. Maxing the ult last since the damage on it won't get used very often and lowering the cooldown on your three is more important.
Basically God's that can run you down will kill you. With no CC immunity and a low amount of movement options you're options against these God's are on of the situational item pick up's, spamming abilities and hoping for the best, or a teammate saves you. With the exception of Kuzenbo he counters Merlin because of how spammy Merlin is since he can reflect damage back so you have to watch out for that.
Merlin Excels due to his spam and these God's become useless or die against spam due to how their kits function and lack of mobility. Hera and Skadi's pets for example die very quickly to Merlin and that part of their kit becomes useless against Merlin. Other God's such as Anubis, Hades, and Ymir all struggle due to abilities that make them stay in place or the fact that they're very slow and Merlin's extra slows make them borderline unplayable against Merlin as they can't really answer against it. As for some other God's like Isis and Kukulkan Merlin is just incredibly better than them and outclasses their movesets.