"take of smite"
"a river"
"take of smite"
"SMITE"
"a river"
"take smite of"
"omfg"
"gg"
"surrender at 20"

This is the dialogue I am treated to in virtually every lobby I've been in since I've started using Smite for non jungler champions. The Way It's Done insists that a non-jungler taking Smite is like a SEAL team carrying laser printers in their backpacks.

Well, Smite is actually a remarkably versatile tool, one that is immensely underappreciated. And since I am really tired of having to explain this over and over, here are some good reasons why you should consider Smite in your next match.

Did you know Smite works not only on monsters, but also minions? It's true!

People underestimate just how useful a small edge can be during a laning struggle. Smite can almost one-shot a siege minion. This might seem like a small thing, but A) That's a guaranteed last hit, and B) it can be enough to overwhelm your laning opponent's push. It can also significantly hinder his advance if you're pushed up against your turret.

What's more, with its low cooldown Smite is ready again in no time. You will generally never have to worry about siege minions again.

Folks who scoff at this tend to dismiss minions as insignificant, but I've seen enough turrets wiped out by minions to think otherwise.

Just like minions, Smite works on enemy pets and decoys. This include Tibbers, Heimerdinger's turrets, Malzahar's voidlings, and even Wukong's decoy monkey (which is a quick easy way to figure out which is the real Wukong). Of course, this is useless if you're going against a petless team, but it can be a very handy and unexpected bonus, especially if you can convince a teammate or two to take Smite as well. I've personally seen two champions with Smite completely frustrate poor Heimer. Shaco will hate you, and that is always a good thing.

This is by no means reason enough to replace another spell with Smite, but an added extra is a little extra speed in leashing for your jungle as well as taking Dragon and Baron down a little quicker. Again, the more Smites the better in this regard.

This isn't a winning strategy for everyone, obviously. If there's a role I recommend it for the least, it would definitely be Support. Obviously there are spells that can do a better job of aiding the ADC than clearing siege minions for him, which is XP/GP he needs anyway.

But for top, mid and even adc, I have found it invaluable enough times that I rarely go without it. Give it a try. It's not that bad. Honest!