Mobile Legends Tier List 2026: Best Heroes by Role

How This Tier List Works (So You Can Actually Climb)

A tier list is not a “pick this and win” button. In MLBB, a hero’s value depends on three things:

Role job: what the hero must do to win (secure objectives, protect carry, start fights, clear waves, split push).
Team fit: whether the hero completes your composition (engage + damage + peel + wave clear).
Rank context: what works in coordinated play vs solo queue.

To keep this tier list practical, the tiers mean this:

S Tier (Priority Pick/Ban): strong in most drafts, low counter-risk, consistent impact even if the game is messy.
A Tier (Strong & Reliable): slightly more conditional, but still excellent when your draft supports them.
B Tier (Playable / Comfort): viable, but needs matchup knowledge, better mechanics, or a specific team plan.
C Tier (Niche): can work, but usually requires a one-trick level of mastery or perfect draft conditions.

Also important: your role matters more than your hero. A B-tier jungler with great objective timing often beats an S-tier jungler who’s late to Turtle and wastes Retribution.

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Quick Snapshot: The Best Heroes by Role (January 2026 Meta)

Use this section when you’re in draft and need fast decisions.

Jungle (Core) – Top Priorities

S Tier: Fredrinn, Yi Sun-shin, Hayabusa, Lancelot, Aamon, Helcurt
A Tier: Ling, Julian, Nolan, Martis, Joy, Fanny (high skill), Saber (pick-focused)

Gold Lane (Marksman Carry) – Top Priorities

S Tier: Ixia, Wanwan, Kimmy, Irithel
A Tier: Beatrix, Moskov, Clint, Natan, Melissa, Bruno, Brody

Mid Lane (Mage / Control) – Top Priorities

S Tier: Zetian, Zhuxin, Valentina, Pharsa
A Tier: Yve, Luo Yi, Xavier, Kadita, Lylia, Cecilion, Novaria

EXP Lane (Fighter / Frontline / Side Pressure) – Top Priorities

S Tier: Sora, Yu Zhong, Lapu-Lapu, Freya, Arlott, Gloo
A Tier: Ruby, Terizla, X.Borg, Chou, Dyrroth, Benedetta, Fredrinn (EXP variants)

Roam (Tank / Support / Playmaker) – Top Priorities

S Tier: Diggie, Mathilda, Grock, Minotaur, Kaja
A Tier: Tigreal, Lolita, Franco (pick style), Angela, Floryn, Chip (when team plays together)

If you want to win more games immediately: prioritize heroes that do their job without needing perfect teammates (safe clear, reliable engage/peel, strong objective presence).

Jungle Tier List: Best Junglers and Why They Win Games

The jungle role wins ranked because it controls tempo:

Who gets Turtle/Lord
Who gets invaded
Which lane gets pressure first
Who snowballs

Here’s the jungle tier list plus the playbook to actually carry.

S Tier Junglers

Fredrinn: One of the safest “do everything” junglers—frontline, sustain, objective control, and teamfight presence.
Yi Sun-shin: Flexible damage profile and strong map impact when played with discipline (don’t throw your lead chasing).
Hayabusa: Punishes squishy comps, deletes backline, and escapes—perfect for solo queue picks.
Lancelot: High burst and mobility; thrives when you control vision and punish isolated targets.
Aamon: Excellent into teams that don’t track bushes and rotations; fast picks and snowball potential.
Helcurt: Dominates messy solo queue games; punishes poor positioning and poor vision habits.

A Tier Junglers

Ling: Still deadly, but more draft-dependent—he needs teammates who can hold lanes and provide follow-up.
Julian: Strong skirmisher and flexible; best when you fight around cooldowns and don’t overforce.
Nolan: Great tempo when ahead; needs clean decision-making because one mistake can end your snowball.
Martis: Strong early fights and invades; strongest when you play aggressively with lane priority.
Joy: High mobility and teamfight threat, but requires timing and team awareness.
Fanny: Can be S-tier in the right hands, but highly mechanical—if you miss early momentum, you become risky.
Saber: Works as a “delete one carry” jungle—best when enemy has immobile backliners and no peel.

B Tier (Viable / Comfort)

Heroes that can jungle well but need matchup knowledge or a specific team plan (example: slower scaling junglers when your team lacks early lane priority).

How to Choose a Jungler in Draft (Simple Rules)

If your team lacks a frontline: pick Fredrinn or another durable core.
If enemy has 3–4 squishy heroes: pick a pick assassin (Hayabusa/Aamon/Helcurt/Lancelot).
If your team has strong CC setup: pick a jungler who can follow and finish (burst + mobility).

Jungle Practical Playbook (Early → Mid → Late)

Early (0–4 min): prioritize safe clear and information. Don’t fight blind. Fight when your lanes can move first.
Mid (4–12 min): convert kills into objectives. Every kill should become Turtle, tower plates, or enemy jungle camps.
Late (12+ min): stop “highlight chasing.” Your job is Lord control and deleting the right target at the right time.

The #1 Jungle Mistake (Even in Mythic)

Winning a skirmish and then wandering instead of taking something permanent:

Take Turtle/Lord
Take mid tower
Take enemy buffs
Take vision and choke points

How to Counter S-Tier Junglers

Against assassins (Hayabusa/Lancelot/Aamon/Helcurt): group better, protect your gold laner, and keep waves pushed so they have fewer flank angles.
Against tanky cores (Fredrinn): don’t tunnel him first—chip him while you kill his damage dealers, and apply anti-heal early in fights.
Against mobility cores (Ling): track him before objectives; if you don’t see him, assume he’s flanking your backline.

Gold Lane Tier List: Best Marksmen to Win Ranked

Gold lane wins games because it becomes your tower-taking, objective-melting damage source. The best gold laners in this meta share one thing: they either survive dives or deal damage safely while fights are messy.

S Tier Gold Laners

Ixia: Teamfight monster with strong sustained damage; excellent when you position correctly and fight around your frontline.
Wanwan: Still a nightmare when mastered—high outplay potential and late-game fight flipping.
Kimmy: Flexible damage and pressure; punishes teams that can’t answer constant poke and wave control.
Irithel: Strong teamfight and mobility for a marksman; great when fights are dive-heavy and chaotic.

A Tier Gold Laners

Beatrix: Versatile and lethal with good weapon management; strongest when you know your spacing and objective timing.
Moskov: High DPS and strong punish potential; thrives when your team provides peel and you play for late fights.
Clint: Lane bully with strong poke; excellent for snowballing towers if you don’t get caught.
Natan: Great scaling and teamfight output; needs smart positioning and protection.
Melissa: Anti-dive tools make her reliable; strongest when enemies want to jump onto you.
Bruno: Big crit threat; great when you’re confident and your team can protect you.
Brody: Strong burst and lane control; best when you want short, decisive fights rather than long brawls.

Gold Lane Draft Rules (So You Don’t Lose in Draft)

If your team has no peel/roam protection, avoid the marksman that needs babysitting.
If enemy has heavy dive, pick a marksman with self-protection tools or build earlier defense.
If your team wants front-to-back fights, pick sustained DPS (Ixia/Moskov/Natan).

Gold Lane Practical Playbook

Early: last hit cleanly, don’t die, and avoid greedy trades when the enemy jungler is missing.
Mid: rotate after pushing wave—your presence at Turtle fights matters more than one extra minion wave.
Late: you are the win condition. Stand where your tank can protect you, not where you “feel safe.”

The #1 Gold Lane Mistake

Showing alone on a side wave when the map is dark. S-tier or not, you can’t DPS if you’re dead.

How to Beat S-Tier Marksmen

Deny them safe space by controlling mid wave and river vision.
Force fights when their ultimate/defensive tool is down.
Don’t overcommit to kills—sometimes the best counter is taking their towers and shrinking the map.

Mid Lane Tier List: Best Mages for Control, Picks, and Teamfights

Mid lane decides the match because it controls wave tempo and rotations. A top-tier mid laner can clear fast, show up first, and turn every 2v2 into a winning 3v2.

S Tier Mid Laners

Zetian: Huge control and teamfight presence; best when you play to dictate where fights happen.
Zhuxin: Strong pressure and fight control; thrives when you understand spacing and timing.
Valentina: Steals ultimates and turns enemy win conditions into your own—dominant when you understand which ult to copy and when.
Pharsa: Safe wave clear and fight impact; strong when you rotate early and don’t greed for risky poke.

A Tier Mid Laners

Yve: Great zoning and objective control; strongest in organized fights where your team protects your space.
Luo Yi: Punishes clumped teams and enables rotations; deadly when you play around vision traps.
Xavier: Strong range and teamfight impact; best when you position safely and scale.
Kadita: One of the best “delete the backline” mages; strongest when you play for picks and fog.
Lylia: Strong skirmishes and mobility; great when you fight often and manage cooldowns well.
Cecilion: Scales hard; strong if you survive early and don’t hemorrhage towers.
Novaria: Poke and information value; best when your team plays around your vision and long-range pressure.

Mid Lane Draft Rules

If your team lacks engage, pick a mage who can force fights or punish positioning.
If your team is dive-heavy, pick a mage who can follow and control choke points.
If enemy has Diggie-style CC denial, don’t rely on “one big combo” as your only win condition.

Mid Lane Practical Playbook

Wave first, rotate second. Your rotations are only strong if you don’t lose mid tower.
Control river entrances before Turtle/Lord. If your mid arrives late, your jungler is forced to coin-flip objectives.
Aim for “safe damage.” The best mid laners don’t die for poke.

How to Counter S-Tier Mages

Don’t fight in tight choke points when you don’t have vision control.
Track their key cooldown and punish the downtime with objectives.
Attack their rotations: if you can delay mid’s first move, you slow their whole team.

EXP Lane Tier List: Best Fighters for Side Pressure and Frontline

EXP lane wins games quietly: it’s the role that creates space, absorbs pressure, and threatens towers while objectives are spawning.

S Tier EXP Laners

Sora: Extremely high impact when mastered—flexible combat style and strong pressure.
Yu Zhong: Dominant teamfight presence and lane strength; excellent when you want reliable engage and sustain.
Lapu-Lapu: Great fighter balance—survivability, burst windows, and fight control.
Freya: Massive duel threat and snowball potential; strongest when you time engages and don’t overchase.
Arlott: Strong skirmishes and punish potential; great when your team provides consistent marks/CC triggers.
Gloo: Nightmare for teams that can’t manage his stickiness; great frontline and disruption in teamfights.

A Tier EXP Laners

Ruby: Fantastic control and sustain; strong when you play front-to-back and punish dives.
Terizla: Big fight impact and reliable damage; best in grouped fights and objective setups.
X.Borg: Safe pressure and strong teamfight value when played patiently.
Chou: High playmaking potential; best when you can protect your backline by removing theirs.
Dyrroth: Strong lane threat; best when you punish mistakes and snowball early.
Benedetta: Strong mobility and outplay; needs mechanics and smart wave timing.
Fredrinn (EXP variants): Works when your team wants extra frontline and stable teamfights.

EXP Lane Draft Rules

If your team has no frontline, pick a sturdier EXP who can start fights or soak pressure.
If your team already has a tank roamer, you can pick a more aggressive EXP that dives backline.
If enemy has heavy burst, prioritize EXP heroes who can survive the first engage and keep fighting.

EXP Lane Practical Playbook

Early: manage your wave so you can rotate to Turtle without losing your tower.
Mid: become the “second roamer.” You should be the first to punish overextended lanes.
Late: your job is space. If you dive and die without trading for the enemy carry or forcing a major objective, you throw your team’s win condition.

How to Counter S-Tier EXP Picks

Don’t take “pride fights” in the lane when jungle positions are unknown.
Cut their rotations by controlling river vision.
Punish their wave timing: if they rotate late, take tower damage; if they rotate early, shove and deny farm.

Roam Tier List: Best Roamers for Engage, Peel, and Draft Control

Roam decides how easy the game feels. A great roamer makes your team’s carries safe, creates picks, and makes objectives simple. A weak roamer forces your team to face-check and lose fights before they begin.

S Tier Roamers

Diggie: Ruins heavy CC comps and protects teammates from game-losing engage moments.
Mathilda: High mobility support that enables rotations, saves carries, and creates pick angles.
Grock: Strong vision control and fight presence; great at creating terrain pressure and denying paths.
Minotaur: Reliable teamfight engage and sustain; excellent when you want consistent “start the fight” tools.
Kaja: One of the best single-target punish roamers; deletes priority targets when your team follows instantly.

A Tier Roamers

Tigreal: Powerful engage when your team understands follow-up; risky if your team hesitates.
Lolita: Excellent into projectile-heavy comps and strong defensive teamfight presence.
Franco: Pick-off king; strongest when your team plays disciplined around hook angles and objectives.
Angela: Turns a diver into a win condition; best when your team has one clear “carry hero” to enable.
Floryn: Strong sustain and teamfight help; best in longer fights where healing and timing decide outcomes.
Chip: Great when teammates coordinate; weaker if your team ignores rotations and plays selfishly.

Roam Draft Rules (The Cheat Code)

Pick your roamer based on what your team lacks:

No engage? Pick an engage tank (Minotaur/Tigreal style).
Too squishy? Pick peel and protection (Diggie/Lolita/Mathilda style).
Need picks to snowball? Pick single-target punish (Kaja/Franco style).

Roam Practical Playbook

Early: help your jungler secure a clean first cycle and protect mid rotations.
Mid: set up vision and arrive first to Turtle/Lord areas. Your job is to make objectives predictable.
Late: don’t chase kills. Guard your carry’s space, track enemy flankers, and keep your team grouped at the right times.

How to Counter S-Tier Roamers

Versus Diggie: don’t rely on one big CC chain; bait the immunity window, then re-engage.
Versus Grock: don’t fight in narrow corridors without vision; force fights in open lanes.
Versus Kaja: keep your carry close to peel and avoid walking alone in fog.

Flex Picks and Draft Combos That Make Any Tier List Stronger

Some heroes become “more than S-tier” because they give draft control. Flex picks force the enemy to guess lanes and waste bans.

High-value flex picks

Gloo: can pressure EXP or disrupt as frontline in certain setups.
Fredrinn: can function as core jungle or extra frontline depending on team need.
Mathilda: can play as a roam enabler and still provide damage/rotation value.
Valentina: changes value based on enemy ultimates—she’s a “draft mirror” hero.
Kimmy: flexible damage profile; can shift how fights are played.

Simple draft combo ideas

Engage tank + AoE mage + sustained marksman: easy front-to-back wins.
Pick roamer + burst jungler + safe mid: punishes solo queue mistakes constantly.
Dive EXP + Angela-style support: turns one diver into unstoppable pressure (if your team plays around it).

Counter Guide: What to Do When the Enemy Takes the Best Heroes

You won’t always get the S-tier pick. Here’s how to win anyway.

If enemy picks an S-tier assassin jungler

Play tighter: rotate in pairs, don’t farm side waves alone.
Save defensive tools for their entry, not after you’re already dead.
Force them to choose: protect your carry or lose towers/objectives.

If enemy picks a scaling gold laner

Attack their map: take mid tower early and shrink their safe farm zones.
Force objective fights earlier so they can’t free-scale to late.

If enemy picks a control mage

Don’t clump in the areas they want.
Clear waves quickly and rotate faster so they can’t set up slow, perfect fights.

If enemy picks a dominant EXP

Stop dueling blindly.
Trade waves and rotations intelligently; make them choose between farm and fights.

If enemy picks a top roamer

Match their tempo, not their hero. A “weaker” roamer with better vision and rotations wins more games than a stronger roamer played lazily.

Practical Rules to Climb With This Tier List

These rules are the difference between reading a tier list and gaining stars.

Rule 1: Build a 3-hero pool per role

Pick:

1 safe “always works” hero
1 aggressive snowball hero
1 counter hero for common meta drafts

Rule 2: Draft for jobs, not for favorites

A perfect example:

If you already have 2 damage dealers, pick a roamer that protects them.
If you already have frontline, pick damage that can actually follow up.

Rule 3: Win objectives, not fights

A kill that becomes Turtle/Lord/tower is worth double. A kill that becomes chasing into jungle is often a throw.

Rule 4: The minimap is your defensive item

Most deaths happen because people “feel safe” with no information. If you can’t see the enemy jungler/roamer, play like they’re near you.

Rule 5: In solo queue, consistency beats difficulty

High-mechanics heroes can be S-tier, but your climb is faster with heroes that:

Clear waves safely
Contribute even from behind
Don’t require perfect team coordination

BoostRoom: Turn Meta Knowledge Into Rank Results

Reading a tier list helps, but the biggest rank jump usually comes from fixing repeat mistakes:

rotating late to Turtle/Lord,
taking unsafe side waves,
drafting without frontline/peel,
forcing fights when your power spike isn’t ready.

BoostRoom helps players climb by focusing on role mastery, not gimmicks:

Draft support: what to pick/ban based on your hero pool and the enemy’s first picks
Role coaching: jungler tempo, roam vision routes, gold lane spacing, EXP wave timing, mid rotation discipline
Replay breakdowns: the real reason fights were lost (positioning, timing, target selection)
Personal hero pool plan: the smallest set of heroes that gives you the biggest win rate boost

If you want consistent progress, the goal is simple: fewer unforced deaths + cleaner objective setups + better draft structure—and you’ll beat “meta” teams even when they get the S-tier pick.

FAQ

What rank is this tier list built for?

It’s most useful from Epic and Legend upward, and it becomes even more accurate in Mythic where drafts and objectives matter more.

Why do different tier lists disagree?

Because rank, region, coordination, and player skill change what’s “best.” A hero can be S-tier in pro play but only A/B-tier in solo queue if teammates don’t follow up.

Should I always pick S-tier heroes?

Not always. An A-tier hero you truly understand will often outperform an S-tier hero you barely know—especially in ranked where consistency wins.

How many heroes should I learn per role?

Aim for 3 per role: one safe, one aggressive, one counter pick. This makes you flexible without spreading practice too thin.

What’s the easiest role to climb with?

Jungle and Roam can carry tempo and objectives the hardest, but Gold Lane can also climb fast if you position well and avoid pick-offs.

What makes a jungler “meta”?

Fast tempo, strong objective control, reliable fight impact, and the ability to punish mistakes without needing perfect teammates.

How do I stop dying as a marksman?

Stop farming alone in dark areas, stand within peel range, and don’t step forward when you don’t know where the enemy jungler/roamer is.

What’s the most important mid lane habit?

Wave first, rotate second. If you lose mid tower early, your whole team loses safe map control.

What if my team drafts no frontline?

Adjust immediately: pick a sturdier EXP or a tankier roamer, and play fights front-to-back instead of diving.

How often does the meta change?

Very often—balance updates and new heroes can shift priority picks quickly. Use this tier list as a guide, but always adapt to what you’re seeing in your matches.