Quick answer (updated 9 November 2026, Season 42, Patch 2.2.16a): The best jungle heroes in Mobile Legends right now are Popol and Kupa (54.50% win rate), Sun (53.76%) and Aulus (53.73%), followed by Ling (52.60%) and Lukas (52.46%), according to the 7-day ranked stats on mlbbhub (all ranks, all servers). For solo queue, the best value is Ling: an A-tier win rate and a ban rate under 1%, so he is almost always open. Hirara is still the most-banned hero in the game at 68.03%, but after the 2.2.16a nerf she wins only 50.18% of her games, so banning her is now mostly about comfort, not necessity.
The jungle is the role that farms the neutral camps, takes Turtle and Lord, and often decides ranked games below Mythic. This guide replaces our September version, which was written on launch-week opinion for Patch 2.2.16. It now ranks junglers on live ranked data, because two balance changes have landed since: the Annual Map Change on 28 September and Patch 2.2.16a on 14 October 2026.
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What are the best jungle heroes in Season 42?
Every number below comes from mlbbhub's statistics page, read on 9 November 2026: 7-day ranked data, all ranks and servers, 133 heroes tracked, average win rate about 50%. We checked it against mlbb.io's one-day snapshot from the same day, and the two agree to within 0.4 points on every jungler we compared: Popol and Kupa 54.21%, Ling 52.53%, Fredrinn 51.27%, Hirara 50.00%, Fanny 42.59%. Both are third-party trackers, not Moonton pages, and they may draw on the same match feed, so read them as strong signals rather than official or independent figures.
| Jungle hero | mlbbhub tier | Win rate | Pick rate | Ban rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popol and Kupa | S | 54.50% | 0.45% | 0.35% |
| Sun | S | 53.76% | 1.84% | 32.23% |
| Aulus | S | 53.73% | 0.82% | 34.91% |
| Ling | A | 52.60% | 0.70% | 0.63% |
| Lukas | A | 52.46% | 0.87% | 35.33% |
| Barats | A | 51.71% | 0.69% | 3.84% |
| Bane | B | 51.57% | 0.29% | 0.18% |
| Saber | A | 51.11% | 1.03% | 24.87% |
| Fredrinn | B | 51.03% | 0.47% | 1.63% |
| Alice | A | 50.94% | 0.94% | 12.65% |
| Natalia | B | 50.92% | 0.28% | 1.91% |
| Hirara | B | 50.18% | 0.59% | 68.03% |
Source: mlbbhub hero statistics, lane filter Jungle, 9 Nov 2026. Several of these heroes are tagged for a second lane: mlbbhub lists Popol and Kupa as Jungle and Gold, Sun, Lukas, Barats and Alice as EXP first, and Aulus and Bane as Jungle first with EXP second. Their numbers cover every lane they are played in, not jungle only.
Two patterns stand out. First, five jungle-tagged heroes are banned in more than 24% of games (Hirara, Lukas, Aulus, Sun, Saber), so expect at least one to be gone before you pick. Second, Popol and Kupa, Ling, Bane and Fredrinn all win more than 51% and are banned in under 2% of games. Build your pool from those and you will rarely lose your hero in draft.
Why is Hirara banned so much if her win rate is average?
Hirara launched in Patch 2.1.88 on 17 June 2026 and became the jungler everyone banned. Moonton's 2.2.16a note, quoted word for word on Liquipedia, explains the change: "Hirara could use her invincibility skill too frequently, making her difficult to deal with. We've reduced how often she can use her skills but slightly increased the burst damage of her full combo in the mid-to-late game."
The numbers behind it:
- Meisen-e cooldown: 9-5.5s to 10-6.5s. Fewer dashes, and fewer chances to chain into her untargetable combo.
- Kaerazu damage: 150-255 (+65% Extra Physical Attack) to 165-270 (+42%-70% Extra Physical Attack). Slightly more burst once she has items.
Her win rate on mlbbhub has fallen from 54.55% on 28 September to 50.18% today, yet her ban rate is still 68.03%, the highest of all 133 heroes. Players are still banning the version of Hirara they remember. If you are captain and the enemy team has no obvious Hirara player, that ban can go to a hero who is actually winning more, such as Aulus or Sun. If you want to play her yourself, our Hirara build guide covers her two-skill combos.
Which jungle heroes are best for solo queue?
In solo queue you can't plan around bans, so the best pool is heroes who win more than they lose and rarely get banned. These are all-rank numbers, so check the hero's stats at your own rank on mlbbhub before committing. Sorting the jungle list for win rate above 51% and ban rate below 5% leaves five heroes:
- Popol and Kupa: 54.50% win rate, 0.35% ban. The highest win rate among jungle-tagged heroes (all lanes combined), and their Flamehide Thane skin is the Season 42 ranked reward. Popol is a Marksman who fights alongside his wolf, Kupa. At a 0.45% pick rate the pair is played mostly by experienced mains, which can push the win rate up, so treat it as a strong signal rather than a guarantee for a first game.
- Ling: 52.60% win rate, 0.63% ban. A wall-running assassin with no balance changes in 2.2.16 or 2.2.16a. He has a long learning curve, but once you can read walls he has the best win rate of any pure assassin jungler on the list.
- Barats: 51.71% win rate, 3.84% ban. A tank-fighter whose dinosaur, Detona, grows bigger and tankier as Barats keeps landing skills on enemies. Good when your team has no frontline.
- Bane: 51.57% win rate, 0.18% ban. A Fighter/Mage that mlbbhub lists as Jungle first. He clears camps and waves fast, but a 0.29% pick rate makes him a niche choice.
- Fredrinn: 51.03% win rate, 1.63% ban. A Fighter/Tank who soaks damage and turns it into burst. The safest pick for players who die too often on assassins.
If you are still in Epic or Legend, Fredrinn, Barats or Popol and Kupa is the easiest trio to learn: none of them relies on a frame-perfect combo. For the full roster, see the Season 42 tier list.
Should you ban Sun, Aulus or Lukas in the jungle?
These three win more than 52% and are banned in roughly a third of games. All three were changed in Patch 2.2.16, and all three also play the EXP Lane.
Aulus (53.73%, 34.91% ban) is S tier but falling. He has the biggest win-rate drop on mlbbhub's list (-1.32 points on 9 November), in line with his 2.2.16a nerf: Skill 1's cooldown became a flat 15s, his enhanced basic attack base damage fell from 135 (+15 per level) to 120 (+12 per level), and its healing changed from 30 (+15% Total Physical Attack) to 15 (+20% Total Physical Attack). He is still very strong, and mlbbhub now lists Jungle as his first lane. More in the Aulus build guide and how to counter Aulus.
Sun (53.76%, 32.23% ban) is the most-picked jungle-tagged hero at 1.84%. Patch 2.2.16 raised his passive's extra damage to creeps from 50 to 65, which helps his clear speed, and cut the gold enemies get for killing his Doppelgangers. Skill 1's listed cooldown dropped from 10-8s to 6.5-5s, but that cooldown now only starts once the Doppelganger is gone, so it is not a simple buff. More in the Sun build guide.
Lukas (52.46%, 35.33% ban) was the target of a deliberate shift. The 2.2.16 note reads: "Lukas was slightly weak in the Exp Lane but too strong as a jungler. To make him stronger in the Exp Lane while preserving his jungler playstyle, we've made some adjustments to him." His ultimate's Resolve regen dropped from 1-2 to 0.5-2 and Flash Combo's spin damage fell from 100-200 to 80-180, while Pulverize and Sacred Lightning damage and his passive Resolve gain went up. He is still a strong jungler, but Moonton now wants him in the side lane. See the Lukas build guide.
Which assassin junglers are worth playing?
Classic assassins are having a mixed season. Saber (51.11%, 24.87% ban) is the strongest pure assassin after Ling, and mlbbhub also tags him for Roam. His ultimate locks down one target, which is why he is banned so often against backline carries. Natalia (50.92%) and Aamon (50.23%) sit just above average. Nolan (49.65%) is the most-picked pure jungler at 1.60% and is banned in 11.41% of games despite a slightly below-average win rate.
Then there are the assassins people keep picking that the data says to avoid:
| Hero | Win rate | Pick rate | mlbbhub tier | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusion | 48.56% | 1.28% | B | Popular, below average |
| Karina | 48.28% | 0.92% | C | Buffed in 2.2.16, still under 50% |
| Hayabusa | 48.09% | 0.77% | C | Below average across all ranks |
| Lancelot | 43.11% | 0.54% | D | Second-lowest among jungle-tagged heroes |
| Fanny | 42.59% | 0.65% | D | Lowest win rate among jungle-tagged heroes |
Fanny and Lancelot are the clearest example of mechanics hiding in averages. Both need hundreds of games to play well, so most ranked matches with them are played by people still learning. A dedicated main can still climb with either, but on all-rank data they lose almost three games in five. If you are committed, our Fanny build guide and Gusion build guide cover the current item paths.
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How did Season 42 change jungling?
Three changes matter more than any single hero adjustment:
- Less gold from buff camps. Patch 2.2.16 reduced the base gold of the Horned Lizard, Fire Beetle and Lava Golem by 13%. Moonton's reason, from the patch notes: "We've found that matches in the current patch are too fast-paced, making it difficult for teams that fall behind to make a comeback." The comeback bounty also kicks in sooner: the gold gap needed to earn bonus gold from enemy kills fell from 2,000 to 1,500. A jungler who falls behind can now catch up faster, and one who gets ahead is easier to shut down.
- Turtle no longer gives a shield. Since the Annual Map Change on 28 September, killing the Turtle spawns an allied Healing Turtle on the enemy's strongest lane that pushes and heals nearby allies. Jungle timing around Turtle is now about where your team wants to push, not just the shield. Full breakdown in our Healing Turtle and Golden Turret guide.
- Revealing Wisps. Pickable wisps on the map reveal hidden enemy heroes near you for a few seconds once collected. That makes brush ambushes riskier for any jungler who relies on them.
The designers summed up their goal in the 2.2.16 notes: "In this patch, we've improved several underperforming Jungler and Exp Lane heroes to help them perform better." Not every change was a buff: Sun and Lukas were adjusted rather than buffed, and Aulus, improved in 2.2.16, was nerfed in 2.2.16a. On current data the jungle rewards heroes who clear fast and fight early.
How do you pick the right jungler each game?
- Check what is banned and what your team lacks. If your team has no frontline, take Barats or Fredrinn. If it has no damage, take Ling, Popol and Kupa, or Saber.
- Look at the enemy's healers. Sun, Aulus and Alice all heal heavily. If you are a damage jungler, plan anti-heal by your third item. Our anti-heal items guide shows which item fits each role.
- Pick the right Retribution and emblem. These depend on the hero, not the role, and talents change between patches. Our battle spells guide and emblem guide have the current setups.
- Plan your first Turtle. Season 42 rewards the side that wins the first objective fight, so pick a hero who is strong at that time.
For your laners, the EXP Lane meta uses the same 9 November data.
Want a deeper jungle pool or a faster climb?
The quickest way to use this list is to own the right heroes. If your account is missing Ling, Popol and Kupa or Fredrinn, or you want to climb faster with them, these are the options:
Climbing in Season 42 with a thin jungle pool? These timesaver.gg options cover both the heroes and the rank.
- Mobile Legends Accounts: ranked-ready MLBB accounts with hero and skin collections and instant handover, so you can flex between Ling, Sun and Fredrinn the day you log in.
- Mobile Legends Rank Boost: Warrior to Mythical Immortal, piloted or self-play, and you pick your target rank.
- All Mobile Legends services: the full timesaver.gg Mobile Legends hub.
These services come with timesaver.gg's own guarantees and handling. We make no claims about Moonton's rules or ban risk.
FAQ
Who is the best jungler in Mobile Legends right now? On mlbbhub's 7-day ranked data (9 November 2026, Patch 2.2.16a), Popol and Kupa have the highest win rate among jungle-tagged heroes at 54.50% (all lanes combined), followed by Sun (53.76%) and Aulus (53.73%). Sun and Aulus are banned in about a third of games, so the best jungler you can reliably play is Ling or Popol and Kupa, both banned in under 1% of games.
What is the jungle meta in Season 42? Fast-clearing fighters who win early objective fights: Sun, Aulus and Lukas lead the bans among heroes who win more than 52%. Classic assassins have cooled off. Gusion, Hayabusa and Karina are all below 50%, and Fanny and Lancelot are in D tier.
Is Hirara still good after the nerf? She is average now. Patch 2.2.16a raised Meisen-e's cooldown from 9-5.5s to 10-6.5s, and her win rate on mlbbhub fell from 54.55% in late September to 50.18% on 9 November. Players still ban her in 68.03% of games, the highest ban rate of any hero.
Is Granger a jungle hero now? Not according to the trackers. A thread on r/MobileLegendsGame asked exactly this on 9 November, but both mlbbhub and mlbb.io list Granger as Gold Lane only, and his all-rank win rate is 43.22% (D tier). If you want a marksman in the jungle, Popol and Kupa are the tracked option.
What is the easiest jungler for beginners? Fredrinn, Barats or Popol and Kupa. All three win more than 51% and are rarely banned, and none of them needs a difficult combo. Ling has a better win rate than Fredrinn but takes far longer to learn. For general advice, see best heroes for beginners.
How often does the jungle meta change? With every balance patch, roughly every three to six weeks, and more at each new ranked season. This page tracks Patch 2.2.16a, the live Original Server patch on 9 November 2026. Changes on the Advance (test) Server are not live until they ship to the Original Server. Check our MLBB patch notes for the latest changes.
