Quick answer (27 October 2026, Patch 2.2.16a, Season 42 "Starward Decade"): the best Cici build for the EXP lane is Warrior Boots, War Axe, Brute Force Breastplate, Queen's Wings, Oracle and Immortality (10,920 gold, mlbbhub's standard ranked build). Run the Fighter emblem with Brave Smite and Festival of Blood, and take Vengeance, which every one of the six builds mlbb.io tracks for her uses. The reason she's worth a second look: Patch 2.2.16 (16 September 2026) buffed her. Spell vamp per Delight stack went from 0.75% to 1.25%, and Yo-Yo Blitz now takes 3.5–5% of the target's max HP per hit, up from 3–4.5%. Her ranked win rate climbed from 46.52% on 16 September to 49.51% on 26 October on mlbbhub, and her pick rate more than doubled.
Cici is the EXP laner who never stops moving. She tags you with her yo-yo, runs circles around you while it keeps hitting, and heals off every tick. A post on r/MobileLegendsGame this week took her somewhere stranger. The player had been running her in the gold lane and called the matchup "the nightmare it is" for the enemy marksman. This guide covers what the buff changed, the three builds worth running, the emblem, the combo, the gold lane question and the heroes who beat her.
What changed for Cici in Season 42?
She was buffed in Patch 2.2.16, the Season 42 launch patch released on 16 September 2026. The live hotfix since then, 2.2.16a (14 October 2026), didn't touch her. Moonton's design note, verbatim (Liquipedia, Patch 2.2.16):
"Slightly increased the hero's early-to-mid-game damage against high-HP units, the speed of killing the EXP Crab in the early game, and sustainability in team fights."
Here are the three lines that changed:
| Part of the kit | Before 2.2.16 | After 2.2.16 |
|---|---|---|
| Spell vamp per Delight stack (passive) | 0.75% | 1.25% |
| Yo-Yo Blitz damage based on target's max HP | 3%–4.5% | 3.5%–5% |
| Yo-Yo Blitz max damage against creeps | 75–350 | 100–350 |
Her passive doubles its effects once she reaches the full 10 stacks. So at full Delight she now has 25% spell vamp from the passive alone, up from 15%. That's the "sustainability in team fights" part of the note. The creep line applies to jungle creeps, not lane minions, so it mainly makes her faster at taking the EXP Crab early.
It follows a smaller buff in Patch 2.1.88 (17 June 2026), which made her Delight stacks drop off more slowly, one stack every 0.5s instead of every 0.3s (Liquipedia, Patch 2.1.88). Together the two changes mean she keeps her stacks longer and gets more out of them.
One warning before you read other guides. When we checked on 27 October, mlbb.io's skill text still showed the old 0.75% spell vamp per stack. mlbbhub's shows the new 1.25%. If a guide quotes 0.75%, it was written before Season 42.
Is Cici good in Season 42?
She's a solid B-tier EXP laner. She's not a ban-worthy menace, but she's no longer the trap pick she was in Season 41. Both of the trackers we use agree:
| Tracker (date) | Tier | Win rate | Pick rate | Ban rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mlbbhub (26 Oct 2026) | B | 49.51% | 0.59% | 1.03% |
| mlbb.io, all ranks (27 Oct 2026) | B (up from C) | 49.5% | 0.6% | 1.1% |
The trend matters more than the snapshot. mlbbhub's history shows her at 46.52% on 16 September, the day the patch landed. She jumped to 49.36% by 28 September and has stayed between about 49% and 49.5% since. Her pick rate went from 0.24% to 0.59% over the same window. The jump lines up with the buff's release. Trackers can't prove the patch caused it, but she went from a losing hero to roughly an even one right after it shipped.
Her niche is very specific. She shreds high-HP frontliners and she's slippery, but she has no hard crowd control outside her ultimate. If the enemy EXP laner is a tank or a slow bruiser, she's a good pick. If it's a hero with a point-and-click stun, she isn't.
How does Cici's kit work?
Cici is listed as "Buoyant Performer", a Fighter for the EXP lane with a Damage/Regen specialty (mlbbhub, from Moonton's game data). Here's the kit, using the live skill text:
- Passive: Performer's Delight. She gains a stack of Delight whenever she deals damage. Each stack gives +0.75% movement speed and +1.25% spell vamp, up to 10 stacks, and the effects double at full stacks. Full Delight means 15% movement speed and 25% spell vamp.
- Skill 1: Yo-Yo Blitz. Her yo-yo attacks the nearest enemy (heroes first) for 3.5 seconds, hitting up to 10 times. Each hit deals 65 plus 3.5–5% of the target's max HP as physical damage, and the % part also grows with her extra physical attack. She can move and use her other skills while it's hitting. It deals 20% extra damage to minions, and it attacks turrets if no enemy is in range. Listed cooldown: 6.5s.
- Skill 2: Buoyant Bounce. She leaps to a target spot. If she lands on any unit (not turrets or the base), she can leap again in the joystick direction. Landing the first leap on an enemy deals 200 (+40% Total Physical Attack) damage. Listed cooldown: 9.5s.
- Ultimate: Curtain Call. She throws the yo-yo at an enemy hero and links them with another nearby enemy hero. That deals 100 (+10% Total Physical Attack) damage, slows both by 30% and pulls them together for 4 seconds. While they're linked, Yo-Yo Blitz hits both targets. If only one is in range, it hits that target twice, but the second hit deals only 25% damage. Listed cooldown: 40s.
The whole hero is in Skill 1. It's a damage-over-time skill that keeps going while she walks, so her job is to stay within its range without standing still. The max-HP damage is why tanks hate her. Each of up to ten hits takes a percentage of max HP, so stacking HP only gives her more to chew through.
Skill order: max Skill 1 first, take the ultimate whenever it's available, and leave Skill 2 for last. That's the 3-1-2 priority mlbbhub lists.
What is the best Cici build in Season 42?
mlbbhub has three curated Cici builds. They were last reviewed on Patch 2.1.67 (8 May 2026), and the site itself flags them as older than the current patch. They still hold up. Neither 2.2.16 nor 2.2.16a has an equipment section, and the last broad item pass, 2.1.88, changed none of these items (it hit Berserker's Fury, Rapid Boots and Dire Hit). Item prices are mlbbhub's.
Build 1: EXP Lane Bruiser (the default)
| Slot | Item | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warrior Boots | 720 | Physical defense for lane trades |
| 2 | War Axe | 2,100 | Spell vamp, HP and damage that ramps the longer she fights |
| 3 | Brute Force Breastplate | 1,870 | HP, defense, and stacking attack and movement speed while she deals damage |
| 4 | Queen's Wings | 2,250 | Spell vamp, plus 30% damage reduction for 3s when she drops below 40% HP |
| 5 | Oracle | 1,860 | +25% to the shields and HP regen she receives, plus magic defense |
| 6 | Immortality | 2,120 | A second life in late-game fights |
| Total | 10,920 |
mlbbhub's note sums it up: the build "stacks sustain, spell vamp, and defense to keep Yo-Yo Blitz attached through extended fights." With the buffed passive on top, War Axe and Queen's Wings give her 18% spell vamp on top of up to 25% from full Delight.
Build 2: Anti-Sustain Duelist
Swap Queen's Wings and Oracle for Sea Halberd (2,050) and Antique Cuirass (2,170). That's 11,030 gold. Take it when the enemy has a healer or a lifesteal bruiser. Sea Halberd is the attack-side anti-heal, and her % max HP damage gets more value against tank-heavy lineups. If your team needs the anti-heal on a defensive item instead, mlbbhub suggests Dominance Ice in Sea Halberd's slot.
Build 3: Sprint Skirmisher
Replace Oracle with Hunter Strike (2,010) and swap Vengeance for Sprint. That's 11,070 gold. mlbbhub's note: "Sprint plus Hunter Strike movement speed lets you stick to kiting carries through every dash and reposition." This is the build for chasing slippery marksmen and mages. It's also the closest thing to a gold lane build if you want to try that (see below).
Flex swaps: take Tough Boots instead of Warrior Boots against two mages or heavy magic crowd control. Take Blade Armor when a basic-attack marksman is the only thing that can kill you. Take Antique Cuirass against heroes who open with one big physical burst. Every swap in our MLBB items guide works the same way on Cici.
What emblem and battle spell should Cici use?
Emblem: Fighter. All six builds mlbb.io tracks for her use it, and so do all three of mlbbhub's.
- Tier 3 keystone: Brave Smite. Dealing skill damage heals her. It has its own short cooldown, so ten Blitz hits don't mean ten heals. But Blitz keeps her dealing skill damage, so Brave Smite fires again almost as soon as it comes off cooldown. Every tracked build uses it.
- Tier 2: Festival of Blood. It's also in every tracked build. It adds more spell vamp, which stacks with her passive.
- Tier 1: Thrill or Firmness. mlbb.io's builds favour Thrill (4 of 6) for more damage. mlbbhub's use Firmness for defense. Take Thrill if you're ahead or into squishy lanes and Firmness if you're into a tough physical lane.
Battle spell: Vengeance. It's in 100% of mlbb.io's six builds and two of mlbbhub's three. It reflects damage back while she sits inside a fight healing, which is exactly where she wants to be. Swap to Sprint for the Hunter Strike chase build, or Flicker if you need a guaranteed escape. Our Mobile Legends battle spells guide covers when each is worth it, and the emblem guide explains the tiers.
What is the best Cici combo?
Team fight combo: Ultimate, Skill 2, Skill 1. This is mlbbhub's listed combo. Find two enemy heroes standing close together and throw Curtain Call on one of them so they're linked. Then Buoyant Bounce in and start Yo-Yo Blitz mid-leap. It hits both linked heroes for the full 3.5 seconds while they're slowed and pulled together. This is where her damage comes from in a team fight. One Blitz turns into two.
Laning combo: basic attacks, Skill 1, Skill 2. Hit the enemy laner with a few basic attacks first to start stacking Delight. Then start Yo-Yo Blitz and keep moving around them while it ticks. Save Buoyant Bounce for when they try to walk away, since the first leap deals damage if it lands on them.
The second bounce is your escape. Buoyant Bounce can be recast if you land on any unit other than a turret or the base, and that includes minions. Bounce onto a minion in the wave, then leap again away from the fight. Good Cici players keep a unit nearby before committing for exactly this reason.
How do you play Cici in lane?
Levels 1–4: stack, poke, don't overcommit. Yo-Yo Blitz deals 20% extra damage to minions, so she pushes the wave well. The 2.2.16 creep buff also makes the EXP Crab quicker for her to take when it spawns. Trade with Skill 1 while walking out of the enemy's reach. Her damage is over time, so you win long trades and lose short burst ones.
Mid game: become the sticky fighter. Once you have War Axe, her sustain in long fights is hard to match. Walk into the enemy front line, start Yo-Yo Blitz and stay moving. Full Delight gives you 15% extra movement speed. Your job is to hold the enemy front line in place while your damage dealers clean up.
Late game: look for the double link. Curtain Call on two heroes is a team fight winner, especially with an AoE partner. mlbb.io lists Alice as her best synergy (+2.5%). mlbbhub's official notes point to buffing supports like Angela and Floryn, who "help Cici gain an early advantage by greatly amplifying her combat capabilities to end the game before it drags on too long."
Don't fight in place. The most common Cici mistake is standing still while Blitz hits. She can move during it, so a Cici who stands still is giving away her best defense.
The EXP lane is crowded this season. Our best EXP lane heroes for Season 42 shows where she fits against the S-tier picks.
Can you play Cici in the gold lane?
You can, but it's an off-meta pick, not a recommendation. Both mlbbhub and mlbb.io list her as an EXP lane fighter, and neither has a gold lane build for her. The idea comes from players. The r/MobileLegendsGame post asking for "Cici Gold Lane Counters" said the original poster had been "playing a lot of Cici in the gold lane."
Why it can work: she can push turrets with Skill 1 when no enemy is in range, she's harder to catch than a marksman, and her max-HP damage still bites in a 1v1. Why it's risky: she gives up the range, attack speed scaling and late-game damage a real marksman brings, and her team ends up without a ranged carry.
If you try it, take the Sprint Skirmisher build. If you're facing it as a marksman, the replies in that thread suggested Lesley, Brody, Karrie and Kimmy. One reply said Lesley only becomes good "in the late game" and that Brody and Karrie are better. Those are player opinions, not measured matchup data.
Who counters Cici?
Both trackers agree on the top of the list. These are measured matchups from each site's ranked data across all ranks. The number is how many win-rate points the counter gains when it plays against Cici. Neither page publishes a sample size, so treat these as draft signals, not the odds of winning the lane:
| Counter | mlbbhub edge (26 Oct) | mlbb.io edge (27 Oct) |
|---|---|---|
| Aamon | +4.6 pp | +4.9% |
| Estes | +4.0 pp | +4.4% |
| X.Borg | +3.0 pp | +3.3% |
| Zilong | +2.7 pp | +3.5% |
| Masha | +2.7 pp | not listed |
| Rafaela | +2.4 pp | not listed |
| Arlott | +2.4 pp | not listed |
| Diggie | not listed | +1.7% |
The pattern makes sense. Estes and Rafaela out-heal her damage over time. X.Borg wins the long trade she wants. Aamon bursts her before Blitz finishes. Moonton's own hero notes add Saber and Kaja. Point-and-click crowd control "can stop her dead in her tracks," because she has to keep moving to survive. If Masha is in the enemy EXP lane, she holds a +2.7 pp edge over Cici, and our how to counter Masha guide covers how to deal with her.
Who does Cici beat? Balmond (+4.3 pp mlbbhub / +4.5% mlbb.io) and Thamuz (+4.2 / +4.0) top both lists. Belerick, Hylos and Lylia appear on both too. Moonton's notes add Fredrinn and Minotaur: her kiting and max-HP damage beat slow, high-HP tanks.
What's the fastest way to start climbing with Cici?
Cici rewards practice. Her kit is simple (Moonton rates her difficulty a 2 out of 10 on mlbb.io), but the kiting habits that make her good take games to learn. If you'd rather spend those games on a ranked-ready account, or skip the climb through Epic and Legend, here's where to go. For the full patch context, see our MLBB patch notes page.
Want to take Cici into ranked without the grind to get there? timesaver.gg offers ranked-ready accounts and rank climbs, and everything in this guide works the same either way.
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FAQ
What is the best build for Cici in Mobile Legends? For the EXP lane on Patch 2.2.16a, go Warrior Boots, War Axe, Brute Force Breastplate, Queen's Wings, Oracle and Immortality (10,920 gold), with the Fighter emblem (Brave Smite, Festival of Blood) and Vengeance. Swap Oracle for Hunter Strike and Vengeance for Sprint if you need to chase.
What did Patch 2.2.16 change for Cici? It buffed her on 16 September 2026. Spell vamp per Delight stack rose from 0.75% to 1.25%, Yo-Yo Blitz's max-HP damage rose from 3–4.5% to 3.5–5% per hit, and its max damage against creeps went from 75–350 to 100–350. Patch 2.2.16a didn't change her.
Is Cici good in Season 42? She's B-tier on both mlbbhub and mlbb.io, with about a 49.5% ranked win rate in late October 2026, up from 46.52% on the day the buff shipped. She's best into tanks and slow bruisers.
What emblem should Cici use? Fighter, with Brave Smite as the keystone and Festival of Blood in Tier 2. For Tier 1, Thrill adds damage and Firmness adds defense. Every build tracked by mlbb.io and mlbbhub uses Fighter and Brave Smite.
Who is the best counter to Cici? Aamon, by about 4.6–4.9 percentage points on both trackers, followed by Estes, X.Borg and Zilong. Heroes with targeted crowd control like Saber and Kaja also shut her down, because she needs to keep moving.
Can Cici go gold lane? Some players run her there, but both major trackers list her as an EXP laner only. If you try it, use the Sprint and Hunter Strike build. Marksmen players suggest Lesley, Brody, Karrie or Kimmy against a gold lane Cici.
Stats checked 26–27 October 2026 on Patch 2.2.16a (Original Server). MLBB balance changes often. If a newer patch has shipped, check the patch notes before trusting any number here.
