Mobile Legends Tier List Season 42 (October 2026, Patch 2.2.16a): Who's S-Tier Now

Quick answer (updated 18 October 2026, Patch 2.2.16a, Season 42 "Starward Decade"): On live ranked data the strongest Mobile Legends heroes right now are Masha (60.38% win rate), Marcel (58.18%), Aulus (57.65%) and Rafaela (57.39%), with Argus, Minotaur, Khufra, Popol and Kupa, Gloo, Floryn, Valir, Carmilla and Obsidia completing the 13-hero S-tier (mlbbhub's live tier list, 7-day ranked window, fetched 18 October 2026). The most-banned hero in ranked is Hirara at a 68.59% ban rate. Pro play tells a different story: across the MPL Philippines Season 18 regular season (124 drafted games, played on patches 2.1.95 to 2.2.16), Freya was picked or banned in every draft, even though she sits in C-tier in public ranked today. Patch 2.2.16a (14 October) nerfed Aulus, Hirara, Eudora and Rafaela and buffed Kalea, so the next week of data matters.

Moonton doesn't publish an official tier list. Every MLBB tier list you find is someone's reading of win rates, pro drafts or personal opinion. This page shows you two of those readings side by side, says what each one measures, and keeps both stamped to a patch and a date. It replaces our launch-day Season 42 list from 16 September, which is now a month out of date.

Key takeaways

• Masha is the best-performing hero in ranked one month into Season 42. Her win rate went from about 56% on launch day to 60.38%, the highest of all 133 heroes, and she now has a 33.28% ban rate.
• Patch 2.2.16a is only four days old. Aulus, Hirara, Eudora and Rafaela were nerfed on 14 October, but the 7-day ranked window still includes some pre-patch games. Aulus and Rafaela are still S-tier for now. Expect them to slip.
• Melissa and Miya have dropped hardest since launch. Both were S-tier on 16 September. After their Patch 2.2.16 nerfs, Melissa is C-tier (48.57%) and Miya is B-tier (49.40%).
• Pro play and public ranked measure different things. Freya, Atlas and Fanny dominated MPL PH Season 18 drafts but rank C, A and D in public ranked today.
• Ban list for ranked right now: Hirara, Eudora, Belerick, Aulus and Estes all have ban rates above 43%.

How is this Mobile Legends tier list built?

We use two data layers and keep them apart:

• Public ranked, all ranks (the tier grid below). We use mlbbhub's live tier list. It refreshes daily and, in its own words, "reflect[s] the past seven days of ranked play" across all servers. Its method is described plainly: "win rate (its gap above or below a 50% baseline) is what the score is built from. It is then adjusted by how contested the hero is in draft... That draft adjustment is capped at one point of win rate in either direction." So a hero needs a real win-rate lead to reach S. A big ban rate can't push it there alone. The site states that "no hero below 53% win rate reaches S and none below 50.5% reaches A."
• Pro play (the MPL section). We use MPL Philippines Season 18 pick and ban counts across 124 games with a recorded draft, compiled from Liquipedia match results by mlbbdex (fetched 18 October 2026, regular season complete). Those games were played on patches 2.1.95 to 2.2.16, so this layer is a season-long pro comparison, not a read on the 2.2.16a hotfix.

The two layers measure different things. A hero can win 60% of ranked games and never get drafted in MPL. Another can be banned in every pro game and still lose in public ranked. If you play ranked, use layer 1. If you want to know which heroes coordinated teams prioritised this season, use layer 2.

What is the Mobile Legends tier list right now? S to D (Patch 2.2.16a, 18 October 2026)

All figures are mlbbhub ranked data (all ranks, 7-day window) as fetched on 18 October 2026. WR is win rate, Pick is pick rate and Ban is ban rate, all in percent. The data refreshes daily, so a hero sitting near a boundary can move a tier overnight.

S-tier: the 13 heroes to pick first

Hero	Lane	WR	Pick	Ban
Masha	EXP	60.38	0.57	33.28
Marcel	Roam	58.18	0.28	33.29
Aulus	Jungle / EXP	57.65	1.04	44.27
Rafaela	Roam	57.39	1.23	19.23
Argus	EXP	56.07	0.48	1.09
Minotaur	Roam	54.94	1.06	8.07
Khufra	Roam	54.75	0.32	1.88
Popol and Kupa	Jungle / Gold	54.68	0.41	0.30
Gloo	Roam / EXP	54.24	0.73	38.28
Floryn	Roam	54.02	0.95	12.92
Valir	Mid	53.99	1.04	2.24
Carmilla	Roam	53.83	1.16	15.34
Obsidia	Gold	53.56	2.26	22.15

Two things stand out. First, six of the 13 S-tier heroes are dedicated roamers, and a seventh (Gloo) flexes into Roam. On this data, sustain and setup supports are the most over-represented role at the top. Second, Argus, Khufra and Popol and Kupa are S-tier with ban rates under 2%. These are the "free" S-tier picks: almost nobody bans them, so you can usually lock them in. Keep in mind that low-pick heroes are mostly played by people who main them, so a sub-1% pick rate can inflate win rate. Practise before you take one into ranked.

A-tier: 22 reliable picks

• Roam: Lolita (53.97%), Diggie (53.58%), Estes (52.64%, but 43.71% banned), Atlas (52.28%), Belerick (52.12%, 55.83% banned)
• EXP: Lukas (52.78%), Benedetta (52.63%), Edith (52.58%), Sun (52.46%), Barats (51.84%), Minsitthar (51.58%)
• Jungle: Ling (52.55%), Hirara (52.20%, 68.59% banned)
• Mid: Gord (52.95%), Zhask (52.46%), Kagura (51.75%), Kadita (51.36%), Eudora (51.04%, 58.57% banned), Zetian (50.99%)
• Gold: Bruno (53.21%), Irithel (52.43%), Hanabi (52.29%)

Bruno and Kadita are the Season 42 revamps that came out ahead. Bruno's mechanics rework put him at 53.21% in Gold lane. Kadita, who got a visual rework with skill optimisation, sits at A-tier in mid.

B-tier: 49 situational-but-fine picks

B-tier is the biggest band: heroes from about 48% to 52% that win when the draft suits them. Notable cases first, then the full list:

• Paquito (50.33% WR, 33.58% ban). Since his revamp he is one of the most-banned B-tier heroes, and his ban rate is far out of line with his near-50% win rate, which suggests he is banned more on reputation than results.
• Saber (50.10%, 23.19% ban) and Kaja (49.85%, 16.18% ban) are banned far more often than their win rates alone would justify; Saber is a single-target pick-off threat, and revamped Kaja's ultimate locks down an area.
• Miya (49.40%), Layla (49.59%) and Lesley (48.19%) are common Gold-lane picks with average results.
• Yve (52.28%) has the best win rate in B-tier but only a 0.05% pick rate. Very few people play her, but the ones who do are winning.

Full B-tier by main lane (win rate):

• EXP: Guinevere (51.28%), Silvanna (51.12%), Alice (50.96%), Terizla (50.87%), Aldous (50.62%), Paquito (50.33%), X.Borg (49.95%), Sora (49.58%), Cici (49.49%), Dyrroth (48.67%)
• Jungle: Bane (51.65%), Fredrinn (51.28%), Natalia (51.07%), Leomord (50.74%), Aamon (50.11%), Saber (50.10%), Julian (50.08%), Hanzo (49.78%), Yi Sun-shin (49.73%), Suyou (49.67%), Nolan (49.07%)
• Mid: Yve (52.28%), Cyclops (51.46%), Faramis (51.10%), Cecilion (51.04%), Zhuxin (50.28%), Vale (50.14%), Novaria (49.82%), Xavier (49.73%), Vexana (49.60%), Lylia (49.46%), Odette (49.35%), Selena (48.82%)
• Gold: Beatrix (51.11%), Natan (51.07%), Brody (50.78%), Clint (50.57%), Moskov (50.08%), Ixia (50.02%), Layla (49.59%), Miya (49.40%), Claude (49.13%), Lesley (48.19%)
• Roam: Khaleed (50.79%), Hilda (50.78%), Akai (50.70%), Badang (50.26%), Kaja (49.85%), Angela (49.32%)

C-tier and D-tier: avoid unless you're a specialist

C-tier holds 36 heroes, from Ruby (49.57%) down to Balmond (46.67%), including Melissa (48.57%), Freya (48.12%), Arlott (47.99%) and Kalea (47.36%). D-tier is 13 heroes, led from the bottom by Franco (41.50%), Fanny (41.97%), Granger (43.03%) and Lancelot (43.07%).

Full C-tier by main lane (win rate):

• EXP: Ruby (49.57%), Uranus (49.38%), Yu Zhong (48.97%), Thamuz (48.79%), Lapu-Lapu (48.64%), Phoveus (48.48%), Freya (48.12%), Arlott (47.99%), Jawhead (47.87%), Esmeralda (47.20%)
• Jungle: Joy (49.29%), Yin (48.87%), Roger (48.85%), Hayabusa (48.31%), Alpha (48.24%), Alucard (48.23%), Gusion (48.19%), Karina (47.78%), Harley (47.68%), Martis (47.30%), Helcurt (47.00%), Balmond (46.67%)
• Mid: Kimmy (48.70%), Aurora (48.66%), Lunox (48.49%), Luo Yi (48.04%), Chang'e (47.90%), Pharsa (47.60%), Nana (47.49%)
• Gold: Karrie (48.77%), Melissa (48.57%), Wanwan (48.29%)
• Roam: Hylos (48.98%), Johnson (48.46%), Kalea (47.36%), Grock (47.05%)

Full D-tier by main lane (win rate):

• EXP: Zilong (45.86%), Chou (45.11%)
• Jungle: Baxia (46.99%), Lancelot (43.07%), Fanny (41.97%)
• Mid: Valentina (45.60%)
• Gold: Harith (46.04%), Granger (43.03%)
• Roam: Chip (47.45%), Gatotkaca (45.08%), Tigreal (44.82%), Mathilda (44.70%), Franco (41.50%)

Low tier doesn't mean unplayable. Fanny and Lancelot are notoriously hard to play, so their public win rate likely mixes in a lot of players still learning them. Pros drafted Fanny heavily all season, as shown below. If you've played a hero hundreds of times, its tier matters much less for you. If you're choosing what to learn for the climb, don't start in D-tier.

Who are the best heroes for each lane in Season 42?

Lane	Top pick	Strong alternatives	Free S/A pick (ban under 2%)
EXP	Masha (60.38%)	Aulus, Argus, Lukas	Argus (1.09% ban)
Jungle	Aulus (57.65%)	Popol and Kupa, Ling, Hirara	Ling (0.68% ban)
Mid	Valir (53.99%)	Gord, Zhask, Kagura	Gord (0.56% ban)
Gold	Obsidia (53.56%)	Popol and Kupa, Bruno, Irithel	Bruno (0.18% ban)
Roam	Marcel (58.18%)	Rafaela, Minotaur, Khufra, Gloo	Khufra (1.88% ban)

Flex heroes like Aulus and Popol and Kupa appear in two lanes. mlbbhub doesn't split ranked stats per lane, so their numbers are blended across both roles. For full builds and lane plans, see our best jungle heroes for Season 42 and our Masha revamp guide.

What changed since the Season 42 launch tier list?

Our 16 September list used launch-day data. A month later, these are the big moves:

Hero	16 Sep (launch)	18 Oct (2.2.16a)	Why
Masha	S, about 56.1%	S, 60.38%	One of the biggest risers of the season, likely as players learned the rework
Melissa	S, about 57.0%	C, 48.57%	Nerfed in Patch 2.2.16
Miya	S (top band)	B, 49.40%	Nerfed in Patch 2.2.16
Rafaela	S, about 58.5%	S, 57.39%	Nerfed in 2.2.16a; window still includes pre-patch games
Marcel	S, about 58.4%	S, 58.18%	Adjusted in 2.2.16 but broadly stable; still the top roamer by win rate
Gloo	S, about 54.6%	S, 54.24%	Stable; ban rate up to 38.28%

Patch 2.2.16a was aimed at the most-banned heroes. Moonton's note on Aulus says the patch "Reduced Aulus's sustainability while retaining his early-to-mid game burst potential." On Hirara it says: "Hirara could use her invincibility skill too frequently, making her difficult to deal with." (Patch 2.2.16a notes, via Liquipedia.) Our MLBB patch notes breakdown has every before-and-after number. The short version is that Aulus and Hirara keep their burst but lose uptime. We expect Aulus's win rate to fall once the 7-day window is fully post-patch, and he may drop out of S-tier. Refresh this page late in the week before you treat him as safe.

What did the pro meta look like? MPL Philippines Season 18 picks and bans

MPL Philippines Season 18 has just finished its regular season, and the playoffs start on 21 October. Across 124 regular-season games with a recorded draft (mlbbdex, built from Liquipedia results, fetched 18 October 2026; games played on patches 2.1.95 to 2.2.16, before the 2.2.16a hotfix):

• Freya: 13 picks and 111 bans, so 100% presence. She was in every single draft and won 69.2% of the games she was picked in. In public ranked she is C-tier at 48.12%.
• Hirara: 98 picks (79.0% of games) and 25 bans, 99.2% presence. She was the most-picked pro hero, but won only 40.8% of the games she was picked in. That gap suggests teams valued her draft role more than her raw results.
• Atlas: 21 picks and 101 bans, 98.4% presence. His team-wide ultimate is a must-answer in coordinated play.
• Paquito: 56 picks and 55 bans, 89.5% presence, the clearest example of a revamped hero that pros trust.
• Fanny: 74.2% presence while sitting near the bottom of D-tier in public ranked today.

The contrast with public ranked is stark. The heroes pros fought over (Atlas's team-wide setup, Freya, Fanny in specialist hands) are not the ones winning most in public ranked (Masha, Marcel, Rafaela). Pro drafts are built for coordinated five-stacks with practised players, so copying one into a ranked lobby of strangers rarely transfers.

Who should you ban in Season 42 ranked?

These are the ten highest ranked ban rates on 18 October 2026, from mlbbhub's live tier list:

• Hirara: 68.59%
• Eudora: 58.57%
• Belerick: 55.83%
• Aulus: 44.27%
• Estes: 43.71%
• Gloo: 38.28%
• Lukas: 38.09%
• Paquito: 33.58%
• Marcel: 33.29%
• Masha: 33.28%

Notice the mismatch: the three most-banned heroes are all A-tier, not S-tier. Hirara wins 52.20% of games while being banned in more than two-thirds of drafts. Ban rates track what players dislike facing, which isn't always what is winning. If your ban is free, consider a hero with a top win rate and a lower ban rate, such as Masha, Marcel or Argus. One caveat: Marcel (0.28% pick) and Argus (0.48% pick) are rarely played, so their win rates partly reflect dedicated specialists, and a random opponent on them may be less dangerous than the number suggests. We go deeper on draft logic in best heroes to ban in Season 42. If Hirara keeps getting through, read how to counter Hirara.

How should you actually use an MLBB tier list?

• Check the patch stamp first. A list dated before 14 October doesn't reflect the Aulus, Hirara, Eudora and Rafaela nerfs. One from before 16 September describes Season 41, which is a different game.
• Know what the list measures. Win-rate lists favour heroes that are easy to win with. Pro lists favour heroes that shape the draft. Opinion lists favour whatever the author plays. None of them is wrong, but they answer different questions.
• Play 2–3 heroes per role from S or A tier, not one hero from S-tier. Bans on Hirara, Eudora and Belerick will take your main away sooner or later.
• Mastery beats tier. A player in an r/MobileLegendsGame thread on Arlott summed up a C-tier pick in one line: "If you know how to play him yes, otherwise just no as there are safer options." That's the right way to read any tier below A.

How far a hero carries you also depends on your bracket. The higher you go, the more the draft matters, as our rank system explainer shows. In the Mythic tiers, a weak draft is much harder to win back with mechanics alone.

Climbing Season 42 faster

Your hero pool only helps if you start from a good place. The quickest way to play the S-tier heroes at the rank you belong in is to start on an account that already owns them. If you're already on your main and stuck, a guided climb is the next option.

Want the Season 42 meta heroes without grinding Battle Points for them? Start with an account, or get help with the climb.

• Mobile Legends Accounts: ranked-ready MLBB accounts, hero and skin collections, instant handover
• Mobile Legends Rank Boost: Warrior to Mythical Immortal, piloted or self-play, pick your target
• All Mobile Legends services

We only describe our own services and our own handling. We make no claims about game rules, account safety or ban risk.

FAQ

What is the best hero in Mobile Legends right now? On ranked data from 18 October 2026 (Patch 2.2.16a), revamped Masha has the highest win rate of all 133 heroes at 60.38%. Marcel (58.18%), Aulus (57.65%) and Rafaela (57.39%) follow. There is no official "best hero", and the most contested heroes in MPL PH Season 18 were different: Freya, Hirara and Atlas.

Is Aulus still S-tier after the 2.2.16a nerf? For now he is, at 57.65% with a 44.27% ban rate. But the patch only landed on 14 October and the tier list uses a 7-day window, so some pre-nerf games are still counted. The nerf cut his sustain and kept his early burst. We expect his win rate to drop over the next week.

Why is Hirara banned so much if she's only A-tier? Hirara has a 68.59% ban rate, the highest in ranked, but only a 52.20% win rate. Moonton's own 2.2.16a note says her invincibility skill could be used too often, "making her difficult to deal with", which helps explain the bans. In the MPL PH Season 18 regular season she was picked in 79% of games but won only about 41% of them.

Is the MLBB tier list different at Mythic rank? Yes. mlbbhub notes that in Epic and Legend, heroes with simple kits dominate, while in Mythic and above, mechanically demanding heroes and draft-flexible picks gain value. The list on this page uses all ranks. Check a rank-filtered view if you play in Mythical Glory or higher.

Is Arlott still a good pick in Season 42? He's C-tier at 47.99% on 18 October 2026 data. Replies in a recent r/MobileLegendsGame thread were mixed, and one summed him up as "High risk mid reward". He works if you've mastered him and your team has crowd control to chain his marks. He's a poor pick for learning on.

How often does this tier list change? The ranked data underneath it updates daily, and the real reshuffles come with patches. Moonton doesn't publish a fixed schedule of Original Server patch dates. We refresh this page after each Original Server patch and at each season change. The Advance Server is already testing a newer build, but test-server changes aren't live and often change before release.

This tier list is valid for Season 42 "Starward Decade", Original Server Patch 2.2.16a, using data fetched on 18 October 2026. Previous version: Season 42 launch, 16 September 2026.