Version 8.0 is a genuine meta reset — not a routine hero drop. Lam, Augran, and Loong are must-buys at launch. All three sit at 54.9–55.3% win rate in Diamond+ and cost just 294 tokens during the first-week discount. The other four heroes range from solid role picks to wait for data. Here's exactly where your tokens should go.
What Changed in Version 8.0
Season 9 runs January 16 to April 9, 2026. Two major nerfs reshaped the meta immediately:
Sun Shangxiang: Ultimate scaling cut from 200% to 180% — win rate dropped from 52.3% to 47.8%. No longer a reliable ranked carry.
Athena: CC duration reduced from 2.5s to 1.8s — community testing shows roughly 15% fewer successful engagements.
Both were meta cornerstones. Their removal creates direct role vacuums in Duo/Farm Lane carry and tank engagement — which is exactly where the new 8.0 heroes land.
All 7 New Heroes at a Glance
Win rates from community Diamond+ tracking. Haya launched January 22, 2026 — ranked data still thin.
Hero Profiles
Lam — Jungle Assassin/Mage hybrid with dual damage scaling. 98% pick/ban presence and 67% win rate at King's World Cup 2025. Her synergy with Marco Polo creates one of the highest-damage double-carry compositions in the patch.
Augran — 45.2% ban rate. That number tells you more than any win rate. Flex jungle pick across Fighter, Tank, and Support roles. Dominates extended fights — the natural counter to the burst-heavy 7.x meta.
Loong — Farm Lane Marksman, 55.3% win rate — highest of any new hero. Slots directly into the gap Sun Shangxiang left behind.
Haya — Mid Lane Mage. Kit: passive Moon's Farewell, Crescent Wave (Skill 1), Wayward Rays (Skill 2), ultimate Moonscape Mirage. Also available for 13,888 Starstones. Insufficient ranked data to assess yet.
Daji — Mid Lane Mage at 54.7%. Consistent, not flashy. Exactly what ranked players need after 7.x volatility.
Arthur — Clash Lane Tank at 54.2%. Addresses the Athena gap. Solid ceiling, not spectacular.
Chicha — Most mechanically complex hero in the patch. Her passive Five Arms runs three modes: Defensive Form (1–2 hits) for CC and sustain, Offensive Form (3–4 hits) for AOE damage, Overkill Form (5+ hits) for true damage with CC immunity. High skill floor means her win rate in lower ranks will look deceptively weak for weeks.
Investment Verdicts
One Thing Most Guides Miss
New heroes sitting at 55%+ win rate are nerf targets. Balance adjustments typically arrive within two weeks of release. The counterintuitive play: buy during the first-week discount precisely because of this risk. Half price, peak strength, and even post-nerf adjustments rarely drop a well-designed hero below 52% in capable hands. The heroes to avoid right now are the ones with unclear data — Haya and Chicha. Wait one patch cycle before spending 588 tokens on either.
Tier S — Buy Now
Loong | 294 tokens Sun Shangxiang's nerf created a direct opening. Loong fills it with the patch's highest win rate. Farm Lane mains don't have a decision to make here — this is automatic. Still worth 588 tokens post-discount if you miss the window.
Augran | 294 tokens A 45.2% ban rate is the most reliable meta signal in Honor of Kings. Opponents spending ban slots on a hero means that hero is winning games. His flex across three roles makes him especially valuable in ranked drafts. Counter him with burst mages — but expect opponents to struggle finding that answer consistently.
Lam | 294 tokens Pro-scene dominance (98% pick/ban, 67% tournament win rate) plus 54.9% Diamond+ win rate makes her the safest long-term investment of the patch. Dual Assassin/Mage scaling means she doesn't become obsolete if one damage type gets adjusted. The Rush Down comp — Charlotte, Lam, Daji, Marco Polo, Yaria — posts a 68% tournament win rate. Four of those five slots are 8.0 heroes.
Tier A — Strong Buy
Daji | 294 tokens 54.7% win rate, proven data, fits multiple team compositions. Mid lane mains should prioritize her over Haya right now. Daji is a known quantity; Haya isn't yet.
Yaria | 294 tokens 53.8% win rate for a Support is genuinely strong — supports are balanced around lower win rates because their impact distributes across the team. She's part of the Rush Down comp's success and pairs naturally with all three S-tier carries.
Tier B — Situational
Arthur | 294 tokens Respectable at 54.2%, and he does address the Athena gap. But his ceiling is lower than Chicha's in the same lane, and he offers no flex potential. Buy him if you exclusively play Clash Lane tank — otherwise, secure the S-tier picks first.
Tier C — Wait
Chicha — High ceiling, high skill floor, no reliable win rate data yet. Worth the patience for players who enjoy mechanical complexity, but don't spend 588 tokens on a guess.
Haya — Too new. Hold tokens until the next patch cycle gives her real ranked data.
Full Summary
Role-Based Buying Guide
Jungle: Buy both Lam and Augran. They fill different niches — Lam for snowball games, Augran for extended teamfights. Together they give you draft flexibility opponents can't easily counter.
Mid Lane: Daji over Haya right now. Proven win rate vs. insufficient data, same price. Reassess Haya once her numbers stabilize.
Clash Lane: Arthur is the pragmatic ranked choice. Chicha has higher ceiling but demands real practice investment. If you're climbing this season, take Arthur. If you're building a long-term pool and enjoy complex kits, Chicha is worth the patience.
Farm Lane: Loong. Full stop.
Support: Yaria. Her 53.8% win rate is strong for the role, and she's a force multiplier in carry-heavy comps rather than just a standalone pick.
Key Synergies
Rush Down Comp (68% tournament win rate): Charlotte + Lam + Daji + Marco Polo + Yaria
Lam + Marco Polo: Double carry — jungle and farm lane scale independently, making it hard to shut down both
Augran + Daji: Augran engages extended fights, Daji follows up on his initiations
Loong + Yaria: Classic marksman-support pairing with above-average early sustain
Counter-awareness: Augran loses his extended fight advantage against heavy burst mage drafts. Lam has no CC — tank-heavy compositions that absorb her burst and outlast her are her primary weakness.
F2P Token Farming
Realistic daily farming sits around 4 tokens per day from logins, first wins, and ranked placements.
That's 3–4 heroes per season for disciplined F2P players. Priority order: Lam → Augran → Loong → Daji → Yaria. These five have the highest sustained win rates and most meta-proof designs. Skip Arthur for now; hold on Chicha and Haya until you've secured the top three.
Avoid this mistake: Spending 888–1,388 tokens on Epic skins for nerfed heroes like Sun Shangxiang. That's cosmetic spend with zero ranked ROI during a meta shift. Hero unlocks first.
For players who want to move faster than farming allows, buy Honor of Kings tokens online fast through BitTopup — competitive pricing and quick delivery matter when you're racing a first-week discount deadline.
Best Token Value Options
Weekly Card Plus: 380 tokens for $2.39 ($0.0063/token) — best sustained value
First-time 80-pack: 160 tokens for $0.99 with 100% bonus ($0.0062/token) — marginally better per token, one-time only
Premium Honor Pass: 988–2,000 token investment yields 2,000–3,000 tokens over 90 days plus 1–2 skins — positive ROI for regular players
Emblem pages (200–600 tokens, levels 1–60) provide 300–500 HP or 15–20 AP and community estimates suggest a 2–4% win rate improvement — but unlock heroes first if you're choosing between the two.
To top up Honor of Kings vouchers cheapest before the discount window closes, BitTopup offers secure transactions with fast delivery.
FAQ
How much do new heroes cost in Version 8.0? 588 tokens standard. 294 tokens during the first week after release. Haya is also available for 13,888 Starstones.
Will Lam, Augran, and Loong get nerfed? Almost certainly. Heroes at 55%+ win rate are balance targets. Buy during the discount window, play them at peak strength — well-designed heroes rarely fall below 52% even after adjustments.
Can I try heroes before buying? Hero Trial Cards appear periodically through events and the Honor Pass. Check the event tab before spending — trial periods occasionally coincide with new launches.
Is the first-week discount automatic? Yes. No promo code needed. Navigate to the hero's purchase page within seven days of their release date.
Are these heroes available on all global servers? The six heroes that launched with Season 9 went live January 16, 2026. Haya launched January 22, 2026. Check official patch notes for your region's specific rollout.
The first-week discount window is your highest-leverage moment of the entire season. Three heroes have the data to justify immediate investment. Two more are strong buys for role specialists. The rest can wait. Spend where the win rates point — and get there before the discount expires.