Nolan's nerf in Patch 1.9.20 knocked him from must-ban to A-tier. His ultimate now slows targets on hit, and his mobility is reduced — meaning he can no longer chain dashes freely to escape after a kill. The meta has shifted toward durable frontlines and CC chains. Best Diamond investments right now: Marcel (599 Diamonds, new Support), Gloo, Helcurt, and Yi Sun-Shin — all S-tier with 40%+ ban rates in Mythic. Hold off on Edith, Kagura, and Zhuxin until win rates stabilize.
What the Nolan Nerf Actually Did
Most tier lists just say Nolan was nerfed and move on. That's not useful when you're deciding where to spend Diamonds.
Nolan's identity was untouchable burst — dive in, delete a target, escape before anyone responds. The slow on his ultimate means enemies can now react and counter-engage. The mobility reduction compounds it: he can't create the separation he needs post-kill. He goes from I can 1v1 almost anyone and escape clean to I need to pick my fights.
He's still viable. Community consensus puts him comparable to Joy, Ling, Selena, Fanny, and Benedetta — that's A-tier, not trash. But he's no longer an automatic first-pick or first-ban.
Full Patch 1.9.20 Hero Changes
Nerfed — Avoid Diamond Purchases:
Buffed — Rising Value:
One more thing still affecting the meta from Patch 1.9.18: Natalia, Arlott, Grock, and Claude had mana removed entirely, freeing item slots and reducing resource management burden. All four are quietly more consistent because of it.
How the Meta Actually Shifted
When a dominant mobile assassin gets nerfed, the heroes he suppressed get room to breathe. Nolan punished immobile carries and slow-setup compositions — if your combo took 2–3 seconds to execute, he deleted you first. With his mobility reduced, durable frontlines and CC chains become significantly stronger.
March 2026 meta favors:
Tanks that absorb damage and create engage opportunities (Gloo)
Assassins with built-in silence or control immunity, not pure mobility (Helcurt, Yi Sun-Shin)
Supports that lock down fights rather than heal through them (Marcel)
Fighters with reliable CC over pure burst (Lukas post-buff)
Losing ground: Pure burst mages without mobility (Kagura, Edith, Zhuxin — all nerfed), and hyper-mobile assassins balanced around Nolan's presence.
Solo queue vs. coordinated draft: Helcurt's silence window (most impactful 3–8 minutes in, before enemies build Purify) is devastating in solo queue because teammates don't need to coordinate around it — you create chaos independently. Gloo's revamped attach/share-damage mechanic is a team-wide strategy that rewards coordinated draft. Know which environment you're playing before locking in.
March 2026 Full Meta Tier List
S-Tier — Buy or Ban Every Game
A-Tier — Strong Picks, Solid Investment
Avoid Spending Diamonds Here
Edith, Kagura, Zhuxin — all took meaningful nerfs. Standard advice from experienced players: wait at least two weeks after a nerf before buying, so win rates stabilize and you can see whether new builds emerge or the hero keeps dropping. Kagura's situation is particularly concerning — her kit relies on burst thresholds, and the across-the-board damage reduction breaks that playstyle at its core.
Best Heroes to Buy With Diamonds Right Now
Not every S-tier hero needs to be a Diamond purchase. Some are BP-accessible. Here's how to allocate.
1. Marcel — Best New Diamond Buy (599 Diamonds)
Marcel releases March 11, 2026 as the 132nd hero: 599 Diamonds or 32,000 Battle Points. Diamonds give you immediate access at launch — important because new heroes often have inflated win rates in the first two weeks before the playerbase figures out their counters.
His kit is built for this meta specifically:
Platinum Snap (Passive): Deals true damage equal to 40% Total Physical Attack + 40% Physical Defense + 40% Magic Defense, then shields Marcel for the same amount. He scales with defensive items — not just damage.
Framed Moment: Immobilizes for 1 second after a 2.5-second charge; scaling based on both Physical and Magic Defense.
Golden Hour (Ultimate): Creates a 3-second Frozen Moment that reduces incoming projectile damage by 50%, freezes minions and jungle objectives, and resets Platinum Snap's cooldown.
Here's what most guides won't tell you: Marcel's Frozen Moment forces enemies to engage without ranged poke, which specifically favors melee team compositions. Don't pick him into a team that needs a damage dealer. He's a setup support — draft him with Gloo, Sora, or Lukas for maximum effect. Teams that rely on ranged harassment get punished hard by his kit.
If your Diamond budget is limited, Marcel is the single best use of 599 Diamonds this patch.
2. Gloo — Best Tank Diamond Investment
Gloo is the consensus S-tier tank, 40%+ ban rate in Mythic. His revamped attach/share-damage mechanic combined with goo explosions, heals, and stuns makes him the most disruptive frontline available.
The high ban rate is the key point: you need him in your collection for games where he slips through draft. If you don't own him, this is a priority purchase.
Aurora synergy worth knowing: Aurora's faster freeze cycling (Skill 1 now 6s–3s, Skill 2 now 12s–8s) pairs with Gloo's split mechanics to create multiple simultaneous freeze targets. This is a genuine S-tier duo composition for coordinated play.
3. Yi Sun-Shin — Best Jungle Diamond Buy
Yi Sun-Shin's revamped ultimate — AoE reveal, stun, and ram — combined with Skill 1's control immunity makes him one of the few assassins who operates effectively in a CC-heavy meta. He doesn't rely on pure mobility like Nolan did. He has tools to engage and disengage on his own terms.
High ban rate means you want him available. If he's not in your pool, this is a Diamond-worthy purchase.
4. Helcurt — Best Assassin for Solo Queue
Helcurt's silence is uniquely powerful in solo queue because you don't need teammates to coordinate around it. His silence window (3–8 minutes in, before enemies build Purify or cleanses) lets you create chaos independently.
The key insight: Helcurt counters CC-heavy compositions — exactly what's rising in the post-Nolan meta. As teams shift toward Gloo + Aurora + Marcel setups, his silence becomes more valuable, not less.
5. Lukas — Best A-Tier EXP Lane Value
The sleeper pick of this patch. The Stun upgrade on Skill 1 max stacks is bigger than it sounds — Airborne can be countered by certain items and mechanics, but Stun is harder to negate at high levels. Updated Flash Strike scaling (60–120 + 125% Total Physical Attack) makes him a genuine finisher threat.
Lukas is BP-acquirable. If you're Diamond-limited, grind BP for Lukas and save Diamonds for Marcel or Gloo. That's the optimal resource allocation for most players.
Diamond vs. BP: Full Acquisition Breakdown
The rule experienced players follow: Buy S-tier heroes immediately via Diamonds if they're ban-heavy — you need them available. A-tier heroes that are BP-acquirable can wait. Never spend Diamonds on a freshly nerfed hero until two weeks of win rate data confirms they're still viable.
Is Nolan still worth buying? Honest answer: yes, but not as a priority. He's A-tier — effective in the right hands. If you already own him, keep playing him. If you were planning to buy him because he was S-tier, redirect those Diamonds to Gloo, Marcel, or Yi Sun-Shin first. Nolan will still be there next patch.
If you need to top up before Marcel's March 11 launch, buy Mobile Legends diamonds cheap at BitTopup — competitive rates, instant delivery.
The Thing Most Tier Lists Miss About Marcel
Marcel is the only recent hero whose damage and shield both scale off defensive stats (Physical Defense + Magic Defense), not just Total Physical Attack. He gets stronger as he builds tankier — unlike most supports who plateau in usefulness late game.
Most players will build him like a traditional support and underperform. The correct approach: treat him like a tanky initiator who happens to have support utility. Similar in concept to how Gloo is played. His Frozen Moment forces melee engagement, so your team needs to be built to capitalize on that 3-second window. Draft him with melee carries, not ranged ones.
Practical Solo Queue Tips for March 2026 Ranked
Draft priority: First-pick or first-ban Gloo. Highest ban rate in the current meta. If he's available, lock him. If he's banned, pivot to Yi Sun-Shin or Helcurt for jungle, Marcel for support.
Common mistake when the meta shifts: Players over-index on nerfed hero replacements and ignore heroes that were already strong but suppressed. Sora and Yi Sun-Shin weren't new this patch — they were just overshadowed by Nolan. Check your existing hero pool before spending Diamonds on something new.
If you main Kagura or Edith: Don't force those picks in ranked while win rates are unstable. Two weeks of data will tell you whether new builds emerge or they keep dropping. Aurora is the mage that benefits most from this patch — her cooldown buffs are meaningful, and she pairs with Gloo in a way Kagura and Edith don't.
Season 40 context: Season 40 runs March 3–11, 2026, with Marcel releasing March 11. Early season is the best time to establish rank with S-tier picks before counter-strategies fully develop. If your Diamond balance needs a top-up before then, top up MLBB diamonds with instant delivery through BitTopup.
FAQ
What exactly did the Nolan nerf change? His ultimate now slows targets on hit, and his overall mobility was reduced. He can no longer chain dashes freely to escape after a kill. Drops from must-ban S-tier to A-tier — still viable, comparable to Joy, Ling, Selena, Fanny, and Benedetta, but no longer dominant.
Who are the best junglers after the nerf? Yi Sun-Shin and Helcurt. Yi Sun-Shin's revamped ultimate (AoE reveal + stun + ram) and Skill 1 control immunity make him the top jungle carry. Helcurt's silence is most impactful in the 3–8 minute window before enemies build Purify.
Marcel: Diamonds or BP? Diamonds (599) if you want him at launch for competitive timing. BP (32,000) works if you're patient — but you'll miss the early-meta window where new heroes often have inflated win rates.
Which heroes should I absolutely avoid buying right now? Edith, Kagura, and Zhuxin. All three took significant nerfs. Wait at least two weeks for win rates to stabilize.
Is the current meta better for solo queue or coordinated play? Both, but differently. Helcurt and Yi Sun-Shin create independent impact without team coordination — strong solo queue picks. Gloo and Marcel shine most in coordinated draft. For solo queue climbing, prioritize Helcurt or Yi Sun-Shin.
Best single Diamond purchase this patch? Marcel at 599 Diamonds. New hero launch timing advantage, kit designed for the current meta, and his defensive scaling makes him uniquely durable compared to other supports. If you already own Marcel or prefer a different role, Gloo is the second-best investment given his 40%+ ban rate in Mythic.
Tier placements based on community-observed win rate and ban rate data from Mythic-rank play, March 2026. Stat changes sourced from official Patch 1.9.20 patch notes. Reassess A-tier picks every two weeks as the playerbase adapts.