Season 40 launched March 11, 2026 on patch 2.1.61 — and it reshuffled the meta harder than S39 did. Thirteen mage buffs, six nerfs, and a new support hero (Marcel) hit simultaneously, pushing mid lane to the center of every serious draft. Here's the full breakdown: who's dominant, who dropped, and exactly how to climb with the current meta.
What Shaped the S40 Meta: Patch 2.1.61 Changes
The single biggest driver this season is the mage overhaul. Community testing confirms 27 mages received adjusted mana costs, durability increases, and wave clear buffs — making mid lane the most impactful role for snowballing games. Previously, assassin junglers could bully mages out of relevance. That window is much narrower now.
Key changes at a glance:
13 mage buffs — reduced mana drain, higher base durability, faster wave clear
6 nerfs — primarily targeting fighters and physical assassins that dominated S39
Marksman emblem rework — 5% lifesteal replaced with 5% adaptive penetration, a direct late-game damage buff for gold laners
Marcel released — Soul Photographer support with agile roam and zone control
Compared to S39, the assassin-dominated jungle meta has cooled. Fighters are still strong in EXP lane, but they no longer bully mid the way they did. Marksmen hit harder late thanks to the emblem change, which makes protecting your gold laner a viable win condition again.
Full S40 Tier List by Role
Methodology: Placements reflect Mythical Glory win rates, pick/ban rates, and MPL presence as of the April 2, 2026 tier list update (mlbb.gg, mlbb.io). A hero needs consistent 53%+ win rate OR 60%+ ban rate to qualify for S-tier. A-tier requires strong performance in at least two of three metrics. This isn't a "feels strong" list — it's data-backed.
S-Tier — Must Master or Ban
A-Tier — High Value, Strong Win Rates
B-Tier — Situational but Viable
Masha (EXP), Irithel (Gold), Ixia (Gold), Mia (Gold), Melissa (Gold), Yu Zhong (EXP), Chip (Roam), Angela (Support), Nana (Support), Johnson (Roam), Baxia (Jungle).
These heroes work in the right team comp but won't carry a bad draft. Melissa specifically is strong against dive comps — don't sleep on her if the enemy has three gap-closers.
C-Tier and Below — Avoid in Ranked
Ling sits here despite his reputation. Community data (including notable pro player commentary) confirms he's not a top jungler in S40 — weak early, and when late-game marksmen dominate, his window to close games is narrow. Dyrroth also drops here: his level 1–4 snowball is real, but he needs a team lead to function, which you can't guarantee in solo queue.
Best Heroes Per Role
Junglers
Top picks: Suyou, Fredrinn, Harley, Guinevere, Leomord
Suyou is the best solo-carry jungler this season — counters four-physical comps and rarely appears in MPL, meaning most opponents won't have practiced against him. Harley punishes the mage-heavy mid lane meta by diving squishy targets. Fanny is still viable but demands high skill; community consensus is she's faster at clearing jungle than most, but one mistake in a CC-heavy meta ends your game.
Gold Lane
Top picks: Freya, Hanabi, Karrie, Melissa, Irithel
The emblem change (5% adaptive penetration) directly buffs every marksman's late-game output. Freya is the standout — physical burst with built-in sustain. Hanabi's passive CC becomes oppressive when enemies cluster for teamfights. Karrie is your answer to tank-stacking opponents.
Mid Lane
Top picks: Zhuxin (ban her or play her), Sora, Kaja, Harley, Kimmy
Mage buffs made mid the highest-impact lane. Wave clear is faster, mana is less punishing, and durability lets mages survive early ganks. If Zhuxin isn't banned, she's your first pick. Sora and Kimmy both benefit from the mana cost reductions and offer flex threat.
EXP Lane
Top picks: Freya, Masha, Leomord, Yu Zhong, Fredrinn, Gloo
Gloo's ban rate means you'll rarely get to play him, but when you do, the split push pressure is unmatched. Masha is the best solo-carry EXP option — her HP-based damage scales into any game length. Leomord is undervalued; his mounted form mobility lets him rotate for objectives faster than most fighters.
Roamer/Support
Top picks: Floryn, Diggie, Estes, Mathilda, Lolita, Kaja
Floryn is the safest first pick in the game right now — she provides healing, a free item to an ally, and scales with any composition. Diggie's ultimate is the hard counter to dive-heavy teams. Lolita is your answer to Hanabi and any projectile-reliant carry.
Pro Builds for S40 Top Heroes
Jungle: Harley
Core: Arcane Boots → Clock of Destiny → Holy Crystal → Divine Glaive → Genius Wand → Blood Wings
Situational swap: Replace Genius Wand with Necklace of Durance if enemy has Estes or Floryn. Execute is your battle spell — it secures kills that Flicker would waste.
Jungle: Guinevere
Core: Warrior Boots → Calamity Reaper → Concentrated Energy → Holy Crystal → Genius Wand → Immortality
Situational swap: Immortality → Winter Truncheon if enemy has burst assassins targeting you. Vengeance works if you're initiating; Flicker for escape-heavy plays.
Gold Lane: Freya
Core: Swift Boots → Windtalker → Berserker's Fury → Endless Battle → Blade of Despair → Immortality
Situational swap: Swap Immortality for Wind of Nature against heavy physical burst. Execute over Flicker — Freya's kit doesn't need repositioning, it needs kill confirmation.
Gold Lane: Hanabi
Core: Swift Boots → Windtalker → Berserker's Fury → Scarlet Phantom → Blade of Despair → Immortality
Emblem: Marksman with Weakness Finder — her passive CC procs it constantly.
EXP Lane: Masha
Core: Warrior Boots → War Axe → Blade Armor → Immortality → Antique Cuirass → Queen's Wings
Masha's damage comes from HP percentage, so building tanky doesn't reduce her threat. Vengeance is mandatory — it punishes anyone who focuses her.
Support: Floryn
Core: Demon Shoes → Courage Mask → Fleeting Time → Oracle → Immortality
Give the Floryn item to your gold laner immediately. Flicker over Sprint — you need the escape, not the chase. Oracle amplifies her healing by roughly 25% in sustained fights.
Roamer: Khufra
Core: Tough Boots → Cursed Helmet → Antique Cuirass → Immortality → Dominance Ice → Athena's Shield
Situational swap: Dominance Ice is non-negotiable against any lifesteal-heavy team. Swap Athena's Shield for Oracle if your team needs healing amplification. Flicker extends his ball form jump range — a mechanic most players miss.
Emblem guide by role:
Counter Picks & Matchup Guide
Most counter guides stop at "use CC against Fanny." That's not enough. Here's the role-specific application:
Countering mobile assassins (Ling, Fanny, Lancelot):
Draft: Pick Khufra, Franco, or Minsitthar. Khufra's ball form interrupts Ling's wall jumps mid-animation — this is a hard mechanical counter, not just a soft one.
Laning: Ward the jungle entrances at 1:00. If Fanny gets her first rotation without interruption, she snowballs. Deny it.
Teamfight: Save CC for after the assassin commits. Burning Khufra's ultimate preemptively lets Ling escape. Wait for the engage, then lock down.
Countering Zhuxin (when not banned):
She's immobile. Atlas, Chou, and Tigreal can all gap-close before she sets up her zone. The mistake is fighting inside her field — drag the fight to the edges.
Countering Floryn:
Necklace of Durance on your damage dealer, timed with her healing burst. Floryn herself is squishy — dive her in teamfights before she activates her ultimate.
Countering Gloo:
Gloo's split push is the threat, not his teamfight. Match his split with a mobile EXP laner (Leomord, Masha) and force 4v4 objectives while he's isolated.
S40 Draft Strategy
Ban priorities every game:
Zhuxin (98.5% ban rate — if you don't ban her, enemy will pick her)
Gloo (81.6% ban rate — split push is unmanageable without a dedicated counter)
Marcel (in 5-man or organized play — his zone control is too coordinated to leave open)
Floryn (if your comp lacks healing, she negates your damage)
Diggie (if you're running a dive comp — his ult shuts it down completely)
Best first picks: Floryn, Diggie, Kaja. All three are flex threats that don't reveal your win condition. Floryn especially — she fits every composition and forces the enemy to react to your other picks.
Flex picks that confuse enemy draft: Kaja (mid or roam), Kimmy (gold or mid), Guinevere (jungle or EXP). Locking one of these early hides your strategy until the last pick.
Winning team comp archetypes in S40:
Ranked Climb Strategies
Epic → Legend: Focus on one or two meta heroes per role. Macro mistakes at this bracket are massive — most losses come from bad turtle/lord timing, not hero matchups. Learn to read the minimap every 5 seconds. Consistently.
Legend → Mythic: This is where macro separates players. Turtle spawns at 4:00 — your team should be grouping at 3:30 if you have lane priority. Lord at 12:00 is your primary win condition in most games. Don't contest lord without vision; don't give it up without a fight.
Mythic → Mythical Glory: Draft discipline matters here. One-tricking a meta hero (Floryn, Freya, Harley) is more reliable than a wide hero pool you haven't mastered. Tilt management is real — three losses in a row means you stop, not queue again.
Solo queue vs. duo:
Solo: Pick self-sufficient carries (Suyou jungle, Masha EXP, Harley mid, Freya gold). Avoid protect-the-carry comps — you can't guarantee your team plays the role.
Duo: One player on Floryn or Diggie, the other on the carry they're protecting. This is the highest win-rate duo strategy in organized S40 play.
Turtle and Lord timing:
Contest turtle if you have two or more CC heroes available. Concede it if you're down a player or your CC is on cooldown.
Lord after winning a teamfight where you killed 3+ enemies. Never force lord — use it as a reward for winning a fight, not a reason to start one.
If you're looking to expand your hero pool quickly to cover more meta picks, buy Mobile Legends Bang Bang diamonds cheap to unlock heroes and skins without grinding the full BP cost.
Early Game Macro Mastery
Jungle invasion at 1:00: If your roamer has hard CC (Khufra, Franco), invade the enemy blue buff. A stolen buff at level 1 delays the enemy jungler's first clear by 45–60 seconds — enough to give your mid laner a level advantage.
Lane priority rule: Whoever clears wave first rotates. Mid lane clears fastest with the mage buffs this season, so your mid laner should be the primary rotation trigger. If mid pushes to tower by 2:30, that's your signal to contest the first turtle.
First blood into tower dive: Don't dive under tower before level 4 unless you have a guaranteed kill and escape. The gold swing from a failed dive (your death + enemy tower damage) is worse than the first blood gold you'd gain.
Vision habits that actually matter:
Ward the enemy jungle entrance at 1:00 (roamer's job)
Ward lord pit at 10:00 (support or EXP laner)
Never walk into river without vision after 8:00
FAQ
Who is the strongest hero in MLBB S40? Zhuxin has a 98.5% ban rate — that answers it. When she's banned, Gloo and Floryn are the next most impactful picks based on win and ban rate data.
Which heroes are best for solo queue? Suyou (jungle), Masha (EXP), Harley (mid), Freya (gold), Floryn (support). All five can influence the game without relying on team coordination.
What changed most from S39 to S40? Mages rose significantly. The 27-hero mage adjustment made mid lane the dominant snowball role. Assassin junglers that thrived in S39 (Ling, Dyrroth) dropped in priority. The marksman emblem change also made gold lane a stronger late-game win condition.
Is it worth learning off-meta heroes in ranked S40? At Epic and Legend, yes — familiarity beats meta. At Mythic and above, the gap between a mastered off-meta hero and a mastered meta hero is small, but draft disadvantages compound. Know your off-meta pick's counters before locking it in.
What battle spells work best per role?
How often does the tier list change within S40? Moonton patches roughly every two weeks. Minor patches shift A/B-tier placements; major patches (like 2.1.61) can move heroes between S and C-tier. Check mlbb.gg and mlbb.io after each patch for updated win rate data. This guide reflects the April 2, 2026 competitive data snapshot.
Building out your hero pool is one of the fastest ways to stay flexible in draft. For the most cost-effective way to top up, Mobile Legends Bang Bang diamonds recharge best price at BitTopup — instant delivery, no overpaying.
Tier placements reflect Mythical Glory and MPL data as of April 2026. Flag any hero that shifts significantly after mid-season patches — Moonton's two-week cadence means this list will be reviewed at the next major update.