MLBB Tier List April 2026: S+ Heroes & Best Mythical Glory Picks

Methodology: How This Tier List Was Built

Rankings draw from three data layers: win rate, pick rate, and ban rate from MLBBHub and Esports.gg, cross-referenced against PocketGamer's April 2026 analysis and official Patch 2.1.61 notes.

One distinction most tier lists skip: a hero can look S+ on paper but perform like A-tier in solo queue. Marcel is the perfect example — 56–69% ban rate in Mythical Glory coordinated lobbies, yet community testing places him at A-tier for solo queue because his stasis ultimate requires team follow-up. This guide flags that gap explicitly throughout.

Tier criteria, weighted in order:

• Win rate in Mythical Glory ranked
• Ban rate as a proxy for perceived threat
• Pick rate for accessibility and reliability
• Patch 2.1.61 context — buffs, nerfs, indirect shifts
• Solo queue viability — can you carry without coordination?

Full Tier Table — April 2026 (Patch 2.1.61)

Sources show minor variation on S+ vs S placement for Marcel and Lolita. The table reflects the strongest consensus across multiple community datasets.

What Changed vs March 2026

S+ Hero Breakdowns

Tanks/Roamers: Gloo, Tigreal, Khufra

Gloo's 76.8% ban rate says everything. Despite a direct nerf in 2.1.61, his split-spirit attach mechanic remains the most disruptive tool in the game — he can attach to an enemy carry and functionally remove them from a teamfight. That's not something you patch away without a full rework.

Tigreal and Khufra provide the hard engage fighter-heavy compositions need. Khufra's ball form specifically counters mobile assassins like Lancelot and Hayabusa — a meaningful hedge when both heroes are everywhere in the current meta.

Fighters/Exp Lane: Sora and Fredrinn Lead

Sora is arguably the most broken exp laner right now. Strong engage, excellent sustain, punishes squishy backlines hard. Build him tanky-damage hybrid — pure damage gets burst down, pure tank loses the threat that makes him dangerous. He excels specifically against compositions with two or more squishy carries.

Fredrinn is the anti-carry specialist. His mechanic stores damage as Crystal Energy and converts it into burst, making him terrifying against marksmen and mages who think they're safe at range. Build sustain items first, then transition into damage conversion once you've established lane dominance.

Eight fighters sit in S+ this patch — Yin, Paquito, Phoveus, X.Borg, Cici, Lukas, and Kalea alongside Sora and Fredrinn. That's a direct consequence of the mage normalization shifting power toward durable melee threats.

Marksmen: Kimmy, Granger, Karrie

Kimmy's energy-based attack system bypasses the mana normalization entirely. While mages lost early burst, she kept her sustained poke damage intact. She's a nightmare to lane against and punishes passive supports hard. One caveat: she struggles against heavy engage roamers like Khufra who can close distance before she repositions.

Granger's passive reload mechanic creates burst windows most tanks can't absorb without specific itemization — but those reload windows are exploitable. Aggressive junglers can punish him mid-reload. Karrie's true damage shreds HP-stacking tanks, which matters when Fredrinn and Sora are everywhere.

Mages: Zhuxin, Pharsa, Yve

Zhuxin is the midlane control piece the meta needed. Pharsa's global ultimate forces enemies to play defensively around objectives — not flashy, but in Mythical Glory where objective control wins games, it's invaluable. Yve received a nerf in 2.1.61 but remains S+ because the mage buff wave lifted the entire role's floor; a trim still leaves her elite.

The 13-mage buff wave hit Aurora, Eudora, Novaria, Gord, Vale, Luo Yi, Lylia, Valir, Nana, Zhask, and Kagura per official patch notes. Gord specifically jumped from A to S — his poke-heavy playstyle was previously constrained by mana costs, and removing that constraint unlocked his full kit.

Assassins/Junglers: Hayabusa, Julian, Yi Sun-shin

Hayabusa is the most reliable solo queue jungler right now. His shadow mechanics keep him slippery enough to survive the stronger support presence in the current meta. Julian's hybrid physical + magical damage makes him genuinely hard to itemize against.

Yi Sun-shin received an ultimate duration reduction in 2.1.61 but stays S+ — his global map pressure and dual-mode playstyle are irreplaceable in the current draft environment.

Lancelot outperforms Ling for objective securing and skill-wasting enemy abilities. Ling is currently the weakest jungler in the meta, struggling with both damage output and survival against tankier, support-heavy compositions.

Role-by-Role Best Picks

Goldlane (Marksman)

Kimmy > Granger > Karrie > Hanabi

Hanabi holds ~54% win rate and doesn't need a specific team composition to function — she farms, scales, and outputs consistent damage. For players who want a reliable goldlaner without Kimmy's mechanical ceiling, Hanabi is the answer. Ixia dropped from automatic first-pick to strong-but-not-dominant after her 2.1.61 nerf.

Midlane (Mage)

Zhuxin > Pharsa > Yve > Gord > Aurora

The mana normalization reduced early burst across the board — midlaners now scale into mid-game more consistently rather than dominating at level 4. Adjust expectations: mages are strong, not instant-win. Gord is the most underrated pick right now, especially in lower rank brackets where his buff hasn't been fully recognized.

Jungle (Assassin)

Hayabusa > Julian > Yi Sun-shin > Lancelot

Junglers are harder to carry with post-update than three months ago. Stronger supports — Marcel, Floryn, Diggie — reduce assassin snowball potential through stasis and healing. Pick junglers with sustained threat over pure one-shot potential.

Fanny is viable for dedicated mains with 300+ games. She's not a hero you pick up for a quick climb.

Exp Lane (Fighter)

Sora > Fredrinn > Yin > Paquito > Phoveus

The exp lane is the most impactful role in the current meta. Prioritize securing your exp laner in draft before your jungler — early lane bully advantage translates directly into objective control.

Roamer (Tank/Support)

Gloo > Marcel > Lolita > Kaja > Diggie > Floryn > Estes

For solo queue: Gloo, Lolita, and Kaja are the most reliable. Marcel is dominant in 5-man play but his stasis ultimate requires follow-up coordination that random teammates don't reliably provide. Kaja's ultimate is consistently undervalued in Mythical Glory — pulling a fed carry out of a teamfight is often the difference in close games.

Patch 2.1.61 Impact Summary

Two changes drove the entire meta shift.

Mage mana normalization reduced early burst potential across midlane, indirectly buffing durable fighters and supports who previously struggled against burst-heavy mage compositions. Fighters didn't get buffed — their counters got trimmed.

Marcel's release introduced a dual-soul Support with photo stasis ultimate and True Damage shields. His impact on the roam meta is already visible in ban rates.

Heroes to Bench Now

• Freya: Direct nerf, dropped to A/B. Not worth picking in high elo unless you've mastered her specifically
• Ling: Weakest jungler currently — damage and survival both suffer against support-heavy compositions
• Selena: Nerfed, situational at best; needs specific team setups the current meta rarely provides
• Ixia: Still S-tier, but no longer the automatic first-pick she was in March

Heading Into May 2026

The mage buff wave will likely trigger counter-adjustments. Expect Moonton to monitor Zhuxin and Pharsa's win rates closely. Fighter dominance may attract nerfs if Sora and Fredrinn maintain current performance metrics. Marcel's ban rate is the key indicator — if it stays above 60% in Mythical Glory, a balance pass is coming.

Mythical Glory Climbing Guide

Ban Priority

1. Gloo — 76.8% ban rate exists for a reason
2. Marcel — game-deciding in 5-man coordinated lobbies
3. Sora — best exp laner, hardest to counter once ahead
4. Diggie / Floryn — enable hypercarry compositions
5. Kimmy — sustained poke most roamers can't handle efficiently

Solo queuing? Auto-ban Gloo and Marcel in most lobbies.

Draft Strategy

First-pick safely: Fredrinn, Hayabusa, Hanabi, Kaja — broad utility, don't telegraph your strategy.

Counter-pick after seeing enemy: Karrie (vs tank-heavy), Khufra (vs mobile assassins), Phoveus (vs dash-heavy comps).

Optimal draft order: secure roamer first → exp laner → counter-pick jungler and goldlaner based on what the enemy revealed. Don't first-pick your carry unless they have no obvious counter.

Best Solo Queue Heroes

The Three Draft Mistakes That Cost Games

Community analysis consistently identifies these patterns in losses where players picked meta heroes:

1. Overextending without vision — S+ heroes don't make you immune to picks
2. Ignoring objectives — prioritizing kills over Turtle/Lord is the #1 macro mistake
3. Poor draft synergy — five individually strong heroes with no engage or no peel

A team of five A-tier heroes with clear win conditions beats five S+ heroes with no synergy. Every time.

How to Counter the S+ Heroes

Gloo: Burst damage and kiting. Karrie's true damage shreds his HP stacking. Granger can burst him during reload windows. Avoid clustering your carries — it gives Gloo multiple attachment targets.

Sora: Heavy CC chains before he engages. Khufra's ball form interrupts his dash patterns. Kaja can pull him away from his intended target mid-engage.

Kimmy: Hard engage before she repositions. Khufra, Tigreal, and Franco close distance faster than she can kite. Hayabusa can delete her if he reaches her — she has low HP.

Hayabusa: He's vulnerable during his ultimate. Diggie's immunity and Lolita's shield reduce his kill potential significantly. Build Blade Armor on carries as a direct counter to his physical damage.

Marcel: Don't group in ways that let him stasis your entire team simultaneously. Spread positioning during teamfights limits his ultimate's value dramatically.

The Solo Queue vs 5-Man Gap Most Tier Lists Ignore

The same hero can be S+ in coordinated play and A-tier in solo queue. Treating them as equivalent is why players get frustrated with tier lists.

Marcel is the clearest current example. His 56–69% ban rate in Mythical Glory 5-man lobbies reflects genuine dominance when teammates know to follow his stasis. In solo queue, community testing consistently rates him A-tier — not because he's weak, but because his ultimate's value is entirely conditional on team response time that random teammates don't reliably provide.

The reverse applies to Fredrinn and Gloo. They're rated higher for solo queue than raw stats suggest because they're self-sufficient. Fredrinn doesn't need setup to punish carries. Gloo's attach creates value even when teammates ignore it. These heroes carry despite bad teammates.

When reading any tier list, ask: "Is this rating for solo queue or coordinated play?" If it doesn't specify, it's blending both — which makes it less useful for how most players actually queue.

Unlocking S+ Heroes: Resource Priority

Most S+ heroes — Sora, Fredrinn, Kimmy, Hayabusa, Zhuxin — are available through the hero shop via diamonds or fragments. Check the fragment shop before spending diamonds; heroes rotate in periodically.

Spending priority for ranked pool:

1. One reliable roamer (Gloo or Kaja)
2. One exp lane fighter (Fredrinn is the most consistent)
3. One jungler (Hayabusa for solo queue reliability)
4. One goldlaner (Hanabi for low-dependency, Kimmy for high-ceiling)

Don't spend diamonds on Freya, Selena, or Ixia right now unless you're building toward a future meta. If you need to unlock multiple S+ heroes quickly to stay competitive this season, Mobile Legends Bang Bang diamonds recharge best price at BitTopup offers competitive rates with fast delivery — worth checking before topping up through the in-game store.

FAQ: MLBB Tier List April 2026

What is the #1 hero in Mobile Legends right now? Gloo. His 56.1% win rate and 76.8% ban rate in Mythical Glory make him the single most impactful hero in April 2026. If he's not banned, first-pick him.

Should I always play S+ heroes to win ranked? No. Picking S+ heroes and losing is extremely common — the cause is almost always execution errors, poor draft synergy, or failing to adapt to counterpicks. A well-drafted A-tier composition beats a random collection of S+ picks.

Is the tier list different across rank brackets? Yes. In Epic and Legend, mechanical execution matters more than draft optimization — strong individual heroes carry harder because opponents make more mistakes. In Mythical Glory, draft synergy, ban priorities, and macro play become the deciding factors. Marcel's ban rate is a Mythical Glory phenomenon; in lower ranks, he's barely banned.

Which heroes should I ban in Mythical Glory? Priority bans: Gloo, Marcel, Sora, Diggie/Floryn, Kimmy. Solo queuing? Gloo and Marcel are your automatic bans in most lobbies. In 5-man, coordinate to remove the enemy's highest-impact support and best exp laner simultaneously.

Is Fanny still worth learning? Only if you're committed to mastering her specifically. She requires months of practice on mobile, is vulnerable to heavy CC, and isn't recommended for most ranked climb scenarios. Already a Fanny main with 300+ games? Still viable. Picking her up for a quick climb to Mythical Glory? Don't.

How often does the MLBB tier list change? Major shifts happen with each significant patch — roughly monthly. Patch 2.1.61 on March 11 caused the biggest reshuffle in several months. Check the official Mobile Legends patch notes within 48 hours of any major update; win rates can shift dramatically in the first week.

Which mages are worth picking up after the April 2026 buffs? Gord, Aurora, and Eudora jumped the most in tier placement. Gord specifically benefits from the mana normalization changes — his poke-heavy playstyle was previously constrained by mana costs. If you want a mage that's newly strong and likely underrated in your bracket, Gord is the pick.

Final Thoughts

The April 2026 meta rewards durable fighters, utility supports, and sustained damage marksmen. The exp lane and roam positions have never been more impactful. Climbing solo? Invest in Fredrinn, Hayabusa, or Hanabi — heroes that create value regardless of what your teammates do.

For players building out their hero pool through Season 40, buy Mobile Legends Bang Bang diamonds cheap through BitTopup to expand your roster without overpaying.

The tier list is a tool, not a guarantee. Players who reach Mythical Glory aren't just picking S+ heroes — they're drafting with purpose, banning intelligently, and executing with the macro awareness that separates good players from great ones.