The Best Heroes of MLBB Season 42: A Tier List of Characters by Position as of September 2026

In mid-September, the 42nd competitive season kicked off in MLBB—the developers released balance patch 2.2.16, which adjusted the stats of certain heroes and general gameplay elements.

We’ve once again analyzed the strength of all MLBB heroes and ranked them in a tier list based on their power relative to other heroes in the same position, to select the best heroes for each lane.

There will be five tiers in total:

After updates and major tournaments, we’ll update this guide to ensure its content reflects the current meta—so don’t forget to check back here to stay on top of all the changes.

On the experience lane, active heroes from the roam position are being used more and more often—Atlas, Carmilla, and a few other heroes perform well there. However, classic picks can also hold their own, as Esmeralda and Sora demonstrate.

Pakito received a minor nerf, while Bartz and Freya remained unchanged in the Season 42 patch. Notable buffs include Edith, Chichi, and Aldos, though these aren’t yet enough to secure top spots. The reworked Masha is generally good but still requires further testing and the development of effective builds.

In Update 2.2.16, the developers almost completely ignored jungler balance, so the top picks remain the same—in skilled hands, the skill-intensive Hirara and Fanny, as well as Harley, are much stronger than all other options.

The S-tier includes the same Pakito, Ling, and Nolan—all three trail behind the meta leaders. Among the latest changes, Saber is worth noting, as he’s being picked as an alternative to Hirara, who’s aggressive early in the game.

The support meta is actively developing in the mid lane: almost always, a support hero like Raphael or Kagura is played. The latter received a slight buff in the patch along with Kadita—as a result, these two heroes have joined the list of top mid laners.

At the same time, Valentina, Zhuxin, and Fash have fallen out of favor: now, Eidora, Selena, and Novaria are the most effective. Among the more unconventional options, Estes stands out as a good fit for the support mid-laner meta.

At the start of Season 42, two meta gold-tier heroes—Mia and Melissa—received significant nerfs. While both heroes are still playable, they now lag significantly behind other leaders in this role (primarily Cloud and Ranger, who were left untouched in the patch).

Players have also given the updated Bruno high marks, though his full potential remains to be seen in the coming days. Harit, Carry, Moskov, and Freya also remain in the meta, while Pakito has dropped a tier due to minor nerfs in the patch.

Compared to the end of last season, the top tier of heroes has remained unchanged—the most effective roamers are Belerik, Atlas, and Marcel. Even the increased cooldown on his ultimate didn’t hurt the Soul Photographer: early matches show that he’s still a strong pick.

Kalea and Kayla received decent buffs in update 2.2.16, bringing them back into the meta. Akai was also buffed, but he was previously too weak to be considered among the best. Hilos’s rework can be seen more as a setback for the hero, though he’s still viable in certain situations.