Counterpicking is a complex strategy involving careful analysis of your opponent’s picks, strengths and weaknesses, and overall team composition. In MLBB, a well-executed counterpick can turn the tide of a game, and players who master this strategy can climb the ranks and dominate the competition. As it is known to all gamers, the team who wins the draft wins the game.
In this article, we will explore the intricacies of MLBB counterpicking, including the best heroes to counter specific opponents, tips on effectively analyzing the enemy team, and creating a strong team composition that can withstand any challenge. So make sure to finish this article as we list counterpicking strategies.
Most Picked Hero to Counter
Cecilion (Mage)
Cecilion, a member of the Blood Demons in Mobile Legends, is known for his love of public opera performances, despite being an immortal demon. However, his classy demeanor does not diminish his immense power in battle. From early to late game, Cecilion can deal devastating burst damage to enemies, making him a tough opponent to counter.
To counter Cecilion effectively, players must get close and use crowd control or eliminate him quickly. Heroes such as Guinevere, Chou, Saber, Gusion, Selena, and Wanwan are great choices for disabling or finishing off Cecilion. Helcurt with Petrify is one of the most preferred picks against Cecilion, as it can shut down his singing career and dominance.
Surprisingly, Lolita’s shield does little to minimize Cecilion’s damage, but tanks like Gatotkaca and Johnson can make Cecilion think twice before approaching allied teammates. Chang’e’s machine gun can also deny Cecilion’s incoming attacks.
Other risky options include Franco, Balmond, Carmilla, Angela, and Nana, while most assassins can easily handle Cecilion, including Lesley.
Harith (Mage)
Harith’s strength lies in his ability to dash on his ultimate sword and spam magic attacks while regenerating shields from enemies around him. However, heroes like Minsitthar, Khufra, and Kaja can counter him by stopping his ability to dash or pulling him away from his ultimate area. Esmeralda is a direct counter to Harith as she can penetrate his shield and send him home.
Other acceptable options for countering Harith include Aurora, Nana, Chou, and Helcurt. Helcurt can silence Harith and render him useless if he gets too close, while a well-timed Akai ultimate can send Harith flying miles away from his ultimate sword.
Esmeralda (Mage)
Esmeralda can be a challenging opponent, especially for inexperienced players who tend to jump into dangerous situations. Aurora is a solid counterpick against Esmeralda, as she can freeze and burst her down while allowing teammates to take advantage of the situation. Baxia is also viable, as his passive can reduce Esmeralda’s shield regeneration rate, making her more vulnerable.
Other viable options include Nana, Chou, Helcurt, or a hero equipped with the Necklace of Durance/Sea Halberd, which can prohibit Esmeralda’s shield regeneration. Ruby can also be an option, although she may need more damage output to take Esmeralda down immediately. Low-key counters include Estes or Rafaela, who can prolong your team’s survival during Esmeralda’s burst. Rafaela’s S3 can also punish Esmeralda if she decides to dive under the turret.
Silvanna (Fighter)
Silvanna is a princess of Moniyan known for her beauty and remarkable fighting skills, alongside heroines like Kimmy, Fanny, Elsa, and Mulan. While the Moniyan heroines fight against the abyss, Silvanna also seeks to save her lost brother, Dyrroth. Unlike Fanny’s reliance on physical attacks and Kimmy’s hybrid marksmanship, Silvanna’s attacks deliver magical damage.
Silvanna’s S1 has two phases, one providing a long-range, one-second complete stun to the enemy, and a jump chase. Her S2 and Ultimate are extremely helpful because they can prevent opponents from escaping after their combo, with S2 even stopping Aldous’ mid-fly. However, Silvanna’s S3 gives her a 100% boost in magic life steal and attack speed, making it easier for a counter hero to fend her off if they can quickly remove her from the circle or hard CC her. Heroes like Zilong, Valir, Helcurt, and Franco are good for countering her.
Tigreal is a great tank option for turning Silvanna’s ultimate to his team’s advantage, as the enemy team tends to gather their moves on the trapped opponent, allowing Tigreal to execute successful S2 and S3 for a 5-man AoE wipeout. Nana’s Molina, Diggie, and Hylos are also viable choices to counter Silvanna’s boosted life steal and attack speed
X-Borg (Fighter)
X-Borg is a hero often banned or chosen by allies and enemies due to his strong kit. His S1 deals massive true damage, S2 provides a soft CC pull, and Ultimate can instantly kill a tank at half health while providing immunity. In addition, X-Borg can escape quickly once his armor breaks, making him difficult to defeat.
To counter X-Borg, a Chang’e with Ice Queen Wand can use her Ultimate to take him down. A fast Gusion can also deal damage quickly once X-Borg’s armor is destroyed, while Chou, with his three core items, can perform hard CCs and enough damage to eliminate X-Borg.
Other options include Kagura’s persistent damage and mobility to slow down and defeat X-Borg. An Angela using S1 + S2 while ulti on another hero can prevent X-Borg from escaping and add additional damage to secure the kill. Diggie’s S2 can also be an opportunity to catch X-Borg during his armorless state and contribute to eliminating him.
Aldous (Fighter)
Aldous can be a powerful opponent with high stacks, but he needs to farm a lot to reach that level. Nana, Lylia, and Zhask are effective heroes to counter him. Nana’s boomerang and Molina can keep Aldous at bay, while Lylia’s Gloom and ultimate can provide an opportunity to fight back. Zhask’s superior lane pushing ability can also limit Aldous’s dominance, and he can retreat to his base to avoid Aldous’s ultimate.
Other viable options include Chou, Ruby, Franco, and Akai, who can hard CC Aldous or protect their teammates. It’s possible to counter Aldous by not having a marksman, which forces the team to end the game quickly before Aldous becomes too powerful. Silvanna’s S3 can also trap Aldous in flight or when he lands. Twilight Armor or Wind of Nature can be useful gear to counter Aldous’s physical damage.
Chou (Fighter)
Chou is a highly skilled hero with a versatile kit that can adapt to different roles in battle, such as a tank, fighter, or assassin. His S1 and S2 combo allows him to escape danger and turn the tide of the battle in his favor, even with low health. Chou’s stun and flying kick can also easily disrupt the combos of fragile heroes like mages and marksmen.
Minsitthar and Diggie are two effective counters to Chou. Minsitthar’s S3 can prevent Chou’s S1 and S2, while Diggie can provide a quick escape for teammates targeted by Chou. Khufra and Ruby are also good options, especially Ruby, who has a similar kit to Chou and can sustain herself with lifesteal.
However, it is essential to note that facing a skilled Chou player still requires caution and strategy, even with a perfect counter pick. As the saying goes, the person who can defeat a pro-Chou has yet to be born.
Kimmy (Marksman)
Kimmy used to be the most feared marksman in the Land of Dawn, but continuous nerfs resulted in her downfall. While she can still be annoying, she is now quite vulnerable. Chou, Helcurt, Aurora, Gusion, Ling, and Hayabusha effectively hinder Kimmy’s farming and take her out. Baxia can also easily shut down Kimmy.
Selena and Lolita are other strong options, as their CC can render Kimmy helpless. Due to her small attack range, Lesley, Granger, and WanWan can poke Kimmy from a safe distance. Tanks like Hylos, Belerick, and Uranus aren’t afraid of Kimmy. Saber and Zilong can also surprise Kimmy with a quick kill, but they are more challenging heroes in today’s meta.
Granger (Marksman)
Granger is a highly popular marksman, sought after for his speed, mobility, fast farming, and high crit rate. He is a valuable addition to any team that wants to snowball early on. Granger’s ability to apply a lot of pressure from the beginning of the game is unparalleled, and he can also escape easily from enemy ganks. Khufra and Lolita are two excellent tanks that can counter Granger effectively. Lolita’s shield can block Granger’s ultimate blast, protecting the team from a potential late-game wipeout. Khufra can prevent Granger from dashing away and interrupting his skills with ease.
Other viable options for countering Granger include Minsitthar, who can pull him from afar and trap him inside the ultimate, followed by a stun from S2. This provides ample opportunity for allies to eliminate Granger from the battlefield. Burst damage dealers like Eudora, Aurora, and Harley can also take out this fierce ADC. Granger cannot aim at Fanny and Ling fast enough with his skills, and his S2 dash is not as mobile as these two assassins.
Claude (Marksman)
Claude is a strong marksman in the Bang Bang world, and when paired with his monkey, he can be a formidable duo. His ultimate ability can melt a full HP tank in seconds, along with any nearby enemies. However, to play him well, it’s important to maintain his S1 under max stack before a clash.
In a recent patch, Hylos was equipped with Blade Armor and Revitalize spell, making him a good match for Claude. With his high HP pool, decent stun, and attack-speed reduction effect, Hylos can give Claude a tough time. Baxia is another tank that can negate Claude’s lifesteal from Demon Hunter Sword, making him one of the tankiest heroes against attack-speed-based marksmen.
Khufra (Tank)
Khufra is a versatile tank with various abilities. His S1 can surprise enemies lurking in bushes, while his S2 can prevent them from using dashing or blink skills to escape. A well-timed S3 that sends all five enemies back to their spawn base is the ultimate achievement for a Khufra player. If high-mobility heroes like Granger, Gusion, Harith, Fanny, or Karrie get caught in his S2, they’re in big trouble.
However, Khufra is not as tanky than other tanks, and separating him from his team can be an effective countermeasure. Aurora or Franco can immobilize him temporarily or even push him away from his team and buy time for allies to finish off. Lylia can deal massive damage to him and use her ultimate to create space when things get complicated. Nana is another option to interrupt Khufra and disrupt enemy positioning.
Valir is also an effective counter to Khufra, as he can push him away and follow up with CC, creating a safe zone for allies to attack. X-borg can apply constant pressure with S1+S2, forcing Khufra to think twice before using S1.
Minotaur (Tank)
Just as the stork saved Dumbo, Diggie is the only bird to protect allies from Minotaur’s deadly S3. Another way to increase chances of winning is by having Wanwan as a marksman, whose S2 can purify and whose dashing ability can help her escape from Mino and his team. However, the good news for everyone else and the bad news for Minotaur is that his ultimate can be interrupted with hard CC, such as Chou’s or Franco’s.
Even though Minotaur’s S3 can turn the tide of the game in a matter of seconds, he is losing his effectiveness due to multiple nerfs to his HP, skill cooldown, and defense points. He is particularly vulnerable to high burst mages early in the game and won’t stand a chance against a well-farmed MM in the late game. Enemies also tend to avoid clashes when they see that Mino is in full rage, making him less effective.
Franco (Tank)
Franco is notorious for being a nightmare for squishy heroes who want to farm and move around the map peacefully. Skilled players can hook enemies from impossible positions, such as flying Fanny and Ling, and quickly dominate the battlefield. Franco’s mere presence in a lane can make enemies feel the pressure to recall for a “medical blood transplant” due to the threat of his hooks.
However, Franco is more tanky than he appears despite his powerful crowd control abilities. He lacks an escape or speed-up skill, making him vulnerable to duo ganks if he strays too far from his team. Late game, his low scaling in defense and HP means he will only last for a while in full clashes. The best counter to Franco is another Franco on the enemy team who can precisely hook his hooks simultaneously, creating a “Francoto” fusion.
Lolita is the only tank that can successfully dismiss Franco’s hooks but it requires high skill and positioning. Diggie, Chou, and Wanwan can purify Franco’s hooks with their S2 skills, but it’s important to note that his ultimate is a suppress and cannot be canceled. Other heroes like X-borg and Nana can also withstand Franco’s hooks.
This concludes our list of frequently picked heroes in MLBB and effective ways to counter them. We hope that these tips will come in handy during your future games. Feel free to share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.
Do not forget to top up your Mobile Legends Diamonds at Codashop for the safest and most convenient deals.
