Following Bren Esports’ spectacular finish in the M2 Championship, there have been significant things noticed in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) community. The rise of new meta heroes such as Silvanna and Diggie, unique draft pick situations that made the headlines. Moreover, the abundance of late-game scenarios kept us all on the edges of our seats. If you didn’t watch M2 or missed some of the important games, there is no need to worry about it. Today we will cover all about the 5 lessons we can learn from the Mobile Legends M2 Championship.
1. New Meta Heroes
Psychoo’s Benedetank
Benedetta is one of the most versatile heroes in all of MLBB. She is naturally an assassin but can be played as an offlaner, jungler, sideliner, and now, even as a tank. Starting in RRQ’s debut match in M2 against Japanese team 10s, tank player Psychoo played Benedetta as a tank. Theoretically, Benedetta should not be able to tank in the regular sense. This is because she has quite a low base HP and requires a few items to become tanky. However, Psychoo played it extremely well in all games, rotating to the sidelanes to provide support and gank the enemy sidelaners, protecting the jungler from oncoming attacks, and distracting the enemies to buy time for his team to farm. Benedetta has become an extremely riveting pick now in MLBB, and is very popular in both Classic and Ranked modes.
MayBe’s Diggie
This small bird may seem harmless, but do not underestimate the damage and Crowd Control (CC) that Diggie brings. Not to mention his Ultimate, Time Journey is able to cancel all CC effects on his teammates and himself for 3 seconds. Now that is a solid advantage in any team fight. Especially annoying during M2, Burmese Ghouls’ MayBe put immense pressure on their opponents by using Diggie. He strategically placed Auto Alarm Bombs to target the enemy heroes and aiming the Reverse Time skill at the enemy jungler.
With the emergence of squishier line-ups consisting of Fighter-Tanks and Marksman junglers in the meta, Diggie has become more useful in providing early game poke damage to his enemies to slow down rotations and can be really annoying by using his Reverse Time skill to lock onto enemy junglers for his teammates to burst down. He is starting to be banned in Mythic ranked games. So be ready to face him if he is not banned in the draft.
Silvanna Tank/Support
One of the most picked tank/support characters in M2, Silvanna’s abilities can back her popularity. She comes with all 3 active skills being able to provide CC effects. Her early-game damage is very potent and can stay on par with most tanks. At the same time, she also provides an advantage against slippery assassin junglers with her Ultimate, Imperial Justice. As a Support, she can rotate quickly and turn the tide of any battle to her team’s advantage, making her a strong pick in any draft.
2. Draft pick strategies
Before the game even started, the battle already begun in the draft. Knowing the meta is important, but considering your team’s hero pool and capabilities is also important when drafting heroes. In M2, most of the battle is done in the draft itself, as it determines a large part of each team’s chances of winning that match. In the pro scene, players know their opponents very well, so they are aware of what to ban. However, in ranked mode, you are facing off against a completely new team, of which you have no clue how they play and what their hero mains are. How can you still ensure a win with such limited resources?
Securing junglers: To first pick or not to first pick?
Most times, it may be tempting to just instantly select an overpowered jungler with the first pick in the draft. As the Blue Team, you will have a distinct advantage in being able to secure the first pick after up to 6 heroes are eliminated in the Ban Phase. However, is it really worth it to pick up Brody, when there are other good options still available? This depends on how confident you are in your own abilities to play said jungler, and how well the rest of your team can synergize their picks to combo with yours.
For example, if Brody is not banned and you have the first pick, you decide to risk it and take him with the first pick. This opens up options for the enemy team, as they have a clear idea of what playstyle your team will be using, and will be basing their picks on heroes that can either directly or indirectly counter Brody, such as a roam Natalia, Saber Jungler, Atlas Tank, or Helcurt Jungler, all of which are good to play against Brody. If this does happen, you and your team need to be prepared to select heroes that will be able to counteract the enemies and protect Brody, such as Selena, who can provide map vision, or Tigreal, who can push enemies back and cover Brody in fights or in the jungle.
Alternatively, you may opt not to pick a strong jungler first, and instead secure a strong offlaner or support. This is a safer strategy, because it allows more time to study the enemy lineup and come up with a suitable tactic to play against them. It also allows you to situate your jungler pick to one that can overcome the enemy early on and later in the game.
Counter-picking
In the event that your team may not have players that can use meta heroes, try counter-picking them instead. This strategy involves purposely not banning a certain meta hero, banking on the chance that the enemy will choose that hero, and catering your team’s hero picks to counter said hero.
For instance, take Esmeralda, who has been on ban lists for 2 seasons now. By banning other meta heroes and leaving her open, you can then start building a team with heroes like Baxia, Lunox, and Karrie to give the enemy Esmeralda a harder time. Although quite risky and will require more communication than usual to pull off, is quite common in the pro scene, as pro players will undoubtedly have a larger hero pool and experience than most players.
3. Early game Jungle rotations
In M2, teams used a variety of jungle rotations in the first 3 minutes, which proved instrumental to their victories. The rotations below outline general guidelines according to how powerful the hero type is in the early game, and the risks associated with each rotation. They can be altered in-game depending on the situation. But usually serves as the most efficient jungling pattern to farm quickly.
As an Assassin jungler
Assassins have the quickest jungling rate in Mobile Legends. They can usually clear jungle camps on their own starting from level 1. Assassin junglers used in M2 include Lancelot, Yi Sun-Shin, and Ling. All three of these heroes are capable of clearing minions and jungle quickly. So it is recommended that they start with clearing the mid-lane minions. Then, move to clear the Lithowanderer if possible, before going to the purple and orange buff monsters consecutively. From there, take the Rockursa jungle camp next to the orange buff quickly and clear the middle lane again, ganking enemy heroes along the way if necessary. Finally, prepare to take the turtle once it spawns around the 2-minute mark. After, just repeat the pattern, or gank the sidelanes and simultaneously take the gold crab.
As a Marksman jungler
Marksman junglers have a harder time jungling in the early game. Hence will need a support or tank hero to help them clear those first few camps. It is not recommended for marksman heroes to clear the mid lane minions in the early game, as it will severely slow down their farming. To optimize the farm in the early minutes, they should instantly secure the purple or orange buff monsters once they spawn, with the help of the tank, to let the support clear the mid lane and get level 2.
Once both buffs have been cleared, kill the crammer camp in either side lane, before moving on to the Rockursa next to the orange buff and then the lizard next to the purple buff. Once all these camps are cleared, clear the middle lane with your tank and support before preparing to take the turtle. After that, the rotation should reset and you can start at the purple or orange buff again.
4. Late-game scenarios
Contesting the Lord
Almost all MOBA players know that in the late game, anything can happen. One small mistake can cost you and your team the game, so its vital to focus and communicate well. In MLBB, securing the Lord can tip the balance and win games. So knowing when to contest the Lord and when to stay back and defend is key. A good indicator is the team’s net worth, and how far the gold difference is. Winning a team fight and securing the Lord in the late game can net around 2000-3000 gold for the team. So pick your battles wisely. Remember to protect the jungler so that when the Lord’s health is low, they are ready to use Retribution to secure it.
Defending the High Ground
A large part of the draft phase is picking 1-2 heroes that have great defensive skills. In a losing situation, its good to have heroes that can clear minion waves quickly. This responsibility usually falls on the support heroes, like Pharsa, Cecilion, or Chang’e, or some Fighters like Lapu-Lapu and X-borg who have large AoE skills. It is also important that you do not initiate team fights or lose your teammates in a losing situation. This will make it harder to come back once the enemy makes a mistake or you have a good opening. Play patiently and wait for an opportunity to strike, and then make your epic comeback.
5. Have Fun in the game!
A large part of gaming is to just have fun and relieve your stress. Although losing in ranked because of meeting trolls in classic may start to grind your gears, it’s important to have fun! Pro players are regular people too and don’t always play with the same squad over and over again. They play with players from other teams, cities, and countries to try out different team playstyles and diversify their own. In the end, gaming is meant to be fun. So if you are not enjoying your time, then take a break, or try something new. Because there are always different ways to game.
That was all about the 5 Lessons we learnt from Mobile Legends M2 World Championship! Let us know your opinions about this article in the comments section below!
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