They discuss Mobile Legends' meta heroes, tips about game sense and identify common mistakes players make.

Whether it's the start or end of a Mobile Legends season, players will be in a mad scramble to reach the top of the rank ladder. The climb to Mythic is never easy, but we’ve compiled some handy advice for you from two streamers who've been there and done that: Flare Gaming, and Laphel.

Who are they?

Flare Gaming (Facebook/Instagram) is a streamer who plays a variety of games on various platforms, from PC to mobile to consoles. Although he mainly plays MLBB for fun and enjoys experimenting with unconventional builds and picks, he's consistently reached Mythic rank, and is proof that you can enjoy climbing the rank ladder.

Flare Gaming.

Laphel is a streamer and MPL–MY/SG caster. Previously, he was a coach/analyst for Shopee Bosskurr, as well as Team Malaysia’s coach during the 2019 Philippines SEA games. He currently serves as Axis Esports' manager.

Laphel.

Flare and Laphel’s top heroes to climb the MLBB rank ladder

Not every hero in MLBB is equal in terms of strengths and weaknesses, with some being more useful than others in climbing.

They both agree that Granger is extremely powerful because he has plenty of early game power - which is usually a Marksman's (MM) weakness. His long-range burst and critical damage creates a lot of pressure, and Granger also transitions well into the late game instead of falling off.

Speaking of Marksmen, there's also Bruno. Like Granger, he has strong burst (although not as high) early on and can fight at mid-range. He has better crowd control (cc) than Granger because he can slow enemies, providing a different utility to early game teamfights.

Kimmy also features in Flare’s list of strong heroes in the current meta.

The bane of many players, Kimmy's passive allows her to attack while moving, which means good players will be incredibly hard to catch while constantly dealing damage. It's also harder to itemise versus her hybrid damage as she can build to focus on magic or physical damage.

The last Marksman is Wanwan, who comes with high recommendations from Laphel, especially if you’re facing teams with heavy crowd controls, since her 2^nd skill provides CC immunity. Wanwan also has high Area of Effect (AoE) damage which is a big contribution in teamfights.

Aside from Marksmen, Flare also rates Gusion, an Assassin, rather highly.

With mobility and burst, Gusion can easily pick off priority targets (like opponent Marksmen). If able to secure the Blue Buff, Gusion becomes an even bigger threat, since it allows him to cast spells more often and reduces his ultimate cooldown, which again reduces skill cooldowns when cast.

Khufra can also be a game-changer. His high mobility and CC allows players to set up teamfights. Notably, all his skills have a CC effect: an AoE knock-up stun, an AoE knock-back CC, and an anti-mobility skill which prevents dashes. Mobility is a vital component of some of the game's strongest heroes, disabling that gives you a better chance of neutralising them.

In a similar vein, Laphel regards Lolita as a strong Tank hero. She’s a good meta counter, making her way into his books thanks to her shield ability which completely negates all projectile damage (including Marksman auto-attacks) for a few seconds. She comes with a well-rounded CC package, boasting a single-target stun and a large AoE stun.

And then there’s Pharsa.

Based on historical data, she's a rather odd choice, since she hasn't been in the meta for ages, but Laphel’s argument for picking her makes sense: she’s an extremely long-range poke Mage. Enemy Marksmen will have a hard time getting to her before she pokes them to death, or they'll be low enough on hit points (HP) for her team to mop them up.

Tips and tricks for reaching Mythic

Picking strong heroes isn't enough to win games, of course, since you'll need gameplay skills too.

Possess meta and pick/ban knowledge

Learn from the masters.

Awareness of team compositions and the meta plays a big role in climbing the rank ladder. For example, during the pick/ban phase, Flare recommends picking the highly banned heroes whenever possible - that's because they are generally stronger!

These heroes are banned for a reason, which is usually their utility, mobility, or damage, which have the potential to carry games. “The enemy can't kill you if you kill them first, or if you're faster than them," says Flare.

However, he warns that players shouldn't blindly pick a hero just because they’re strong. "Be adaptable to your team’s picks" is his advice.

For top lane or Tank players, prioritise "Arrival"

Flare is a Tank player himself, so it’s pretty good advice. It’s a handy battle spell, especially when the enemy starts split pushing (a common strategy). "Arrival" allows you to teleport to a lane under threat, thus protecting towers.

The spell also enables the top lane player to make early ganking rotations if your team has an active mid lane playmaker. MLBB rewards teams who build early gold and experience leads and "Arrival" complements this kind of strategy.

Check your attitude

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." Yoda.

This is a point on which both Flare and Laphel agree. MLBB isn’t a 1v1 game, it’s team-based, so it’s vital to stay positive (even in bad matches), be less stubborn, and curb your ego, so you can work well with your team. Good skills without teamwork are pointless if you're busy fighting your own team instead of the enemy.

Spreading a message of positivity, Flare says that “even if your teammate disconnects or feeds, it's okay, there's always the next game.”

Common mistakes players make

Accidentally stealing jungle buffs

This is something many of us have probably done. Please be careful whenever you’re helping teammates. Some buffs are vital for specific heroes (Red for Marksmen, Blue for Mages), so stealing them can be detrimental to your team's chances of winning. IF you do steal the buffs, don’t start arguing, just apologise.

Not paying attention

Pay attention to what?

Well, some important things to keep track of during games include momentum swings, objectives, positioning, spell availability, and the map. In short, you need to constantly be aware of the game’s state, which also affects where you and your team should be, and what you should be doing. For instance, the enemy team just got wiped out, and Lord is open, so you should try and take it.

BUT if you're already in the enemy base, just end the game!

Inflexibility

Be like Luffy.

Inflexibility basically refers to an inability to adapt to the situation at hand. You won’t always have a perfect team comp, players, or  games where everything goes well, so it’s important for you to be flexible. For example, if your team is constantly losing fights, maybe it’d be better to try split-pushing and taking objectives, instead of forcing it and falling further behind.

Sometimes you can't control a game's circumstances, but you can control how you respond to those. Both Laphel and Flare agree that focusing on where you can improve is better than blaming everyone else. That way, you continue to learn, and that elusive Mythic rank need not be just a pipe dream.

So there you have it, some useful advice from Flare Gaming and Laphel on how to ease your grind to Mythic. Hopefully, it’ll be useful for you. At the same time, do remember to have fun while playing. No point stressing yourself out unnecessarily over a game, right?