MLBB Patch 2.1.90 Balance Changes: Tank Jungler Nerf & Buffed Heroes Explained

Patch 2.1.90 is the mid-season balance revision that went live on July 8, 2026 on the Original Server, and it is a direct follow-up to Patch 2.1.88. The headline story is a targeted trim to Tank Junglers after the new season's jungle changes left them overtuned, paired with a lift for a batch of underpicked Exp Lane and Jungle heroes. The official Mobile Legends patch notes lay out the full list, and the Moonton newsroom carries the designer context that explains the direction of the update.

This guide walks through every hero change in 2.1.90, the system-level jungle gold adjustments, why the Tank Jungler speed cut happened, and what the post-patch meta looks like for ranked play. The patch also sits alongside the Street Fighter 6 collab and the MSC 2026 Pass, so the balance shift lands in the middle of a busy content month. Players who want to test the buffed picks in ranked without waiting on shard grinds can top up Mobile Legends on Topuplist through the Mobile Legends top-up page and grab the heroes or skins they need.

What Patch 2.1.90 Changes

Patch 2.1.90 Live July 8, 2026

Patch 2.1.90 deployed on July 8, 2026 as a mid-season revision to 2.1.88, which itself went live on June 17, 2026 for Season 41. The update is not a full rework — it is a scalpel pass that corrects specific outliers and elevates a handful of underperformers. Eleven hero changes ship in total: seven buffs and four nerfs, plus system adjustments to the jungle economy and a couple of bug fixes.

For players, the cleanest way to read the patch is role by role. Check your main's lane first, then look at the jungle changes, because the two are linked through the Tank Jungler trim. A change that looks small in the notes can swing your win rate once the lobby adapts, so the patch is worth a full read before your next ranked session.

For ranked players, the practical takeaway is simple. Tank Junglers are weaker in the early clear, a cluster of Exp Lane and Jungle heroes are stronger, and the jungle now pays slightly more gold. None of that overturns the game, but it is enough to move pick rates and win rates over the following weeks.

The patch also landed during a dense content month, so the balance shift overlaps with the Street Fighter 6 collab and the MSC 2026 Pass, meaning players are adjusting to new heroes and a shifting meta at the same time.

The Seven Hero Buffs

Esmeralda, Nolan, and Aulus Lead the Buffs

Three of the seven buffed heroes are the ones the patch is built around. Esmeralda received a slight increase to her early-to-mid game performance, which pushes her back into contested pick territory after a quiet stretch. Nolan's sustainability was slightly increased, making him harder to burst down in skirmishes. Aulus was adjusted to reinforce his identity as a Fighter who relies on sustained Basic Attacks: his sustainability and his ability to stay on targets improved, while his mid-to-late game damage was slightly reduced to keep the buff in balance.

The Aulus change is the most interesting of the three because it sharpens his fantasy rather than just inflating numbers. By improving stickiness and trimming late damage, the patch rewards players who commit to extended trades instead of those who poke and reset. For Aulus mains, the buff makes the hero feel more cohesive even if the late-game burst is a touch lower.

Esmeralda's early-to-mid bump is especially relevant because her shield-and-absorb kit thrives when she can survive the laning phase, and Nolan's sustainability buff rewards the aggressive flank playstyle he is built around. Both changes nudge these heroes from situational to first-pick consideration in the right drafts.

Minsitthar, Argus, Eudora, and Melissa Round Out the Buffs

The remaining four buffs round out the underpicked roster the designer note referenced. Minsitthar's Ultimate had its early-to-mid game cooldown reduced and its late-game damage increased, which makes his signature lockdown more available in the fights that matter. Argus had his early-to-mid game combat and laning capabilities improved, with the explicit design intent that the "Fallen Angel" should not be limited to the late game.

Eudora and Melissa both received a slight Mana Cost reduction, which is a quiet but meaningful quality-of-life buff for two heroes that can strain their mana pools in extended exchanges. For Melissa specifically, the mana relief pairs with a separate Mythical Honor Battlefield adjustment that shortens her Skill 1 cooldown, so her late-game uptime improves on two fronts.

The Melissa Mythical Honor adjustment shortens her Skill 1 cooldown from 4.5-3 seconds to 4-2.5 seconds, which is a noticeable uptime gain in late-game team fights where every skill rotation counts. Combined with the mana relief, Melissa plays more freely than she did before the patch.

The Four Hero Nerfs

Baxia, Fredrinn, and Akai Take the Jungle Nerfs

The four nerfed heroes are Baxia, Fredrinn, Akai, and Zhuxin, and three of them are Tank Junglers caught by the jungle-speed trim. Baxia had his damage output and jungling speed reduced. Fredrinn had his jungle clear speed and early-game durability slightly reduced. Akai had his jungling speed reduced but received increased burst damage as compensation, which means Akai is not a straight-downgrade — he trades clear speed for a sharper hit when he connects.

The Akai compensation is worth noting because it shows the patch is tuned per hero rather than applied with a blanket number. Akai keeps relevance by leaning into burst, while Baxia and Fredrinn simply lose some of the overtuned clear and durability that the new jungle changes had handed them. For players who main these tanks, the adjustment pushes them toward a more measured, team-dependent jungle style.

In draft, the nerf means opponents will respect these tanks slightly less in the early jungle, which can open counter-jungle windows for the enemy. If you main Baxia or Fredrinn, expect more early pressure and plan your pathing around it rather than assuming a free clear.

Zhuxin Loses Skill 2 Cast Range

Zhuxin is the one nerfed hero who is not a Tank Jungler. Her Skill 2 cast range was slightly reduced, which pulls in the reach of one of her key tools and makes spacing against her a little more forgiving for opponents. It is a narrower change than the jungle trims, but it matters for a hero whose control depends on landing that skill at the right distance.

In draft, the slightly shorter range means Zhuxin is a touch easier to kite, so opponents with mobility tools have a cleaner window to dodge her control. It is not a rework, but it trims the margin she used to have on spacing.

Because Zhuxin is a mage rather than a tank, her nerf is independent of the jungle-speed rationale. It reads as a separate correction to a skill that was over-performing on range, and it keeps her in line without gutting her identity as a crowd-control mage.

The Tank Jungler Nerf Explained

Why Tank Junglers Got Slower

The designer note for Patch 2.1.90 is explicit about the motivation: "We've noticed that the jungle area changes in the new patch have benefited some Tank Junglers too much. Therefore, we're reducing their jungling speed while boosting some underpicked Exp Lane and Jungling heroes." In plain terms, the new season's jungle rework accidentally made tanky junglers clear faster and safer than intended, which crowded out the damage and sustain junglers the roster is supposed to support.

The fix is a speed reduction rather than a stat overhaul, which is the gentle way to address an outlier. By slowing the clear instead of deleting tank jungle entirely, the patch keeps those heroes viable while restoring the gold and tempo advantage to the picks the jungle was designed to reward. It is a classic mid-season correction: identify the accidental winner, trim the accident, leave the hero playable.

The counterplay for opponents is now clearer too: invade or contest the tank jungle early, because the slower clear gives a window that the previous patch had closed. The trim turns Tank Junglers from a safe default into a commitment that needs a plan.

Best Junglers After the Nerf

With Tank Junglers slowed, the post-patch jungle conversation shifts toward the sustain and damage picks that the buffs lifted. Aulus, with his improved stickiness, becomes a more attractive Fighter jungle option, while Argus benefits from the early-game combat and laning buff if he is played in or around the jungle. The point is not that tanks are dead — it is that the free tempo they enjoyed is gone, so they now need more team support to clear and contest efficiently.

Players climbing ranked after 2.1.90 should expect to see fewer solo Tank Jungler rushes and more coordinated jungle entries. If you main a tank jungler, the adjustment is to lean on your team's early vision and rotations rather than raw clear speed, because the patch took away the part of the kit that let you ignore those fundamentals.

The buffed picks are also a good place to spend your Diamond pool if you want to pivot roles this season. Players climbing ranked after the patch can top up Mobile Legends on Topuplist through the Mobile Legends top-up page and unlock Aulus or Argus without waiting on shard conversions.

Jungle Gold and System Changes

More Gold From Jungle Creeps

Beyond hero stats, Patch 2.1.90 adjusted the jungle economy. Early-to-mid game Gold from Jungle Area resources was slightly increased overall, and specific creeps got explicit bumps: the Base Gold reward of the Thunder Fenrir and Molten Fiend rose by 20 percent, while the Horned Lizard, Fire Beetle, and Lava Golem rose by 15 percent. Those are meaningful increases for the high-value jungle objectives, which rewards teams that control the jungle map rather than just the lanes.

The gold bump softens the Tank Jungler nerf indirectly. Even though tank clears are slower, the camps themselves pay more, so a coordinated jungle take still feeds the team. The net effect is a jungle that matters more to the overall economy, which is healthy for a role the patch is trying to rebalance rather than shrink.

Because the high-value creeps pay more, securing the Thunder Fenrir and Molten Fiend becomes a higher-priority call for both teams. Players who want the skins or heroes to contest those fights can top up Mobile Legends on Topuplist via the Mobile Legends top-up page and stay ready for the collab and ranked grind alike.

Roam and Exp Lane Opening Up

The buff list skews toward Exp Lane and Jungle heroes, which means those two roles get more diversity after the patch. Minsitthar and Aulus strengthen the Exp Lane option pool, while the jungle buffs give players more viable picks there. The roaming and backline support roles were the focus of the previous patch, so the combined 2.1.88-plus-2.1.90 arc reads as a full-spectrum effort to keep every lane relevant rather than letting one role dominate the meta.

For draft, the practical implication is that opponents can no longer assume the same three Exp Lane or Jungle heroes every game. The buffed underpicks widen the counterplay surface, which makes scrim and ranked drafts more varied and less solved.

For supports coming off the 2.1.88 roaming buffs, the Exp Lane and Jungle variety means more partners to enable and more threats to peel. The patch cycle is quietly building a more balanced lobby, which is the healthiest state for a competitive season.

How the Meta Shifts After 2.1.90

Patch 2.1.88 Buffed the Roaming Role

To understand where 2.1.90 lands, it helps to recall Patch 2.1.88, the previous update that went live June 17, 2026 for Season 41. That patch strengthened the Roaming role — both frontline tanks and backline supports — to give the position more presence in the early game. The two patches together form a balance arc: 2.1.88 lifted roam, and 2.1.90 corrected the jungle fallout from the new season while broadening Exp Lane and Jungle picks.

The combined direction is a meta that rewards role balance. Roam is stronger, jungle is more contested and now more lucrative, and Exp Lane has more viable options. None of the three lanes is allowed to run away with the game, which is the sign of a patch cycle that is steering toward even footing rather than a single dominant strategy.

New Heroes and the Current Roster

Marcel (#132) and Hirara (#133)

The current roster sits at 133 heroes thanks to two 2026 additions. Marcel, numbered 132, is a Support/Tank titled "Soul Photographer" who launched on March 11, 2026 at 599 Diamonds or 32,000 Battle Points. Hirara, numbered 133, is an Assassin titled "the Fallen Scarlet" who arrived in June 2026. Both entered the pool during the same patch cycle that 2.1.90 is part of, so they share the meta context the balance team is shaping.

For players learning the new heroes, the patch notes matter because they set the environment those heroes compete in. A buffed Exp Lane or Jungle hero changes who Marcel and Hirara lane or jungle against, and the Tank Jungler nerf changes how often Hirara meets a tank in the jungle. Reading 2.1.90 is part of learning the new roster.

133 Heroes and a Shifting Tier List

With 133 heroes in the pool, the tier list is never static, and 2.1.90 is a clear example of why. The seven buffs push previously underpicked heroes up the rankings, while the four nerfs pull established names down a notch. Within a week of the patch, community tier lists typically reshuffle the Exp Lane and Jungle tiers as win rates respond to the changes.

The lesson for ranked players is to watch the post-patch data rather than trust the pre-patch tier list. A hero that was a safe pick two weeks ago may have fallen out of favor, and an underpick that just got buffed may be the new high-percentage choice. The patch is the reset button on conventional wisdom. Players who want to lock in the buffed heroes quickly for ranked can top up Mobile Legends on Topuplist via the Mobile Legends top-up page and skip the shard wait.

Following the post-patch win-rate trackers for a week is more valuable than memorizing a static tier list, because the buffed underpicks need a few days of sample size before the rankings settle. Treat the first week as a data-gathering period rather than a verdict.

FAQ:

Q: When did Patch 2.1.90 release?
A: Patch 2.1.90 went live on July 8, 2026 on the Original Server as a mid-season revision to Patch 2.1.88.

Q: Which heroes were buffed in 2.1.90?
A: Seven heroes were buffed: Esmeralda, Nolan, Aulus, Minsitthar, Argus, Eudora, and Melissa.

Q: Which heroes were nerfed?
A: Four heroes were nerfed: Baxia, Fredrinn, Akai, and Zhuxin.

Q: Why were Tank Junglers nerfed?
A: The designer note says the new season's jungle changes benefited some Tank Junglers too much, so the patch reduces their jungling speed while boosting underpicked Exp Lane and Jungle heroes.

Q: Did Akai get worse overall?
A: Not entirely — Akai's jungling speed was reduced, but his burst damage was increased as compensation, so he trades clear speed for a sharper hit.

Q: What changed in the jungle economy?
A: Early-to-mid game jungle Gold was slightly increased, with the Thunder Fenrir and Molten Fiend up 20 percent and the Horned Lizard, Fire Beetle, and Lava Golem up 15 percent.

Q: What was the previous patch before 2.1.90?
A: The previous update was Patch 2.1.88, which launched June 17, 2026 for Season 41 and strengthened the Roaming role.

Q: How many heroes are in MLBB now?
A: The roster reached 133 heroes with the 2026 additions of Marcel (#132) and Hirara (#133).

Q: Did Zhuxin get nerfed too?
A: Yes, Zhuxin's Skill 2 cast range was slightly reduced, making her the one nerfed hero who is not a Tank Jungler.

Q: Will the tier list change after this patch?
A: Yes, the seven buffs and four nerfs typically reshuffle the Exp Lane and Jungle tiers within a week as win rates respond to the changes.