The tank meta is choking the gold lane. Gloo sits at a 55.7% win rate as an S-tier roamer. Belerick, Atlas, and Khufra are all A-tier and above. When frontlines get this durable, most marksmen stop mattering. Only one gold lane hero has adapted cleanly to the current state of the game.
That hero is Karrie.
#Why Karrie Is the Only S-Tier Marksman
Karrie's win rate is 53.7% in patch 2.1.47, the highest among all marksmen by a meaningful margin. The reason is mechanical, not coincidental: her passive deals true damage based on enemy max HP, which means every tanky frontliner she faces is just a bigger health bar to strip.
Gloo at 55.7% win rate is arguably the most dominant roamer right now. Khufra at 52.8%, Belerick at 51.0%, Atlas at 51.8%. These are all heroes that most marksmen struggle to burn through in extended fights. Karrie doesn't care. The tankier they build, the faster her passive procs.
Her counter matchups confirm the read: Karrie holds a 57.5% win rate against Hylos and 56.8% against Belerick, both heroes people actively build to stack max HP. She's not just viable into tank-heavy comps, she's specifically designed to punish them.
The build is straightforward: Swift Boots, Endless Battle, Golden Staff, Corrosion Scythe. Athena's Shield situationally as the fifth item if you're getting burst down. The attack speed stacking from Corrosion Scythe and Golden Staff maximizes how quickly she procs her Lightwheel passive. Endless Battle provides the true damage amplification and sustain that lets her stay in protracted fights.
Her weakness is burst assassins. Lancelot at 43.2% win rate against her and Natalia at 43.8% are her legitimate counters. Both heroes can end her before she builds attack speed stacks. Draft a protective roamer or keep position tight.
#The Rest of the Gold Lane Pool
Here's where every relevant marksman stands in patch 2.1.47:
| Hero | Tier | Win Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karrie | S | 53.7% | Only S-tier MM. True damage scales against tank meta. |
| Natan | A | 51.8% | Magic damage type gives him unique item paths. Solid teamfight presence. |
| Brody | A | 51.6% | High burst ceiling. Mark detonation punishes immobile tanks. |
| Moskov | B | 50.4% | Wall-pin combo still strong. Falls off in chaotic teamfights. |
| Miya | B | 49.9% | Scales late but unreliable without a coordinated frontline. |
| Julian | B | 50.3% | More EXP/jungle than gold lane in current draft patterns. |
| Wanwan | C | 48.6% | Dash mechanics punished by Khufra at 43.5% WR. Pickup rate dropped. |
Wanwan's fall from relevance is worth noting. She was a flex pick staple three patches ago, and Khufra's presence alone accounts for most of her current struggles. Khufra's Bouncing Ball directly counters her dash-based weak-point hits. If Khufra gets picked or banned in every game, and at A-tier (52.8% WR) he frequently does, Wanwan loses a significant portion of her reliable engage patterns.
Natan at A-tier deserves more attention than he gets. His magic damage typing means physical defense stacking from the enemy team does nothing. He's one of the few gold laners who builds completely differently from the standard attack speed crit path, going Windtalker into Berserker's Fury and Scarlet Phantom. In games where the enemy team layers physical defenses to counter Karrie, Natan becomes the correct swap.
Brody at A-tier (51.6%) is the burst option when you need kill pressure in the lane phase rather than teamfight scaling. His mark detonation punishes tanks who stand in place during extended trades, and his Corrosion Scythe interaction with stacked marks gives him solid mid-game spike damage.
#What Gets Banned and Why It Matters
Karrie's ban rate reflects her dominance. In games where she's banned, the gold lane pool becomes meaningfully flatter. Natan becomes the primary pick, with Brody as the burst alternative.
The issue with banning Karrie is that it opens mid lane and jungle priorities. Teams that ban Karrie often leave Gloo or Khufra available for the opponent's roam. Draft around the full picture, not just the gold lane threat.
If your opponent bans Karrie, go Natan. If they don't ban Karrie, pick Karrie.
#Current Verdict
The gold lane meta in patch 2.1.47 is narrow. Karrie handles the dominant tank roamers, Natan handles physical defense stacking, and Brody provides the burst option when lane kill pressure is the priority. Everything below B-tier is too situational to justify over these three.
Wanwan needs a buff or Khufra needs a nerf before she becomes reliable again. At 48.6% win rate against a field that includes Khufra as a frequent pick, she's a liability in Mythic+.
Check the full current hero ratings at the mlbbhub.com tier list, and individual matchup data at each hero's page.