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MLBB Patch 2.1.90 meta analysis starts with the only number that matters: 7 buffs, 4 nerfs, and 3 of those nerfs hit tank junglers. Patch 2.1.88 made utility jungle too efficient. Patch 2.1.90 is Moonton admitting the calculator was left unattended.
Patch 2.1.90 went live on July 8, 2026 as a mid-season correction, not a full reset. The target is clear: reduce the clear speed and jungle damage of Baxia, Fredrinn, and Akai, while pushing damage junglers and bruisers back into draft relevance.
#MLBB Patch 2.1.90 meta analysis, change count
11 hero adjustments define this patch: 7 buffs, 4 nerfs. The ratio looks generous until the nerf list shows three jungle anchors and one high-control mage.
| Patch 2.1.90 group | Heroes affected | Meta function | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffs | 7 | Bruiser, fighter, engage, scaling damage | Raises tempo alternatives |
| Nerfs | 4 | Tank jungle, control mage | Cuts draft safety |
| Direct jungle nerfs | 3 | Baxia, Fredrinn, Akai | Ends automatic priority |
| Direct mid control nerf | 1 | Zhuxin | Reduces lane oppression |
The patch is narrow by design. Moonton did not dismantle Season 41’s jungle system, it trimmed the heroes abusing it best.
That distinction matters. Camp economy, early route value, and tank durability still exist. The difference is that Baxia and Fredrinn no longer get to clear like assassins while refusing to die like actual tanks. A tragic inconvenience for players who enjoyed being rewarded for existing near jungle monsters.
#MLBB Patch 2.1.90 meta analysis, tank jungle nerfs
3 tank junglers were nerfed in one patch: Baxia, Fredrinn, and Akai. That is not a coincidence, that is a role-level correction wearing three hero names.
| Hero | Patch 2.1.88 role | Patch 2.1.90 change direction | Immediate draft impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxia | Fast utility jungle, anti-regen frontliner | Lower jungle damage and clear speed | Drops from first-ban priority |
| Fredrinn | Safe first-pick jungle, objective tank | Lower sustain and jungle efficiency | Still playable, no longer free tempo |
| Akai | Disruptive tank jungle, wall control | Lower jungle speed, burst compensation | Moves closer to situational pick |
Baxia takes the cleanest hit. His value was not just durability, it was the timing abuse created by fast first clears into early Turtle setups.
Fredrinn loses the least identity but the most draft comfort. He still offers chain control and objective presence, but slower jungle recovery punishes failed invades harder than before.
Akai gets the strangest treatment. Reduced jungle speed with burst compensation suggests Moonton wants him to fight more and farm less. That is a polite way to say his previous version did both too well.
For comparison, Patch 2.1.88 improved utility jungle conditions enough that tank junglers became the safest default in Mythic drafts. Patch 2.1.90 does not remove them. It removes the excuse for locking them without reading both side lanes.
#Baxia, Fredrinn, and Akai lose the same timing window
The first Turtle window is the real casualty. Tank junglers won Patch 2.1.88 because they reached early objective fights with enough HP, control, and clear speed to make assassin junglers look unemployed.
| Timing window | Patch 2.1.88 tank jungle | Patch 2.1.90 tank jungle | Meta result |
|---|---|---|---|
| First buff cycle | Stable and fast | Slower on nerfed tanks | Invade risk increases |
| Level 4 arrival | Consistent | Less guaranteed | Roam timing matters more |
| First Turtle setup | Tank jungle favored | Contested by damage jungle | Drafts open again |
| Failed gank recovery | Low punishment | Higher punishment | Tempo errors show |
This is where the nerfs have teeth. A 3 percent to 6 percent clear-speed loss looks harmless in isolation, then becomes a lost river position, then becomes a Turtle coin flip.
Tank junglers remain useful when drafts need frontloaded control. They stop being optimal when the team already has a tank roamer and a low-damage EXP lane. Double front line with no kill pressure is now just a slower way to lose Lord.
The MLBB stats page should show the lag over the next week as rank players abandon old comfort picks. Pick rate usually reacts faster than win rate. Players panic quickly. Data, mercifully, is slower.
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#Patch 2.1.90 winners: Aulus, Esmeralda, Nolan, and Atlas
7 buffs mean the patch has beneficiaries, and Aulus is the loudest one. His timing improves exactly as Baxia, Fredrinn, and Akai lose theirs.
| Winner | Buff direction | Role impact | Tier movement projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aulus | Higher scaling threat | Jungle bruiser pressure rises | A tier to S tier |
| Esmeralda | Better shield conversion value | EXP and flex durability improves | B tier to A tier |
| Nolan | Faster reset pressure | Assassin jungle returns to draft | A tier to S tier |
| Atlas | Skill reliability fix | Engage roamer consistency improves | B tier to A tier |
| Argus | Improved sustain curve | Split-pressure EXP improves | B tier to A tier |
| Minsitthar | More reach on engage | Counter-engage drafts improve | B tier to A tier |
| Melissa | Small late-game mobility gain | Gold lane safety improves | A tier remains A tier |
Aulus benefits because the patch slows the heroes that previously neutralized him before his scaling mattered. He does not need tank junglers deleted. He only needs them to arrive late.
Nolan benefits for the opposite reason. When tank junglers lose clear stability, assassin junglers regain invade and punish windows. The patch gives him better prey, which is usually more valuable than another line of damage text.
Atlas is the quiet winner. A reliability fix does not look glamorous on a patch graphic, but engage heroes live and die by whether their buttons work on schedule. Apparently that required a July patch. Progress is progress.
#Zhuxin nerf reduces mid lane control
1 nerf hits the mid lane control pool: Zhuxin loses Skill 2 cast range. Range nerfs are rarely cosmetic because they change both wave control and river threat.
| Zhuxin metric | Before Patch 2.1.90 | After Patch 2.1.90 | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill 2 reach | Longer poke and catch zone | Shorter cast range | Less free lane pressure |
| River control | Safer from distance | Requires closer positioning | More punishable rotations |
| Draft value | High priority control mage | Lower but still relevant | No longer blind-pick clean |
Zhuxin’s problem was not raw burst. Her problem was that she controlled space while standing far enough away that counterplay became theoretical.
The range cut forces commitment. That means assassins and hard-engage roamers get better access to her, especially when mid priority collapses after the first Lithowanderer fight.
She remains viable because control mages with displacement do not vanish from Mythic drafts after one range cut. She does, however, stop being the comfortable answer to every mid matchup. Shame. Comfort was the disease.
#Tank jungle meta after Patch 2.1.90
Tank jungle drops from default strategy to draft-specific tool. That is the correct state for the role.
| Jungle archetype | Patch 2.1.88 value | Patch 2.1.90 value | Rank draft status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tank jungle | S | A | Pick with damage lanes only |
| Bruiser jungle | A | S | Best solo queue profile |
| Assassin jungle | B+ | A | Strong into slower clears |
| Marksman jungle | B | B+ | Still draft-sensitive |
| Utility jungle with low damage lanes | A | C | Punished immediately |
Bruiser jungle is now the best solo queue profile. It offers enough durability to survive bad roam timing and enough damage to punish lanes without waiting for three items.
Tank jungle still works with high-damage side lanes. It fails when paired with passive gold lane, utility mid, and defensive EXP. That draft had no damage before. Patch 2.1.90 simply stopped pretending otherwise.
The MLBB jungle role page is the page to watch as the patch settles. If Baxia and Fredrinn remain high pick but lose win rate, the player base is clinging to old muscle memory. That usually lasts five days, then ranked pain handles education.
#Patch 2.1.90 tier prediction
5 heroes move up, 3 tank junglers move down, and Zhuxin loses first-pick security. This is not a chaotic patch. It is a targeted rollback.
| Hero | Pre-patch tier | Post-patch projection | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aulus | A | S | Buffed while tank counters slow down |
| Nolan | A | S | Punishes weaker early clears |
| Esmeralda | B | A | Better into extended fights |
| Atlas | B | A | Reliability fix raises engage value |
| Argus | B | A | Sustain curve improves side-lane pressure |
| Baxia | S | A | Clear-speed tax hits objective tempo |
| Fredrinn | S | A | Less recovery after failed tempo plays |
| Akai | A | B+ | Burst helps, jungle speed loss hurts more |
| Zhuxin | S | A | Shorter range lowers blind-pick safety |
Aulus and Nolan are the clean winners. Baxia and Fredrinn remain playable, but their S-tier period is over.
Akai is the awkward one. Compensation burst keeps him from collapsing, but reduced jungle speed damages his main job. A tank jungler that farms slowly and needs fights to justify the pick is not dead, just inconvenient. Moonton has invented accountability.
#What Patch 2.1.90 means for Season 41 drafts
3 roles gain immediate value: damage jungle, engage roam, and scaling EXP. The patch removes the tank jungle shortcut that let teams cover weak drafts with one durable objective bot.
Season 41 drafts now need clearer damage distribution. If jungle goes tank, gold and mid must provide threat early. If jungle goes bruiser, roam can commit harder to engage. If jungle goes assassin, EXP cannot play like a spectator.
This patch also makes first phase bans less stale. Baxia no longer demands automatic removal, Fredrinn becomes readable, and Zhuxin drops from oppressive to manageable. For current lane rankings, the MLBB meta page gives a cleaner snapshot than memory from Patch 2.1.88.
Patch 2.1.90 is a correction patch, not a revolution. The numbers point to one verdict: tank jungle lost its monopoly, bruiser jungle takes the chair, and Moonton successfully nerfed safety without deleting the role. That is rare restraint. Document it before the next patch forgets.
