Patch 2.1.88 puts the strongest META EXP lane heroes Season 41 into a strange position: the role is still led by durable side-lane bullies, but the patch directly hit several of them while buffing Ruby and Argus into relevance. Moonton nerfed Gloo, Phoveus, Paquito, Freya, Hilda and Khaleed, then handed Ruby a 600 to 1200 base-damage ultimate. Subtle, in the same way a turret shot is subtle.
#Strongest META EXP lane heroes Season 41 ranking
57.36% overall win rate puts Masha at the top of the current Season 41 pool, according to MLBBHub statistics. The rest of the EXP ranking is built from current role placement on the MLBB tier list, Patch 2.1.88 changes, lane durability, side pressure, teamfight entry value, and nerf resistance.
| Rank | Hero | Patch 2.1.88 status | EXP value score | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masha | Unchanged | 96 | Best split-pressure EXP |
| 2 | Gloo | Nerfed | 92 | Still elite, less disgusting |
| 3 | Sun | Unchanged | 90 | Objective pressure remains premium |
| 4 | Ruby | Buffed | 88 | Damage buff fixed her threat issue |
| 5 | Argus | Buffed | 86 | Better early-mid curve, real Fighter profile |
| 6 | Phoveus | Nerfed | 82 | Weaker lane, still punishes mobility |
| 7 | Khaleed | Adjusted | 80 | Less burst, shorter sustain cooldown |
| 8 | Cici | Buffed | 78 | Cleaner passive uptime, stable lane control |
| 9 | Edith | Buffed | 76 | Better mid-late pick control |
| 10 | Paquito | Nerfed | 74 | Still strong, no longer free lane theft |
Masha, Gloo and Sun are the clear top three. That matches the current MLBBHub role snapshot, which lists Masha, Gloo and Sun as the strongest EXP lane heroes in Season 41.
The gap starts at Ruby. Her numbers improved enough to enter the top five, but she is not ahead of Masha or Gloo because durability and map pressure still decide EXP lane value faster than damage screenshots.
#Why Masha is the strongest META EXP lane hero Season 41
57.36% win rate makes Masha the cleanest statistical pick in the role. She did not need Patch 2.1.88 buffs because her value was already tied to side pressure, HP-bar abuse, and forcing rotations that most solo queue teams answer three seconds late.
| Metric | Season 41 read | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Overall win rate | 57.36% | Highest listed MLBBHub win rate |
| Patch status | 0 direct changes | No nerf tax paid |
| EXP role rank | 1st | Best blend of lane and macro pressure |
| Main weakness | Hard CC chains | Draft-dependent, not lane-dependent |
Masha wins this list because she converts EXP lane pressure into map pressure without asking the team for permission. That matters more in Season 41 because jungle tempo changed, and side pressure punishes junglers who rotate poorly.
Her unchanged status is also important. Gloo, Phoveus, Paquito and Freya all received direct nerfs, while Masha simply walked through the patch notes untouched. Balance by omission. Very efficient.
#Gloo, Sun and Ruby define the Season 41 EXP lane meta
Gloo lost 50 base damage on Skill 1 explosion and 5% attached regen at early ultimate levels. That should have removed him from the top two, but it did not, because his kit still denies space better than most EXP heroes deny minions.
| Hero | Key Season 41 number | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Gloo | Skill 1 explosion 300-450 to 250-400 | Less lane burst, same control identity |
| Gloo | Ultimate attached regen 25%-30% to 20%-30% | Early durability reduced |
| Sun | No direct change | Stable clone pressure, high objective threat |
| Ruby | Ultimate base damage 200-480 to 600-1200 | Teamfight threat increased sharply |
| Ruby | Spell Vamp ratio 125% to 75%, scaling up to 150% at low HP | Weaker full-HP sustain, better low-HP identity |
Gloo remains second because the nerf hit damage and early regen, not the reason players hate drafting into him. He still occupies space, absorbs cooldowns, and turns sloppy formations into group therapy.
Sun sits third because objective pressure aged better than another damage buff. Season 41 did not touch him directly, which is usually how strong side-lane picks survive balance patches.
Ruby is the biggest climber. Her Skill 1 scythe damage changed to 280-480 plus 110% Total Physical Attack, while her ultimate jumped to 600-1200 base damage with a longer cooldown. Moonton removed some constant sustain and gave her actual kill pressure. That is not a tweak, that is a role correction.
#Argus and Phoveus are the cutoff for top-tier EXP
Argus gained 150 base HP, 9 base attack, higher attack growth, shorter ultimate cooldown, and an automatic death-immunity trigger. He also lost 20 movement speed and had his passive damage reduced, because apparently immortality needed paperwork.
| Hero | Buff or nerf | Most important number | Meta result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argus | Buff | Ultimate cooldown 60-50s to 42-35s | More frequent all-in windows |
| Argus | Buff | Base HP 2450 to 2600 | Better lane tolerance |
| Argus | Nerf tradeoff | Movement speed 260 to 240 | Worse map movement |
| Phoveus | Nerf | Base attack 132 to 120 | Weaker trades |
| Phoveus | Nerf | Base HP 2650 to 2550 | Less forgiving early lane |
| Phoveus | Nerf | Base physical defense 25 to 22 | Easier to punish |
Argus is fifth because the patch finally made his early and mid game less decorative. The automatic ultimate trigger matters in high-rank fights, where one missed activation used to turn him into a replay file.
Phoveus drops to sixth. Losing 100 HP, 12 base attack and 3 physical defense directly hits his laning. He still punishes dash-heavy drafts, but blind-picking him now costs more.
#Strongest META EXP lane heroes Season 41 after the top six
Khaleed, Cici, Edith and Paquito complete the top ten. This group has clear value, but each one carries a patch or draft condition that keeps them below the first six.
| Rank band | Heroes | Shared issue | Why they still make top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Khaleed | Lower early Skill 1 burst | Skill 2 cooldown down to 18-13s |
| 8 | Cici | No direct damage buff | Passive stacks decay slower, 0.3s to 0.5s |
| 9 | Edith | Needs clean engage timing | Skill 2 cooldown scales to 8s |
| 10 | Paquito | Reduced early lane cheating | Still has burst, mobility and wave control |
Khaleed took a strange adjustment. Skill 1 lost early damage, but Skill 2 cooldown fell from 22-17s to 18-13s. Less punch, more uptime. Moonton moved him from lane bully toward sustained nuisance.
Cici benefits from passive stack decay slowing from every 0.3s to every 0.5s. That sounds small until extended trades start lasting one rotation longer than the enemy planned.
Edith gets ninth because Skill 2 cooldown now scales from 10s to 8s. She is not a lane tyrant, but her engage threat and late fight conversion keep her relevant on coordinated drafts using the MLBB draft tool.
Paquito holds tenth after a direct nerf to enhanced-skill bonus damage against minions and damage reduction. The old version erased waves and trades too cheaply. The new version still hurts, just with fewer accounting errors.
#Biggest winners and losers in Season 41 EXP lane
Ruby gained the most direct combat value, while Freya lost the most top-ten credibility. Her ultimate cooldown increased from 34-26s to 44-28s, her enhanced range fell from 3.5 to 3.3, and her ultimate duration dropped from 12s to 10s.
| Category | Hero | Patch movement | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biggest winner | Ruby | Up | Ultimate damage tripled at level 1 |
| Second winner | Argus | Up | Shorter ultimate cooldown and auto trigger |
| Stable winner | Masha | Up by default | No nerf while rivals were hit |
| Biggest loser | Freya | Down | Lower range, shorter ultimate, longer cooldown |
| Over-nerfed candidate | Phoveus | Down | Three base-stat hits at once |
| Still annoying | Gloo | Slightly down | Nerfed numbers, intact control pattern |
Freya misses the top ten because Season 41 attacked her uptime and threat range at the same time. EXP lane can forgive one of those. Not both.
Hilda also misses out after losing 80 base HP and 20 base damage on Skill 2. Her shield scales better later, but early EXP relevance is not paid in future installments.
#Final Season 41 EXP lane verdict
Masha is the best EXP laner in Season 41, Gloo is still second despite the nerf, and Ruby is the patch winner. The top ten is not complicated: Masha, Gloo, Sun, Ruby, Argus, Phoveus, Khaleed, Cici, Edith and Paquito.
Patch 2.1.88 did not erase the tanky side-lane meta. It trimmed the worst offenders, pushed Ruby and Argus upward, and made Freya pay rent. For a balance patch, that is almost restrained.
