MLBB: Conquer The Battlefield – How To Counter Tank Heroes

by Jhon Lennon 59 views

Hey MLBB players, ever feel like you're smashing your head against a wall when facing those incredibly resilient tank heroes? You're not alone! These juggernauts can soak up damage like a sponge and often dictate the pace of the game. But don't worry, guys, because countering tank heroes is totally doable. It's all about understanding their weaknesses, building the right items, and employing smart strategies. In this article, we'll dive deep into the art of tank-busting in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, arming you with the knowledge to dismantle even the most formidable frontline. So, get ready to become a tank-slaying pro! Let's get started, shall we?

Decoding the Tank: Understanding Their Strengths and Weaknesses

Before we jump into the counterplay, it's crucial to understand what makes tank heroes tick. These heroes are designed to be the shield of their team, absorbing damage and initiating fights. They typically possess high base health, strong defensive stats (armor and magic resistance), and crowd-control abilities that can disrupt the enemy team. Popular tank heroes like Atlas, Grock, Tigreal, and Franco can be a nightmare to deal with if you don't know how to approach them. The key to countering tanks lies in exploiting their inherent weaknesses. While they excel at absorbing damage, they often lack significant damage output in the early game. Many tanks are also vulnerable to percentage-based damage, which bypasses their defenses to a certain extent. Another vulnerability is their reliance on crowd control; if you can anticipate and dodge their abilities, you can neutralize their effectiveness in team fights. Understanding these weaknesses is the first step in formulating a winning strategy. Consider also that some tanks are more effective at certain stages of the game. For example, a hero like Khufra might be incredibly strong in the early and mid-game due to his crowd control and mobility, while a hero like Baxia might scale better into the late game due to his sustained damage and team-fight presence. Also, a hero like Uranus has high regenerative abilities, and you'll need to focus on strategies that can neutralize that. Keep this in mind when picking your heroes, or you'll have a bad time. Finally, every tank has a specific role; understanding their role is the key to countering them. For example, Franco is a hook-type tank, so he will try to focus on taking out the enemy's core hero with his hook, whereas a hero like Tigreal is more focused on crowd control. Therefore, consider the roles of the tank heroes when picking the right heroes to counter them.

Identifying Tank Archetypes in MLBB

To effectively counter tank heroes, it's beneficial to categorize them based on their primary roles and playstyles. Here's a breakdown of common tank archetypes in MLBB:

  • Initiators: These tanks excel at starting team fights by diving into the enemy team and initiating engagements. They often have strong crowd-control abilities to disrupt the enemy and create opportunities for their team. Examples include Tigreal, Grock, and Atlas. They're also useful to set up kills for your team's carry. So if you're a marksman, try to stay close to your tank so he can easily set up for you. Be ready to follow up on your tank's engage.
  • Damage Dealers: Some tanks focus on dealing damage while still providing some level of protection. They typically have abilities that can deal significant damage to enemies, in addition to some defensive capabilities. Examples include Belerick and Hilda. If you see a damage dealer, you need to bring some anti-heal items to counter them.
  • Hybrid Tanks: These heroes blend initiation, crowd control, and damage, making them versatile and dangerous opponents. They can adapt to different situations and provide a balanced contribution to their team. Examples include Akai and Franco.
  • Support Tanks: These tanks prioritize protecting their teammates and providing utility. They often have abilities that can heal, shield, or buff their allies. Examples include Lolita and Angela.

By understanding these archetypes, you can better anticipate the tank's actions, predict their impact on team fights, and choose the most effective counter-strategies.

Itemization: Crafting the Perfect Tank-Busting Arsenal

Itemization plays a critical role in countering tanks. Building the right items can significantly increase your damage output and ability to shred through their defenses. The following items are essential for any player looking to dismantle tank heroes in MLBB.

Essential Items to Combat Tank Heroes

  • Demon Hunter Sword: This is the bread and butter for any physical damage dealer facing tanky heroes. This item deals bonus damage based on the target's current health, making it extremely effective against high-HP heroes. It also provides attack speed and lifesteal, allowing you to sustain through team fights. This is a must-have for marksmen and assassins who want to melt tanks.
  • Malefic Roar: This item provides significant physical penetration, ignoring a percentage of the enemy's armor. It's crucial for dealing consistent damage to tanks, as it allows you to bypass their defenses and hit them hard. Buy this if you're a physical damage dealer, especially when the game enters the late stages.
  • Sea Halberd / Necklace of Durance: These items provide anti-heal, which is vital against tanks with self-healing abilities (like Uranus or Esmeralda) or those supported by healers. Sea Halberd is for physical damage dealers, while the Necklace of Durance is for magic damage dealers. These items reduce the effectiveness of healing and shields by a significant percentage, making it harder for tanks to survive team fights.
  • Divine Glaive: If you're a magic damage dealer, this item is your key to victory. Divine Glaive provides magic penetration, similar to Malefic Roar for physical damage dealers. It also offers additional magic damage, which makes it a powerful item to melt through magic resistance. This item is crucial in melting tanks if you're a mage or a magic damage hero.
  • Blade of Despair: This item grants a massive attack boost. It increases physical attack and deals more damage to enemies with low HP. Also, this item can amplify other damage-boosting items for burst damage. A great item for assassins and fighters to eliminate tanky heroes and other heroes in the enemy team quickly.

Advanced Item Considerations

Beyond the core items, you can adapt your item build based on the specific tank hero you're facing and the overall game situation. Consider these advanced itemization strategies:

  • Dominance Ice: This item provides armor, mana, and cooldown reduction, and also reduces the enemy's attack speed. It is particularly effective against attack speed-reliant heroes, preventing them from dealing consistent damage.
  • Athena's Shield: If the enemy team has a lot of magic damage, this item is a great pick. It provides magic resistance and a shield that absorbs a certain amount of magic damage. This allows you to survive in team fights when you are facing a mage in the enemy team.
  • Immortality: This item provides a second chance in team fights. After you are killed, it will revive you with some HP. It allows you to contribute to your team in team fights and allows you to make a comeback.

Hero Selection: Choosing the Right Tools for the Job

Your hero selection is the foundation of your tank-busting strategy. Some heroes are naturally better suited to counter tanks than others. Here are some hero recommendations for dealing with tanky opponents:

Hero Choices for Tank Annihilation

  • Marksmen: Heroes with high attack speed and percentage-based damage are excellent tank busters. Consider heroes like Karrie, Bruno, and Wanwan. These heroes can shred through even the thickest armor and magic resistance with their enhanced attacks.
  • Mages: Mages who can deal consistent magic damage, apply crowd control, or have high burst damage are effective against tanks. Heroes like Kimmy (with the right build), Lylia, and Vale can be great choices.
  • Fighters: Fighters with high physical penetration, sustain, and crowd control can effectively deal with tanks. Heroes like Argus, Jawhead, and X.Borg are great at diving into fights and taking down tanky heroes.
  • Assassins: Assassins can be effective at eliminating tanks by diving in and focusing on dealing burst damage. Heroes like Lancelot, Hayabusa, and Benedetta can outmaneuver tanks and burst them down. However, assassins can be countered by crowd control.

Drafting Considerations

When picking your hero, keep the following in mind:

  • Team Composition: Consider your team's overall composition. Do you have enough damage? Do you have enough crowd control? Make sure your team can both deal damage and control the fight.
  • Enemy Lineup: Analyze the enemy's lineup and choose heroes that can specifically counter their tanks. Prioritize heroes that excel at destroying the tank heroes in the enemy team.
  • Ban Phase: In the draft phase, ban heroes that are strong against your team's composition or that you struggle to deal with. Also, consider banning meta tank heroes to make it easier for you to win the match.

Gameplay Strategies: Mastering the Art of Tank-Busting

Once you have the right hero and items, it's time to put your tank-busting skills to the test. Here are some key gameplay strategies to dominate tanky opponents.

In-Game Tactics

  • Focus Fire: In team fights, prioritize focusing fire on the tank heroes. Taking them out early will reduce their ability to soak damage and protect their teammates.
  • Spacing and Positioning: Maintain proper spacing to avoid being caught by the tank's crowd control abilities. Stay in a safe position to deal damage without taking damage.
  • Engage and Disengage: Coordinate with your team to engage and disengage at the right times. Avoid engaging in a fight when the tank has an advantage.
  • Objective Control: Use the opportunity to take objectives (towers, buffs, and the Lord) while the tank is down. This will give you an advantage over your opponents.
  • Split Pushing: If the enemy team is too tanky, consider split-pushing, which can be useful when your team has a hard time dealing with tanky opponents. This will put pressure on the enemy team by occupying them and making them defend their base.

Teamwork and Communication

  • Coordinate: Communicate with your team about targets, item builds, and strategies. Teamwork is crucial when facing tanky opponents.
  • Peeling: Protect your damage dealers by peeling for them. Prevent them from being caught by enemy crowd control.
  • Vision Control: Use wards to get vision of the map and anticipate the enemy's movements. This is a very useful strategy when your team is facing the tank.

Advanced Tank-Busting Techniques

To become a true tank-busting master, you need to go beyond the basics. Here are some advanced techniques to consider.

High-Level Strategies

  • Kiting: When facing a tank, maintain distance and kite them. This means you will keep a distance and attack them from a safe distance. This is a good strategy for marksmen and mages.
  • Baiting: Bait the tank's abilities and crowd control by making them use their skills. This allows your team to counter them easily.
  • Team Fight Positioning: Position yourself to attack the enemy tank while staying safe. Make sure you don't get caught by their crowd control.

Adapting to the Meta

The MLBB meta is constantly changing. Stay up-to-date with the latest hero buffs, item changes, and strategic trends. Watch professional gameplay and analyze the strategies used by top players. Practice and refine your skills, and you will eventually become a tank-busting master. Keep learning, keep practicing, and most importantly, have fun! GG and GLHF! Now go out there and dominate those tanks, guys!