The arrival of a new hero has always brought high expectations in the competitive scene, and Marcel MLBB has been no exception. Since it was first introduced, Marcel MLBB has immediately drawn attention due to its unique mechanics, which have differed from most support or roamer heroes.

At the ranked level, Marcel MLBB had been considered a hero with strong potential to create deadly combos. Many players have experimented with various projectile-based synergies to maximize its skill set.

However, a different situation has emerged when Marcel MLBB has been used in official tournaments. The transition from ranked play to the competitive environment has not been as smooth as many players had expected.

This has started to become evident in the first week of MPL Philippines Season 17, where Marcel MLBB has frequently appeared in drafts. Its presence has indicated that professional teams have still recognized the hero’s potential.

Unfortunately, Marcel MLBB has not yet delivered performances that meet those expectations. From several matches that have been played, the results have been underwhelming.

At the time of writing, only AP Bren has managed to secure a win using Marcel MLBB. Meanwhile, three other games featuring Marcel MLBB have ended in defeat.

3 Factors Behind Marcel MLBB’s Struggles in the Competitive Scene

If analyzed further, the issue with Marcel MLBB has not simply been about individual mechanics. There have been several key factors that have prevented the hero from performing optimally at the highest level.

Here are three main reasons why Marcel MLBB has struggled to secure victories in MPL.

1. Underwhelming Crowd Control

The first major issue with Marcel MLBB has been its crowd control (CC). On paper, Marcel MLBB’s kit has looked promising, especially with its ability to freeze enemies.

However, in practice, the freeze effect from Marcel MLBB’s passive has been too short. This has often made initiation moments insufficient to fully lock down opponents.

At the competitive level such as MPL, CC duration has been a critical factor. Even the slightest gap has allowed opponents to counterplay through positioning or battle spells.

Marcel MLBB’s ultimate has faced a similar challenge. While it has had high potential, it has required extremely precise timing to deliver meaningful impact.

Unlike other pick-off roamers that have provided reliable lockdown, Marcel MLBB has been more situational. This has made its effectiveness less consistent compared to heroes with instant and guaranteed CC.

2. Marcel MLBB Users Must Have Perfect Macro

The second factor behind Marcel MLBB’s struggles has been the high macro requirement placed on its users. This hero has not been designed for reactive play without structured planning.

A Marcel MLBB user has needed to fully understand the overall game flow. This has included rotations, objective timing, and reading enemy movements.

This is because Marcel MLBB has functioned more as an enabler rather than a primary playmaker. It has not dealt burst damage, but instead has relied heavily on team follow-up through its utility.

In many MPL scenarios, Marcel MLBB has been used to save teammates from pick-off situations or to control key objective fights such as Lord and Turtle.

Unfortunately, these executions have not always been clean. Even minor miscommunication or delayed responses from teammates have significantly reduced Marcel MLBB’s impact.

3. Projectile Combos Have Not Been Fully Explored

The final factor has been the suboptimal approach to utilizing Marcel MLBB. Many teams have appeared to focus too heavily on its defensive and objective-based role.

Since its release, Marcel MLBB has actually shown strong potential for projectile-based combos. Its skill interactions have been capable of enabling more aggressive playmaking setups.

However, in the competitive scene, this potential has not been fully explored. Most uses of Marcel MLBB have remained conservative, with minimal experimentation.

Given the mechanical skill of professional players, combinations involving Marcel MLBB should have been able to create more dangerous setups.

If teams begin to explore these projectile combos more seriously, Marcel MLBB could eventually find its place in the meta. For now, this lack of exploration has remained one of the key reasons why Marcel MLBB has struggled to win in MPL.

Marcel MLBB Remains a Priority Roamer

Despite its underwhelming early results in MPL Philippines Season 17, Marcel MLBB has not lost its value in the eyes of competitive teams. On the contrary, Marcel MLBB has still been considered a high-priority roamer in drafts, mainly due to its mobility.

In the current competitive meta, the role of a roamer has evolved beyond simply initiating team fights. Roamers have been required to open the map, provide vision, and rotate quickly across lanes. This is where Marcel MLBB has remained relevant.

Marcel MLBB’s mobility has allowed players to move flexibly across the map. It has enabled quick transitions between lanes, supporting core farming while also applying pressure around objectives.

Compared to more static roamers, Marcel MLBB has offered significantly greater value in terms of map control. It has been able to enter enemy territory to gather information and exit safely without being punished.

This pattern has been crucial in high-level play, where information has been a key resource. Teams that have controlled vision better have often dictated the pace of the game.

Additionally, Marcel MLBB has had the ability to enter and exit team fights safely. This has made it less punishable even when taking aggressive positions.

In many cases, roamers with high mobility like Marcel MLBB have been preferred over heroes with one-dimensional initiation and no escape tools.

Another factor that has kept Marcel MLBB relevant has been its flexibility. It has been capable of playing both defensive roles—protecting the core—and controlling space during major objective fights like Lord.

Although execution on stage has not yet been optimal, the hero’s potential has remained undeniable. Professional teams have understood that the issue has not been in the hero’s design, but rather in adaptation and optimization.

In other words, Marcel MLBB has still been in an exploration phase within the competitive scene. Over time, it is entirely possible that Marcel MLBB will become a consistent meta roamer, especially if teams can fully maximize its mobility and utility.