Saber Guide

Saber: The Swift Assassin

Okay, here's a comprehensive MLBB guide for Saber, covering his primary and a secondary lane, optimal builds, emblems, talents, counter items, and adjustments:

Primary Role: Assassin

Primary Lane: Jungle

Secondary Role: Roam

Secondary Lane: Midlane

Core Strengths:

• Burst Damage: Saber is renowned for his ability to quickly eliminate high-priority targets with his ultimate.
• Mobility: His second skill (Charge) allows for quick initiation, repositioning, and escaping.
• Lock-on Ultimate: His ultimate guarantees targeting a single enemy hero, making him effective against slippery targets.

Weaknesses:

• Squishy: Saber is very vulnerable to crowd control and burst damage.
• Cooldown Dependent: He relies heavily on his skills, particularly his ultimate, to be effective. Long cooldowns leave him vulnerable.
• Item Reliant: He needs to scale through items to deal significant damage.
• Susceptible to CC: Can be easily countered with crowd control skills.

I. Saber as a Jungler

Role Explanation: As a Jungler, Saber focuses on farming efficiently in the jungle, securing objectives (Turtle and Lord), and ganking lanes to create opportunities for his team. The jungle provides gold and experience to scale faster, enabling Saber to become a significant threat in the mid-to-late game.

Build 1: Classic Burst Assassin

• Emblem: Assassin
  • Tier 1: Agility (Movement Speed)
  • Tier 2: Invasion (Physical Penetration)
  • Tier 3: Killing Spree (Restores HP and increases Movement Speed after a kill)
• Build Order:
  1. Hunter's Knife: (Start for jungle efficiency)
  2. Rapid Boots: (Early movement speed for rotations and ganks)
  3. Bloodlust Axe: (Sustain and cooldown reduction)
  4. Blade of the Heptaseas: (Burst damage and physical penetration)
  5. Berserker's Fury: (Critical Chance and Damage)
  6. Malefic Roar: (Physical penetration against tanks)
  7. Immortality: (Late-game insurance)

• Battle Spell: Retribution (Crucial for securing jungle objectives)

Build 2: Tanky Burst Assassin

• Emblem: Assassin
  • Tier 1: Agility (Movement Speed)
  • Tier 2: Invasion (Physical Penetration)
  • Tier 3: Killing Spree (Restores HP and increases Movement Speed after a kill)
• Build Order:
  1. Hunter's Knife: (Start for jungle efficiency)
  2. Tough Boots: (Reduce magic damage and CC duration)
  3. Bloodlust Axe: (Sustain and cooldown reduction)
  4. Blade of the Heptaseas: (Burst damage and physical penetration)
  5. Brute Force Breastplate: (Provides physical and magical defense, as well as movement speed with each skill use)
  6. Immortality: (Late-game insurance)
  7. Malefic Roar: (Physical penetration against tanks)

• Battle Spell: Retribution

C. Counter Items (Jungle):

• Against High Physical Defense Tanks (e.g., Khufra, Atlas):
  • Replace Blade of Despair or Immortality with War Axe. War Axe provides continuous damage and HP regeneration when dealing damage in combat, helping you shred through tanky heroes.
• Against Heavy Crowd Control (e.g., Nana, Aurora):
  • Consider purchasing Athena's Shield after Blade of the Heptaseas if magic damage is the biggest threat. Alternatively, build Rose Gold Meteor for a magic damage shield when your HP is low. Replace Malefic Roar or Blade of Despair depending on whether you need more damage or survivability.
• Against Heroes with High Healing/Shielding (e.g., Estes, Rafaela, Uranus):
  • Build Sea Halberd early in the game. This reduces the enemy's healing effect. Replace Blade of the Heptaseas or Malefic Roar depending on whether you need burst damage or physical penetration.

II. Saber as a Roam (Mid Lane)

Role Explanation: As a Roamer, Saber acts as a supportive assassin, focusing on roaming between lanes, securing vision, and setting up ambushes for the team. You'll be less focused on farming and more focused on enabling your carries.

Build 1: Utility Roam

• Emblem: Support
  • Tier 1: Movement Speed
  • Tier 2: Recovery (HP Regen)
  • Tier 3: Focusing Mark (Deals 6% of current HP as extra damage when your damage deals damage to an enemy, applies for 3 seconds)
• Build Order:
  1. Courage Mask (Start for roaming benefits)
  2. Tough Boots: (Reduce magic damage and CC duration)
  3. Bloodlust Axe: (Sustain and cooldown reduction)
  4. Blade of the Heptaseas: (Burst damage and physical penetration)
  5. Athena's Shield: (Magic defense)
  6. Immortality: (Late-game insurance)

Build 2: Damage-Focused Roam

• Emblem: Assassin
  • Tier 1: Agility (Movement Speed)
  • Tier 2: Invasion (Physical Penetration)
  • Tier 3: Killing Spree (Restores HP and increases Movement Speed after a kill)
• Build Order:
  1. Courage Mask (Start for roaming benefits)
  2. Rapid Boots: (Early movement speed for rotations and ganks)
  3. Bloodlust Axe: (Sustain and cooldown reduction)
  4. Blade of the Heptaseas: (Burst damage and physical penetration)
  5. Malefic Roar: (Physical penetration against tanks)
  6. Immortality: (Late-game insurance)

Counter Items and Adjustments (Roam):

• Against Heavy Magic Damage:
  • Radiant Armor is a good alternative to Athena's Shield if the enemy has sustained magic damage, rather than burst.
• Against High Physical Damage:
  • Blade Armor can be effective, swapping with Bloodlust Axe. Use if the enemy Marksman is a significant threat.
• Against High Crowd Control:
  • Courage Mask is essential to provide CC immunity for the team in team fights, swap with Wooden Mask

III. Saber as a Mid Lane

Role Explanation: As a Midlaner, Saber focuses on farming and holding down the Mid Lane, while also giving oppurtunities for allies by rotating to other lanes to give surprise attacks.

Build 1: Classic Burst Assassin

• Emblem: Assassin
  • Tier 1: Agility (Movement Speed)
  • Tier 2: Invasion (Physical Penetration)
  • Tier 3: Killing Spree (Restores HP and increases Movement Speed after a kill)
• Build Order:
  1. Magic Shoes: (Early magic damage reduction and mana regen)
  2. Bloodlust Axe: (Sustain and cooldown reduction)
  3. Blade of the Heptaseas: (Burst damage and physical penetration)
  4. Berserker's Fury: (Critical Chance and Damage)
  5. Malefic Roar: (Physical penetration against tanks)
  6. Immortality: (Late-game insurance)

• Battle Spell: Flameshot (Extra damage and knockback)

Build 2: Mana-Efficient

• Emblem: Assassin
  • Tier 1: Agility (Movement Speed)
  • Tier 2: Invasion (Physical Penetration)
  • Tier 3: Killing Spree (Restores HP and increases Movement Speed after a kill)
• Build Order:
  1. Demon Shoes: (Mana Regen)
  2. Bloodlust Axe: (Sustain and cooldown reduction)
  3. Blade of the Heptaseas: (Burst damage and physical penetration)
  4. Berserker's Fury: (Critical Chance and Damage)
  5. Malefic Roar: (Physical penetration against tanks)
  6. Immortality: (Late-game insurance)

• Battle Spell: Flameshot (Extra damage and knockback)

Counter Items and Adjustments (Mid Lane):

• Against Heavy Magic Damage:
  • If you are getting hit constantly by magic damage, Athena's Shield is crucial to reduce magic damage, replace Malefic Roar if there are no tanks.
• Against Crowd Control:
  • If the enemy has heavy CC, Tough Boots are crucial. Swap it with Magic Shoes
• Wind of Nature:
  • Can be used against heroes that have a very strong physical damage, swap Berserker's Fury for Wind of Nature
• Winter Truncheon:
  • Can be used against heroes that have a very strong ultimate that can kill you in one hit, swap Berserker's Fury for Winter Truncheon

Tips for Mid Laning as Saber:

• Early Game: Secure vision in key areas. Prioritize Red Buff for increased damage and slow effect on ganks.
• Mid Game: Look for opportunities to gank lanes with low mobility or overextended enemies. Secure Turtle objectives.
• Late Game: Focus on eliminating the enemy Marksman or Mage in team fights. Be patient and wait for the right opportunity to strike.
• Objective Control: Always be aware of Turtle and Lord spawn timers. Coordinate with your team to secure these objectives.

General Tips for Saber:

• Skill Combo: The core Saber combo is: 2nd Skill (Charge) -> 3rd Skill (Ultimate) -> 1st Skill (Orbiting Swords). Use Basic Attacks between skills to maximize damage.
• Practice: Mastering Saber requires practice. Familiarize yourself with his skill ranges, cooldowns, and damage output.
• Map Awareness: Always be aware of the enemy's position. Avoid being caught out of position.
• Team Composition: Consider your team's needs when building Saber. Do they need more damage or more utility?
• Target Prioritization: Identify high-priority targets like Marksmen and Mages. Focus on eliminating them quickly.

By following this guide, you should be well-equipped to play Saber effectively in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Good luck, and have fun! Remember to adapt your build and playstyle based on the specific match and enemy team composition.