IF / MLBB#010

SEASON 42 PROFILE

Frozen Warrior

Franco

Iron Hook turns every unwarded corridor into a threat, and Bloody Hunt suppresses any target Franco reaches. He does not need to land ten hooks; one on the enemy's main damage dealer can decide the game.

DATA REVIEWED 13.10.2026 · PATCH 2.2.16

HOW TO PLAY

Franco guide for Season 42

DAMAGE: Physical
ATTACK: Melee
SPECIALTY: Initiator / Control
MAIN POSITIONS: Roaming
IN THE GAME SINCE: 2016

01EARLY GAME
Establish vision carefully and threaten from bushes instead of throwing Iron Hook down the middle of the lane, where everyone sees its path.
02MID GAME
When the hook catches a fragile target, close the gap for Bloody Hunt before a mobility skill can be used. Fury Shock helps stop a walking escape.
03LATE GAME
Around Lord, save Iron Hook to pull the enemy jungler out of the pit or catch whoever checks the objective. Hooking the tank rarely justifies losing that pressure.

IF / LOADOUT LAB

Three builds. One draft.

Choose the lane or job first. Hover or use the keyboard on any item, talent or emblem to see exactly what it does. Spells and blessings are explained alongside their icons.Choose the lane or job first. Tap any item, talent or emblem to open its explanation. Spells and blessings are explained alongside their icons.

Roam Conceal Pickoff

Default ranked Franco setup for fast bush-to-bush rotations, Conceal pickoffs, and repeated Flicker suppression attempts.

10,960 GOLD

WHAT IT DOES
+55 Movement Speed. +35% Slow Reduction
Movement Speed
+55
Slow Reduction
+35%
WHAT IT DOES
+40 Physical Defense. +5% Movement Speed. +40 Magic Defense. Fortress Shield: For each enemy hero within 5 units, Hybrid Defense is increased by 8, up to 40. Lifebane: Reduces Shield and HP Regen effects of nearby enemies within 5 units to 60% of normal for 1 second.
Physical Defense
+40
Movement Speed
+5%
Magic Defense
+40
WHAT IT DOES
+600 HP. +30 Adaptive Attack. +15% Cooldown Reduction. Timestream: Hero kills or assists reduce the Ultimate's current cooldown by 30%.
HP
+600
Adaptive Attack
+30
Cooldown Reduction
+15%
WHAT IT DOES
+850 HP. +20 Physical Defense. +20 Magic Defense. +10% Cooldown Reduction. Bless: Received Shield and HP Regen effects are increased by 25%.
HP
+850
Physical Defense
+20
Magic Defense
+20
Cooldown Reduction
+10%
WHAT IT DOES
+920 HP. +4 HP Regen. +40 Physical Defense. Deter: When hit by a skill, reduces the attacker's Physical Damage by 6% for 2s (this effect stacks up to 3 times).
HP
+920
HP Regen
+4
Physical Defense
+40
WHAT IT DOES
+800 HP. +15 Physical Defense. Immortal: Revives 2.5s after death and gaining 16% Max HP and 220-1200 shield (scales with level) that lasts for 3s. (210 cooldown).
HP
+800
Physical Defense
+15

EMBLEM + 2 STANDARD TALENTS + 1 CORE TALENT

BASE EMBLEM

Recommended emblem setup for this build.

Healing Effect: +12%
Cooldown Reduction: +10%
Movement Speed: +6%

STANDARD TALENT

Gain 4% extra Movement Speed.

STANDARD TALENT

Cooldowns of Battle Spells and equipment's active skills are reduced by 12% initially. Each hero kill or assist grants an additional 1% reduction, up to 8 stacks.

CORE TALENT

After damaging an enemy hero, allied heroes deal 6% more damage to them and gain 10% Movement Speed. Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 4 seconds.

BATTLE SPELL + BLESSING

120s

Flicker

Blinks the hero a short distance in the chosen direction. It can be used to engage, reposition, escape, or cross some walls.

Conceal

Conceals the group and grants 40% Movement Speed for five seconds. It ends when dealing or taking damage. Cooldown: 60 seconds.

ADAPT ITEMS AND BLESSINGS TO THE MATCH

WHAT IT DOES

+900 HP. +2 HP Regen. +48 Magic Defense. Shield: Upon taking Magic Damage, gains 25% Magic Damage Reduction for 3s (applies before taking damage). Regains this effect 5s after leaving combat.

HP: +900
HP Regen: +2
Magic Defense: +48

WHAT IT DOES

+850 HP. +20 Physical Defense. +20 Magic Defense. +10% Cooldown Reduction. Bless: Received Shield and HP Regen effects are increased by 25%.

HP: +850
Physical Defense: +20
Magic Defense: +20
Cooldown Reduction: +10%

Athena's Shield FOR OracleUse against one-rotation magic burst that can delete Franco before Bloody Hunt finishes.

WHAT IT DOES

+1800 HP. +20 HP Regen. Recovery: After 5s out of combat, recover 2.5% Total HP per second. Defender: Upon taking more than 500 damage in a single instance, recover 30 (+0.3% Total HP)% HP from the excess damage beyond that amount.

HP: +1800
HP Regen: +20

WHAT IT DOES

+850 HP. +20 Physical Defense. +20 Magic Defense. +10% Cooldown Reduction. Bless: Received Shield and HP Regen effects are increased by 25%.

HP: +850
Physical Defense: +20
Magic Defense: +20
Cooldown Reduction: +10%

Guardian Helmet FOR OracleUse when your team is winning vision but Franco keeps entering river fights too low to threaten a hook.

WHAT IT DOES

+70 Physical Defense. 20% Critical Damage Reduction. Bladed Armor: When struck by a Basic Attack, deals Physical Damage equal to 30% of the incoming damage (calculated before Damage Reduction) plus 20% of the hero's Physical Defense to the attacker and slows them by 15% for 1s.

Physical Defense: +70

WHAT IT DOES

+920 HP. +4 HP Regen. +40 Physical Defense. Deter: When hit by a skill, reduces the attacker's Physical Damage by 6% for 2s (this effect stacks up to 3 times).

HP: +920
HP Regen: +4
Physical Defense: +40

Blade Armor FOR Antique CuirassUse when the main threat is a basic-attack marksman who has to hit Franco after the hook lands.

IF / KIT

Abilities at a glance

Hover or use the keyboard on any ability to read exactly what it does in game.Tap any ability to open its in-game explanation. Tap elsewhere to close it.

IF / LIVE META

Franco in ranked and pro play

AUTOMATIC SNAPSHOT13 Oct 2026

CURRENT TIERD

WIN RATE: 41.32%
PICK RATE: 1%
BAN RATE: 3.11%
WIN-RATE CHANGE: -0.21 pp

OUR READING

Franco is struggling to convert games in this rank. That does not erase good matchups, but blind-picking the hero is difficult to justify right now.

Seven-day ranked data, updated 13 Oct 2026 · MLBBHub · cross-checked with MLBB.io

Historical tournament snapshot, checked 13 Oct 2026

PRO / MLBB Mid Season Cup 2026NO PICKS OR BANS

Franco was not picked or banned in this historical snapshot. That tells us about this tournament's draft, not whether the hero works in ranked.

Tournament statistics · Liquipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

PATCH ARCHIVE

Every buff, nerf and adjustment

IF / PATCH TRACKER

Franco's full patch history

Every documented buff, nerf and adjustment, ordered from the latest patch backwards.

7documented patches

7 patches shown

v1.6.42ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTPassive: : After not taking damage for 5s, Franco gains one stack of Wasteland Force per second. Each stack increases the damage of his next skill by 5% (up to 50%). Taking damage will stop the stack accumulation.
- NERFSkill 1: Base Damage: 550-800 → 400-650
- NERFSkill 2: This skill can no longer critically strike.
- NERFUltimate: Base Damage: 60-100 → 50-70
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.6.18ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTadded role Added Secondary Role: Tank → Tank/Support
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.4.94ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTPartially Adjusted label specialty - Initiator/Crowd Control to Initiator/Control.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.4.60ADJUSTMENT
- NERFReduced the width of this skill by 10%.
- BUFFMana Cost reduced by 15 at all levels.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki

Open the earlier archive · 3 patches

v1.4.50ADJUSTMENT
- BUFFDamage will plus 4% of Max HP instead of 3%.
- NERFCD increased from 38/32/26s to 45/40/35s.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.4.44ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTFixed an issue that this skill could be blocked by teammates.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.3.74ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTFixed an issue where Franco will not recover HP by chance.
- ADJUSTMENTFixed a bug where the HP Regen effect of Passive remains when Franco dies.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki

THE DRAFT

Franco in the draft: strengths, counters and teammates

GOOD INTO

Bloody Hunt prevents Angela from casting Heartguard and Fanny from escaping with Steel Cable for the duration of the suppression.

FannyAssassin

AngelaSupport

FlorynSupport

WATCH OUT FOR

Chip and Tigreal can exploit the fact that Franco stands still during his ultimate to engage on the rest of the team.

HylosTank

TigrealTank

HanzoAssassin

WORKS WELL WITH

Natalia punishes the enemy isolated by Iron Hook, while Minsitthar adds a control zone around the landing point.

NataliaAssassin

SaberAssassin

BaneFighter / Mage

See all 5 counters, favorable matchups and best teammates for Franco

COLLECTION

Franco skins: catalogue and acquisition

Confirmed availability5

AVAILABLE

Masterchef

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 749 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 749 Diamonds.

AVAILABLE

Wheatfield Nightmare

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 749 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 749 Diamonds.

AVAILABLE

Blazing Axe

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 899 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 899 Diamonds.

AVAILABLE

King of Hell

ORIGIN / EVENTMagic Shop: 200 Magic Cores

Permanently available through the Magic Shop: 200 Magic Cores.

AVAILABLE

Quantum Vanguard

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 749 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 749 Diamonds.

Limited and upcoming5

EVENT / UPCOMING

Apocalypse

ORIGIN / EVENTAugust 2017 StarLight Pass

It was obtainable through the August 2017 StarLight Pass. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Locomotive

ORIGIN / EVENTRanked Season 9 reward

It was obtainable through the Ranked Season 9 reward. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Valhalla Ruler

ORIGIN / EVENTLucky Box draw; recorded release in 2020

It was obtainable through the Lucky Box draw; recorded release in 2020. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Bone Crusher

ORIGIN / EVENTSeason 21 first-recharge reward

It was obtainable through the Season 21 first-recharge reward. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Captain of the Lost

ORIGIN / EVENTthe limited shop sale from 19 February to 4 March 2026

It was obtainable through the limited shop sale from 19 February to 4 March 2026. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

QUICK ANSWERS

The questions players ask about Franco

01What is the best lane for Franco?

Franco is currently played mainly in Roaming. The guide separates the recommended builds by lane or job, so choose that tab before copying the six items.

02Which Franco build should I use?

Start with «Roam Conceal Pickoff». The other options, «Roam Frontline Encourage» and «Roam Vengeance Anti-Physical», are there for a different lane or match-up; they are not cosmetic variations.

03Which heroes counter Franco?

Hylos, Tigreal and Hanzo are the first counters to consider. Chip and Tigreal can exploit the fact that Franco stands still during his ultimate to engage on the rest of the team.

04Which Franco skins can be obtained now?

5 non-default skins have confirmed availability at this review. 5 more are limited or upcoming, with the original acquisition method recorded. Check the current event or shop in your client before spending.

IF / MLBB#010

SEASON 42 PROFILE

Frozen Warrior

Franco

Tank Roaming

DATA REVIEWED 13.10.2026 · PATCH 2.2.16

HOW TO PLAY

Franco guide for Season 42

DAMAGE: Physical
ATTACK: Melee
SPECIALTY: Initiator / Control
MAIN POSITIONS: Roaming
IN THE GAME SINCE: 2016

01EARLY GAME
Establish vision carefully and threaten from bushes instead of throwing Iron Hook down the middle of the lane, where everyone sees its path.
02MID GAME
When the hook catches a fragile target, close the gap for Bloody Hunt before a mobility skill can be used. Fury Shock helps stop a walking escape.
03LATE GAME
Around Lord, save Iron Hook to pull the enemy jungler out of the pit or catch whoever checks the objective. Hooking the tank rarely justifies losing that pressure.

IF / LOADOUT LAB

Three builds. One draft.

Roam Conceal Pickoff

Default ranked Franco setup for fast bush-to-bush rotations, Conceal pickoffs, and repeated Flicker suppression attempts.

10,960 GOLD

WHAT IT DOES
+55 Movement Speed. +35% Slow Reduction
Movement Speed
+55
Slow Reduction
+35%
WHAT IT DOES
+40 Physical Defense. +5% Movement Speed. +40 Magic Defense. Fortress Shield: For each enemy hero within 5 units, Hybrid Defense is increased by 8, up to 40. Lifebane: Reduces Shield and HP Regen effects of nearby enemies within 5 units to 60% of normal for 1 second.
Physical Defense
+40
Movement Speed
+5%
Magic Defense
+40
WHAT IT DOES
+600 HP. +30 Adaptive Attack. +15% Cooldown Reduction. Timestream: Hero kills or assists reduce the Ultimate's current cooldown by 30%.
HP
+600
Adaptive Attack
+30
Cooldown Reduction
+15%
WHAT IT DOES
+850 HP. +20 Physical Defense. +20 Magic Defense. +10% Cooldown Reduction. Bless: Received Shield and HP Regen effects are increased by 25%.
HP
+850
Physical Defense
+20
Magic Defense
+20
Cooldown Reduction
+10%
WHAT IT DOES
+920 HP. +4 HP Regen. +40 Physical Defense. Deter: When hit by a skill, reduces the attacker's Physical Damage by 6% for 2s (this effect stacks up to 3 times).
HP
+920
HP Regen
+4
Physical Defense
+40
WHAT IT DOES
+800 HP. +15 Physical Defense. Immortal: Revives 2.5s after death and gaining 16% Max HP and 220-1200 shield (scales with level) that lasts for 3s. (210 cooldown).
HP
+800
Physical Defense
+15

EMBLEM + 2 STANDARD TALENTS + 1 CORE TALENT

BASE EMBLEM

Recommended emblem setup for this build.

Healing Effect: +12%
Cooldown Reduction: +10%
Movement Speed: +6%

STANDARD TALENT

Gain 4% extra Movement Speed.

STANDARD TALENT

Cooldowns of Battle Spells and equipment's active skills are reduced by 12% initially. Each hero kill or assist grants an additional 1% reduction, up to 8 stacks.

CORE TALENT

After damaging an enemy hero, allied heroes deal 6% more damage to them and gain 10% Movement Speed. Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 4 seconds.

BATTLE SPELL + BLESSING

120s

Flicker

Blinks the hero a short distance in the chosen direction. It can be used to engage, reposition, escape, or cross some walls.

Conceal

Conceals the group and grants 40% Movement Speed for five seconds. It ends when dealing or taking damage. Cooldown: 60 seconds.

ADAPT ITEMS AND BLESSINGS TO THE MATCH

WHAT IT DOES

+900 HP. +2 HP Regen. +48 Magic Defense. Shield: Upon taking Magic Damage, gains 25% Magic Damage Reduction for 3s (applies before taking damage). Regains this effect 5s after leaving combat.

HP: +900
HP Regen: +2
Magic Defense: +48

WHAT IT DOES

+850 HP. +20 Physical Defense. +20 Magic Defense. +10% Cooldown Reduction. Bless: Received Shield and HP Regen effects are increased by 25%.

HP: +850
Physical Defense: +20
Magic Defense: +20
Cooldown Reduction: +10%

Athena's Shield FOR OracleUse against one-rotation magic burst that can delete Franco before Bloody Hunt finishes.

WHAT IT DOES

HP: +1800
HP Regen: +20

WHAT IT DOES

+850 HP. +20 Physical Defense. +20 Magic Defense. +10% Cooldown Reduction. Bless: Received Shield and HP Regen effects are increased by 25%.

HP: +850
Physical Defense: +20
Magic Defense: +20
Cooldown Reduction: +10%

Guardian Helmet FOR OracleUse when your team is winning vision but Franco keeps entering river fights too low to threaten a hook.

WHAT IT DOES

Physical Defense: +70

WHAT IT DOES

+920 HP. +4 HP Regen. +40 Physical Defense. Deter: When hit by a skill, reduces the attacker's Physical Damage by 6% for 2s (this effect stacks up to 3 times).

HP: +920
HP Regen: +4
Physical Defense: +40

Blade Armor FOR Antique CuirassUse when the main threat is a basic-attack marksman who has to hit Franco after the hook lands.

IF / KIT

Abilities at a glance

Hover or use the keyboard on any ability to read exactly what it does in game.Tap any ability to open its in-game explanation. Tap elsewhere to close it.

IF / LIVE META

Franco in ranked and pro play

AUTOMATIC SNAPSHOT13 Oct 2026

CURRENT TIERD

WIN RATE: 41.32%
PICK RATE: 1%
BAN RATE: 3.11%
WIN-RATE CHANGE: -0.21 pp

OUR READING

Franco is struggling to convert games in this rank. That does not erase good matchups, but blind-picking the hero is difficult to justify right now.

Seven-day ranked data, updated 13 Oct 2026 · MLBBHub · cross-checked with MLBB.io

Historical tournament snapshot, checked 13 Oct 2026

PRO / MLBB Mid Season Cup 2026NO PICKS OR BANS

Franco was not picked or banned in this historical snapshot. That tells us about this tournament's draft, not whether the hero works in ranked.

Tournament statistics · Liquipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

PATCH ARCHIVE

Every buff, nerf and adjustment

IF / PATCH TRACKER

Franco's full patch history

Every documented buff, nerf and adjustment, ordered from the latest patch backwards.

7documented patches

7 patches shown

v1.6.42ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTPassive: : After not taking damage for 5s, Franco gains one stack of Wasteland Force per second. Each stack increases the damage of his next skill by 5% (up to 50%). Taking damage will stop the stack accumulation.
- NERFSkill 1: Base Damage: 550-800 → 400-650
- NERFSkill 2: This skill can no longer critically strike.
- NERFUltimate: Base Damage: 60-100 → 50-70
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.6.18ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTadded role Added Secondary Role: Tank → Tank/Support
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.4.94ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTPartially Adjusted label specialty - Initiator/Crowd Control to Initiator/Control.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.4.60ADJUSTMENT
- NERFReduced the width of this skill by 10%.
- BUFFMana Cost reduced by 15 at all levels.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki

Open the earlier archive · 3 patches

v1.4.50ADJUSTMENT
- BUFFDamage will plus 4% of Max HP instead of 3%.
- NERFCD increased from 38/32/26s to 45/40/35s.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.4.44ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTFixed an issue that this skill could be blocked by teammates.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki
v1.3.74ADJUSTMENT
- ADJUSTMENTFixed an issue where Franco will not recover HP by chance.
- ADJUSTMENTFixed a bug where the HP Regen effect of Passive remains when Franco dies.
Check original notes · MLBB Wiki

THE DRAFT

Franco in the draft: strengths, counters and teammates

GOOD INTO

Bloody Hunt prevents Angela from casting Heartguard and Fanny from escaping with Steel Cable for the duration of the suppression.

FannyAssassin

AngelaSupport

FlorynSupport

WATCH OUT FOR

Chip and Tigreal can exploit the fact that Franco stands still during his ultimate to engage on the rest of the team.

HylosTank

TigrealTank

HanzoAssassin

WORKS WELL WITH

Natalia punishes the enemy isolated by Iron Hook, while Minsitthar adds a control zone around the landing point.

NataliaAssassin

SaberAssassin

BaneFighter / Mage

See all 5 counters, favorable matchups and best teammates for Franco

COLLECTION

Franco skins: catalogue and acquisition

Confirmed availability5

AVAILABLE

Masterchef

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 749 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 749 Diamonds.

AVAILABLE

Wheatfield Nightmare

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 749 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 749 Diamonds.

AVAILABLE

Blazing Axe

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 899 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 899 Diamonds.

AVAILABLE

King of Hell

ORIGIN / EVENTMagic Shop: 200 Magic Cores

Permanently available through the Magic Shop: 200 Magic Cores.

AVAILABLE

Quantum Vanguard

ORIGIN / EVENTin-game shop: 749 Diamonds

Permanently available through the in-game shop: 749 Diamonds.

Limited and upcoming5

EVENT / UPCOMING

Apocalypse

ORIGIN / EVENTAugust 2017 StarLight Pass

It was obtainable through the August 2017 StarLight Pass. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Locomotive

ORIGIN / EVENTRanked Season 9 reward

It was obtainable through the Ranked Season 9 reward. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Valhalla Ruler

ORIGIN / EVENTLucky Box draw; recorded release in 2020

It was obtainable through the Lucky Box draw; recorded release in 2020. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Bone Crusher

ORIGIN / EVENTSeason 21 first-recharge reward

It was obtainable through the Season 21 first-recharge reward. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

EVENT / UPCOMING

Captain of the Lost

ORIGIN / EVENTthe limited shop sale from 19 February to 4 March 2026

It was obtainable through the limited shop sale from 19 February to 4 March 2026. Availability depends on the event or a new rotation. Check the client.

QUICK ANSWERS

The questions players ask about Franco

01What is the best lane for Franco?

Franco is currently played mainly in Roaming. The guide separates the recommended builds by lane or job, so choose that tab before copying the six items.

02Which Franco build should I use?

03Which heroes counter Franco?

Hylos, Tigreal and Hanzo are the first counters to consider. Chip and Tigreal can exploit the fact that Franco stands still during his ultimate to engage on the rest of the team.

04Which Franco skins can be obtained now?