Popol and Kupa: Is the Hero Still Viable in 2021?

Popol and Kupa are one of the most unique heroes in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Popol is a marksman that relies heavily on his furry friend, Kupa, to be effective. Popol and Kupa’s unique mechanic is reasonably hard to play as Popol is less effective if his companion dies. During the M2 World Championships, the hero was only picked four times with a 50% win rate. This makes us question if Popol and Kupa is worth playing? Let’s find out. 

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Who is Popol and Kupa in Mobile Legends?

Popol and Kupa is Mobile Legends’ first companion hero, meaning you play two characters as one. Popol is a marksman, while Kupa is his frost wolf companion. 

According to Mobile Legends’ lore, Popol fell into a bottomless pit, and there he found Kupa. The frost wolf couldn’t move due to a bear trap sprung in one of his legs, which the former helped remove. In that same pit, the two became friends. After escaping the pit, the duo ventured and hunted together as companions. 

Popol and Kupa Skill Descriptions

Kupa is spawned at the beginning of the match. The frost wolf will follow the marksman wherever he goes, and if it dies, he can summon him back through channeling for three seconds. After summoning your companion, you won’t be able to summon him for the next 45 seconds, so be sure that the wolf doesn’t get killed during the cooldown. 

Passive: We Are Friends

If Kupa’s HP is not full, it regenerates 10% of his max HP every second after five seconds of not taking any damage. Popol and Kupa will have the same stats. However, the Frost wolf cannot receive active effects coming from items. After four consecutive attacks by Kupa,  the next basic attack of Popol will deal extra physical damage to the enemy.

First Skill: Bite ‘Em, Kupa!

Popol throws a spear at a target and Kupa follows up an attack and deal damage. When Kupa is in Alpha Wolf Form, his bite will stun enemies for one second.

Second Skill: Kupa, Help!

Popol immediately summons Kupa to his location and gains a shield and slows surrounding enemies for a short time. When Kupa is in Alpha Wolf Form, he will knock up enemies dealing more damage.

Third Skill: Popol’s Surprise

Popol sets a trap that can immobilize enemies to create a frozen area for four seconds where enemies in range will be slowed.

Popol can store up to three traps at a time and gains a charge over time. Only three traps can be active on the map at any given time. 

Ultimate Skill: We Are Angry

Popol and Kupa get enraged and gains additional attack and movement speed for twelve seconds. 

Kupa will enter Alpha Wolf Form gaining additional effects on his attacks and increases his Max HP. 

Pros of Using Popol and Kupa

Like all the other heroes in Mobile Legends, Popol and Kupa have their Pros and Cons. Their unique mechanics give players a fair amount of reasons to pick them in matches.

Kupa can Tank Jungle Monsters

The hero is a pretty strong marksman hero in Mobile Legends. Aside from the massive damage you deal as a marksman. You also have a companion that you can use as a tank and prevent being killed. 

This also makes jungle clearing relatively easy because all monsters, including the Turtle and the Lord, will always prioritize attacking Kupa instead of any hero in the area. 

High Burst Damage

Popol and Kupa are unique compared to most marksmen in the game. They have potent burst damage instead of consistent DPS which allows them to catch enemies off guard.

Hard to Deal with in Lanes

Because of the companion mechanic that the hero has, enemies will have a hard time poking them in the lane as Kupa can just tank damage for Popol and regenerate the health he lost in the process. 

Cons of Using Popol and Kupa

Popol is Nothing Without Kupa

Popol is heavily reliant on Kupa to deal damage. This makes him reasonably weak if the wolf dies since he can only make basic attacks and place traps if it is not around. So it is important to keep Kupa alive, considering Popol’s most useful skills are only available when his companion is alive.

Small Base HP

Despite their amazing ultimate, which increases their max HP by a huge amount, the hero a tiny base HP, allowing assassins and mages to just one-shot them if their ultimate is on cooldown. 

Lacks Mobility

Although Kupa is a pretty decent tank for Popol, their combo lacks mobility compared to other marksmen heroes. This is why Flicker is a crucial spell to bring in matches to compensate for this downside. 

High Skill Requirement

The hero is undoubtedly strong, but it takes time to grasp its combos and when you need to use certain skills. If you plan on playing this dynamic duo, you’d have to spend hours practicing the perfect combo to start dominating your lanes. 

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In conclusion, Popol and Kupa is a decent hero to play in Mobile Legends. However, their high skill requirement makes the champion hard to master, but you can expect to dominate your games if you can learn the hero.