The Case For and Against Map Voting And Hero Bans in Overwatch 2

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The Case For and Against Map Voting And Hero Bans in Overwatch 2

Highlights

  • Map voting and hero bans could be on the horizon for Overwatch 2.
  • Hero bans can improve match diversity and help balance metas, but can hurt Overwatch 2 fans who have put dozens of hours into mastering their one-trick.
  • Map voting might be a better area for Blizzard to rebalance Overwatch 2 matchmaking.

As someone who has spent countless hours playing Overwatch 2, I can understand the frustration that arises from encountering the same dominant heroes every game. It’s like attending a party where everyone keeps bringing the same dish—it gets boring quickly! The repetitive nature of certain hero metas can indeed stifle creativity and lead to an imbalanced gameplay experience.

The eleventh season of Overwatch 2 has received a relatively cool reception, with many gamers considering it a filler season due to the impending debut of the next support character, Juno, and the lingering debate about tank enhancements. Luckily, the countdown for Overwatch 2 Season 12 is almost up. With fresh update details and the possibility of a new strategic layout, more adjustments may be in store, such as map voting, hero vetoes, and tournaments, hinted at by Game Director Aaron Keller on August 2.

Within the community of Overwatch 2, the idea of map voting and hero bans has been a recurrent topic since the original game, frequently reappearing during long stretches of hero dominance or when new controversial game modes like Push and Assault are introduced. Since significant changes took place from Season 9 to Season 11 in the hero-shooter, the idea that Blizzard could potentially adopt map voting and hero bans is quite interesting.

How Hero Bans Could Help or Harm Overall Match Quality in Overwatch 2

Hero Bans Have Seen Various Iterations Throughout Overwatch’s History

2019 saw Blizzard rolling out Role-Queue across both Quick Match and Ranked modes to tackle an issue where gamers were often stacking up more than two characters of the same role, leaving our teams with a lopsided distribution – usually four or five Damage characters, making it tough for even one or two players to handle Tank or Support roles. Post this change, developers got creative and started tinkering with hero pools during Season 21, meaning some heroes were benched from ranked matches for brief periods. But don’t worry, no hero was sidelined for more than a fortnight at a stretch.

Initially, hero rotations were taken away, but player reactions proved crucial. Although some players deemed the system an insufficient alternative for addressing balancing problems or maintaining diverse metas, others welcomed the opportunity to adapt to altered rosters and experiment with novel tactics. On the other hand, hero bans in the Overwatch esports scene, particularly within the Overwatch League, have generally been seen as a positive addition by both players and spectators.

To many people’s astonishment, the same idea resurfaced during the 2024 Esports World Cup, a recent event. As per EWC data, the most frequently banned characters were Ana, Baptiste, D.Va, and Winston. It is worth mentioning that these hero bans functioned under strict rules to stay efficient.

  • Each team can ban 1 hero per map.
  • Teams can only ban a hero once per series but may repeat a ban from the opposing team.
  • Each ban must be from a different role than the other team’s ban.
  • The loser of the previous map picks the order of who picks a ban first.
  • Ban decisions must be made within 60 seconds.

If the deadline passes without a ban hero being chosen by the EWC team, they will either automatically lose the map or have one randomly assigned to them instead.

In many games like Overwatch 2, giving players the option to veto characters at the outset of a match offers numerous benefits, particularly when it comes to heroes with high victory rates. For example, players often voice their annoyance over the recurring dominance of Orisa, Mauga, and Pharah in different game metas throughout Overwatch 2. Allowing a ban on these characters could help minimize monotony and imbalance within the game, and motivate players to explore new heroes. A well-known streamer, MaceToTheFace, even went so far as to say on Twitter that “specializing in one hero…is not beneficial for the game” and that over-reliance on a single character can negatively impact one’s team.

Hero Bans Could Negatively Impact One-Tricks and Counter-Picking

The Case For and Against Map Voting And Hero Bans in Overwatch 2

On the other hand, hero bans could negatively affect one-trick players who specialize in a single hero due to personal enjoyment or skill. Some argue that Overwatch 2 is meant to be a fun game where players should have the freedom to choose their favorite characters without restrictions, and implementing hero bans could undermine this freedom. Though there are those who maintain that the Ranked ladder is not the place for inflexibility with one’s hero roster, it raises the question of whether players should be penalized in Competitive for simply wanting to play a specific hero.

As time goes on, the strategy known as counter-picking in Overwatch 2 has grown increasingly important. Banning specific heroes creates opportunities for others to excel. For example, if Toronto Ultra’s opposing team had banned Brigitte during their EWC matchup with Zeta Division, it would have allowed D.Va more room to target their backline because there would be fewer healing options available. Since the choice of hero bans can significantly impact counter-picking strategies, they might be best left to the professional scene.

Because banning heroes immediately impacts the selection of counterparts, it might be more appropriate for them to remain within the professional scene.

Map Bans May Be A Healthier Choice For Overwatch 2 Than Hero Bans

The Case For and Against Map Voting And Hero Bans in Overwatch 2

In the world of Overwatch 2, Blizzard is considering the concept of map vetoes, which has ignited intense debate within the gaming community. During FACEIT tournaments, both Teams A and B have a chance to deliberate before each captain picks a map to ban. This results in one team choosing the map and the other deciding their side. If this feature were added to the game, a similar approach could be taken, but it might be beneficial for every player to cast an independent vote, especially for those who don’t or can’t play as a five-member team.

Regardless, map bans might be a more appealing option than hero bans. This system would allow players full hero selection while still influencing team compositions. For example, players who prefer to avoid facing snipers might have better chances if they vote against Overwatch maps with long sightlines, like Circuit Royale, Havana, and Rialto.

Moving forward, it might prove beneficial if Blizzard reintroduces the Experimental mode from Overwatch’s original version. This mode enabled players to test out changes outside of the main game, which could serve multiple purposes such as assessing hero and map bans, as well as testing Overwatch 2’s 6v6 format during Season 13. By utilizing this system, Blizzard could collect valuable player feedback and make informed decisions about adjustments before officially incorporating these changes into the game.

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2024-08-15 20:15