After spending a thrilling Sunday night slouched in my chair watching Jayne’s high-rank PUGs for four hours, an idea dawned on me. An idea I never would’ve imagined I’d agree with. Perhaps it was because the players were having such an enjoyable time playing anything other than ladder, or perhaps it was just a one-off thing, but the hero ban element of the PUGs seemed to work really well. By just banning two heroes, one hero picked by each team, the game seemed much improved. This got me thinking, and the more and more I thought about it, the more the idea grew on me; Overwatch needs hero bans.
I’m aware that this is quite a controversial thing to say, and I’m sure many people strongly disagree with that statement. But hear me out. Think about all the issues we have in Overwatch. Unbalanced heroes/abilities, heroes that hard counter other heroes, stale metas that players are forced to abide by, etc. Now, think about how a properly implemented hero ban system would help alleviate these issues. If you think a hero is overpowered and unfun to play against, just ban it. Want to play a hero that’s hard countered by another? Ban its hard counter. Want to spice up your match and add an extra strategic curve to the mix? Ban a hero that’s a key part of the current meta (imagine how different Overwatch would be without DVa). These are really oversimplified examples of solutions, but my point still stands. Hero bans put more control in the hands of the players and less in the hands of Blizzard’s balancing team. By giving players more power to control their gameplay experience, many of the glaring issues in the game become more manageable.
Hero bans would be beneficial to the game across the board, from ladder play to pro play. In any setting where Overwatch is being played competitively, hero bans would have their place. For ladder, hero bans would act as a balancing mechanic that the players control. If there’s a hero that the community in general finds either too powerful or unfun to play against, more often than not, that hero be banned. This will almost certainly lead to a more enjoyable experience for a vast majority of the player base. It would probably mean that players have to be more flexible, and it would certainly be the bain of one-tricks. However, if a player’s first choice of hero is banned, the hero that player would have to flex to would still be reasonably within their role. For example, if you play main tank and Reinhardt is banned, you can flex to Winston. If you play support and Ana is banned, you can flex to Zenyatta or Lucio.
Having the hero ban system in ranked would also give the game developers valuable feedback on the current state of Overwatch. If a certain hero is being banned in a large number of matches, it would signify to the balance team that something should probably be tweaked or changed. This would lead to a much improved game in the long term, as hero ban statistics could possibly be the best and most direct data the balance team receive. Overall, hero bans have the potential to improve the health of ranked play for much of the player base.
Hero bans could also add an interesting element to the pro scene. For pro teams, it would incorporate an additional layer to the strategy and preparation that goes into a match. It would reward teams that properly scout and analyse the opposition, and punish teams that rely heavily on just a singular tactic to get by. It adds even more depth to the game for the players, and it would encourage them to be more adaptable mid-match. There would be less room for hero specialists on pro teams, and players that are extremely flexible would become really valuable. There would be a bit of a learning curve for players when hero bans are initially implemented, but they will adjust to it over time. Some pros may be fond of hero bans, some may be very much against it. Regardless, the pros aren’t necessarily who these changes are for.
The viewers would be the ones that benefit the most from the addition of hero bans to the pro scene. Hero bans would give viewers a far more entertaining spectating experience. For one, the nuanced strategy that comes with hero bans can create lots of fascinating discussion among desk analysts and fans alike. Discussion on what heroes teams should ban based on the opposing players’ preferences could be really interesting. Hero bans would also compel teams to run more original and imaginative compositions, something we don’t regularly see in the pro scene. How often do viewers go into a map knowing exactly what comps both teams will run? How often are entire maps spent with both teams running mirror comps save for maybe a different DPS? Wouldn’t merely having the threat of having a hero banned make teams think outside the box and get creative? Think about how different stage 1 of OWL would’ve looked if teams had the option of banning Mercy. Hero bans could unlock an entirely new and intriguing aspect of the game that increases the excitement surrounding pro matches.
Implementing a hero ban system in Overwatch is an absolutely worthwhile venture that could have a tremendous positive impact on the game as a whole
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