With more and more heroes making their way to Overwatch 2, fans began to wonder what a ban phase would look like if it was ever added to the game. Does it even need one?
On Oct. 11, Overwatch fan chillskilled introduced a UI concept for a ban phase in the Competitive mode. The design fits the Overwatch style perfectly, from overall aesthetic to fonts and icons. The creator wrote that the idea aims to “allow teams to decide for themselves on how they want to experience the game.”
There are four stages in the ban phase deciding all aspects of the match, not only heroes: mode, map, heroes, and starting side. The mode ban allows every team to get rid of two out of five modes and maps, as well as two heroes.
Although showing teams’ win rates is probably not the best idea and it is confusing how some of these votes work, the overall concept looks like an interesting addition to the game.
The community loved the look of the design but the majority agreed that it’s not something they’d want to have in the game. The main reason is that swapping characters to adjust to the pace of the match and counter your opponents is essential in Overwatch.
You are not stuck with your choice until the very end of the game/round like you are in League of Legends, Dota 2, or Rainbow Six Siege. “Imagine a Junkrat main getting Echo, Pharah, and D.Va banned, that would be literal hell and it’s why banning heroes should not be a part of Overwatch,” one player wrote.
At the same time, you need to play in a group to make this happen and have to be absolutely sure of your Junkrat’s skills to not care about counters for any other heroes on your team.
The only other reasonable issue is checking your opponents’ pick rates to adjust your bans. A few players suggested a blind vote, where you can’t see your opponents’ nicknames, which should work quite well.
It can be tricky to implement, but several fans agreed that the ban phase can add extra depth to the game and shake up the meta. If, let’s say, Orisa and Bastion are too meta they will get banned way more often. Then Blizzard can roll out balancing updates based on ban rates. Could be a win-win for all of us.
