Recently, Elo Hell Esports released the statistics on the Ban/Protect system they experimented with during the Tournament of Future Champions. TOFC was testing out this system to add a new level of depth and variety to a rather stagnant meta, and the results of this system are leaving some people with questions.
Check out the hero ban/protect stats from the latest Tournament of Future Champions
🛡️ Most protected: DVa
🚫 Most banned: MercyTake a closer look at the numbers and compare NA/EU: https://t.co/ofRP5BB5kd Would those heroes be your most banned or protected? pic.twitter.com/AUv68pPcC5
— Elo Hell Esports💙 (@EloHellEsports) January 30, 2019
Why is Mercy the Most Banned Hero?
Many people expected Brigitte to be banned the most out of every hero, but that prize actually goes to Mercy. She was banned the most because she is an anti-GOATS support hero. What that means is that she has a lot of mobility to avoid the deathball GOATS composition while still providing a good amount of healing. Not only that, but her damage boost can be devastating in the right hands. For teams that are keen on running anti-GOATS compositions, Pharah is a very strong pick. Pharah and Mercy have a natural synergy that makes them a devastating duo against GOATS compositions, so Mercy was banned to stop that synergy and make running anti-GOATS compositions harder.
GOATS vs. Anti-GOATS
This was the story of the TOFC: 3-3 compositions versus anything to dismantle that composition. Brigitte, the cornerstone of GOATS compositions and Mercy, a strong Anti-GOATS support, were the most banned heroes in the tournament.
Teams that have been practicing GOATS compositions for several months didn’t want to give up their shield maiden, so she was also protected 14 times. Both GOATS and anti-GOATS teams wanted a D.Va and a Lucio, as they are both irreplaceable and contain a lot of utility. Because of this, they are the most protected heroes by a large margin; D.Va’s Defense Matrix negating large amounts of damage and Lucio’s speed boost are too valuable for either composition to give up.
Tired of GOATS?
Apparently not! Almost every team from tier three to OWL has been perfecting GOATS since it’s creation way back in May of 2018. Why would teams put all of that practice in the garbage? They wouldn’t.
Some people are tired of playing GOATS, and some are tired of watching it, but it is still the strongest composition in the game as of right now. Perhaps there is some strategy or composition that can dismantle even the strongest GOATS teams, but teams haven’t discovered it or practiced it enough to have it consistently win. The Tournament of Future Champions showed that, even though the Ban/Protect system gave teams the choice to change it up.
Thoughts on the Ban/Protect System
While the results of the new system may have been unexpected, the system itself is a good addition. This system gives team the option to change how the game is played. If teams want to protect their play style they can, and if they want to run something new or force their enemy to adapt, they can do that too. This system gives teams options: it’s there if they want it, and if they don’t, they can protect their strategy and run what they are good at.
Need More?
What are your thoughts on the Ban/Protect system? Tell me what you think @Hearin_Voices
Featured image courtesy of Inven Global
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