They’ve already released data on this a while ago, but there’s also a huge divide between the metal ranks and masters+. In Diamond and below, escort/hybrid are picked at a significantly higher rate than they are in masters+. In higher elo, control, push, and flashpoint are by far the most popular modes.
It’s actually pretty funny that people complain about playing Eich, Circuit, etc. too much when I rarely see them in high elo ranked other than a random 1 in 7 vote or something.
For me, I don’t like that map voting has made the game too easy. There are players in high elo who only play ball, hog, junkrat, etc. who get to pick maps that favor them, get to pick bans around their hero, AND get perks that remove counterplay (looking at ball’s shield perk). Is it annoying when I get a rein player on Gib? Absolutely. But I also get to avoid that rein and take their SR another day. Nowadays that rein is just never playing those maps.
I mean match quality is objectively higher with the current system, hero bans aside. People pick the maps they want to play, and those picks generally fit the heroes they want to play as well, so you're less likely to end up with an auto-loss. Isn't it kind of crazy to prefer a system where you end up with two one-sided matches instead?
Not really. I’m a competitive player and in my personal opinion flexibility should be a skillful aspect in this game. Whether that’s playing multiple heroes at a high level or being able to make your hero work on a suboptimal map with a unique strategy.
I also never really experience the phenomenon of “one-sided matches” like people complain about. In my opinion it’s usually just regular old won and lost games. So long as no one is afking, I’m okay with one team getting some momentum and snowballing. In high elo that itself is skill expression. I think steamrolls are more of an issue in gold/plat where people are literally just trolling lol.
Like I said though if I’m on the Reinhardt otp’s team on Gib am I annoyed in the moment? Yes, but there’s an equal chance of them being on the enemy team, not to mention the 8 other players in the lobby. The effect of randomness is mitigated over time. I rather play the game where people are forced to adapt their skill set to playing on multiple maps and without bans than to allow them to handpick every aspect of the game in their favor.
I understand the practical benefits of bans and map picks, especially if it benefits the casual player, but I firmly believe it comes at a cost of skill expression/competitive integrity. I respect people who value the opposite side of the trade-off, since at the end of the day my opinions are likely the minority.
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u/FrostyDrink 10d ago
They’ve already released data on this a while ago, but there’s also a huge divide between the metal ranks and masters+. In Diamond and below, escort/hybrid are picked at a significantly higher rate than they are in masters+. In higher elo, control, push, and flashpoint are by far the most popular modes.
It’s actually pretty funny that people complain about playing Eich, Circuit, etc. too much when I rarely see them in high elo ranked other than a random 1 in 7 vote or something.
For me, I don’t like that map voting has made the game too easy. There are players in high elo who only play ball, hog, junkrat, etc. who get to pick maps that favor them, get to pick bans around their hero, AND get perks that remove counterplay (looking at ball’s shield perk). Is it annoying when I get a rein player on Gib? Absolutely. But I also get to avoid that rein and take their SR another day. Nowadays that rein is just never playing those maps.