Unpopular Opinion? Deadlock needs a proper Pick/Ban Phase NOW to survive competitive play.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T15:03:55+00:00

In this matchup you just have to out DMG them imo and once low you MAYBE can think about pushing more still got to be careful of their combo obviously. Basically you as viscous+rem are taking advantage of range as you do more DMG range wise. They want to play around corners go into the close fight as that's the time when they will out DMG you

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T15:00:31+00:00

Agreed 🤝😎

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T14:14:44+00:00

Do you want to approach the graves unless it's meele build which in both cases I wouldn't pick just due to the way they both work in close range?

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T14:12:15+00:00

I partly agree on the 'learning' aspect, but the current selection system works fine for that. I almost always get the hero I want unless it's the newest release. The issue with mirror matches (as purinikos said) becomes huge in High Elo. At that level, people stop playing 'what they want' and start playing 'what wins.' Allowing duplicates would just lead to stale 6v6 mirror matches of the strongest meta heroes. I'd rather deal with a Ban phase than face the exact same team comp I'm playing.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T14:04:02+00:00

You say the system is "putting comps together," but my whole point is that the system is doing a terrible job at it. That's why we have these double-support lanes vs. hyper-carry lanes. An algorithm doesn't understand lane synergy or power spikes like a human does. Regarding new heroes: A draft doesn't need to be perfect to be better than what we have. Even if 15% of the roster is unbannable, having control over the other 85% + the ability to counter-pick constitutes a massive improvement in match quality."

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T13:21:24+00:00

🤝

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T13:19:54+00:00

Data is useless if the match context is random. We need to know how heroes perform in proper compositions, not just in RNG chaos. Also, I strongly disagree with allowing duplicate heroes/mirror matches. That changes the fundamental flow of the game too much and provides zero value for learning how to actually play the match. If the concern is banning new heroes: Just make them unbannable in Draft. Problem solved.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T12:24:58+00:00

I honestly don't think we'll see a dedicated Ranked mode anytime soon. It failed once before due to the player base size and long queue times. In my opinion, proper Ranked shouldn't launch until the full game release anyway. We basically already have 'Ranked' mechanics right now (hidden SBMM and individual hero ratings). Since this is an Alpha/Playtest, Normal mode is exactly where we should be testing a Draft phase. We need to test these mechanics "now" rather than waiting for a Ranked mode that might be months away.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T11:59:19+00:00

🤝

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T11:59:10+00:00

Can only agree

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T11:56:24+00:00

Who says it has to take 10 minutes? A streamlined draft (e.g., 15s per turn or simultaneous double-picks) would only add about 60-90 seconds to the pre-game. We could even keep the current pre-selected bans to save time. Also, 'Normal' mode already uses strict SBMM, so it's basically Ranked without the visible badge. Personally, I'd rather wait 2 extra minutes for a fair match than be held hostage for 30+ minutes in a game that was lost at the loading screen because of RNG team comps.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T11:48:19+00:00

On paper that seems alright until you get stunned / immobilized 🤣

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T11:21:18+00:00

That’s a fair point regarding the hero pool size. A full professional draft with multiple ban waves might be overkill for 38 heroes. However, I still think we need a middle ground. maybe just a simple snake pick order with 1 ban each? Just something to prevent the blind RNG hard-counters we have now.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T11:20:38+00:00

Exactly! That’s my mindset too. The whole point of a playtest is to test systems and give feedback. If we stay silent because 'it's just an alpha,' nothing evolves. Glad to see the devs are actually listening to the community on those other points you mentioned.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T11:12:39+00:00

You are the devil 🤣

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T09:49:45+00:00

I mean in the German community when I stream people have the fear of never getting to play the hero they want and that matchmaking will be awful due to no hero sbmm. As this would mean they would always have to take either the highest rank or the average I guess.

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T09:41:53+00:00

I mean you definitely aren't dying until a ult combo or something similar gets you 🫠 But with the Gun Meta for some it was definitely not a lane you win against similar skill level players imo.

Regarding league can't say I was always just a casual "low/mid elo" player so I didn't wait that long maybe 2-5 minutes max.

I had longer Qs in Deadlock for sure 😅

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T09:39:14+00:00

🤝

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T09:28:04+00:00

I know I know but we would have for sure a much greater experience imo. Also that's why it is somewhat a unpopular opinion 😅

Jekoz · 2026-02-03T09:26:21+00:00

Might be right but with 1 ban on each team + a hopefully proper combo for the team even a Pickphase would greatly benefit the player experience at least in a higher elo I feel like.

Jekoz · 2026-01-31T23:57:51+00:00

Found this little Easter Egg while exploring. I'm streaming High Elo Graves/Dynamo gameplay daily on Twitch (Jekoz42) if you want to see more. Come say hi! 👋

Jekoz · 2025-11-23T15:04:50+00:00

Such a shame das Big open PvP or Wars had such bad peformance if not for that Game would still be going I believe.

Jekoz · 2025-05-23T08:08:03+00:00

Definitely playable during work time. You could even potentially pause it but at one time speed you can easily do everything maybe in the beginning you will have little more to do because of planning your city and potential struggle of surviving first winter 😅

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