counterpickHero bans
How banning works in Competitive, since when it exists and what has changed.
How bans work
Hero bans came with Season 16 and apply only in Competitive modes. Blizzard’s German name is Heldenausschlüsse.
Source: Patch notes 22 Apr 2025First the lobby votes on the map; the winning map is shown while you ban.
Source: Patch notes 24 Jun 2025Then every player may name a preferred hero. It only tells the team what you want to play; the hero can still be banned.
Source: Patch notes 22 Apr 2025 · Director's Take: Introducing Hero BansDuring bans you only see and hear your own team; the text chat for the whole lobby is off.
Source: Patch notes 22 Apr 2025 · Director's Take: Introducing Hero BansBoth teams vote at the same time. Each player names up to three heroes: the first choice counts 7 votes, the second 5, the third 3.
Source: Director's Take: Introducing Hero Bans · Patch notes 16 Jun 2026Each team bans two heroes, four in all. At most two banned heroes may share a role; if a team’s next pick would break that, its next hero from another role is used.
Source: Director's Take: Introducing Hero BansOrder: the team with the highest vote count for one hero bans it first. Then the other team gets both of its bans, and the first team’s second ban comes last. A hero that is already gone is skipped.
Source: Director's Take: Introducing Hero BansOn equal votes the hero named by more players is banned; if that is equal too, chance decides.
Source: Patch notes 22 Apr 2025 · Director's Take: Introducing Hero BansNobody has to ban: pressing Ready passes. A match only runs without bans if nobody votes at all.
Source: Patch notes 22 Apr 2025 · Director's Take: Introducing Hero Bans
Changes since
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Blizzard’s hero statistics show ban rates. | Patch notes 12 May 2026 | |
| Your preferred hero counts 3 votes against its own ban, which cancels a teammate’s third choice. | Patch notes 16 Jun 2026 | |
| A fifth ban, the lobby ban: the votes of both teams are added up. A hero with votes from both teams and 10 in total is banned as well, even past the two-per-role limit. | Patch notes 16 Jun 2026 | |
| The ban screen shows the value of each choice (7, 5 and 3) and your team’s total per hero. | Patch notes 16 Jun 2026 |
Sources
- Patch notes
- Blizzard’s patch notes of the days linked at each statement. 22 Apr 2025 · 24 Jun 2025 · 12 May 2026 · 16 Jun 2026
- Blizzard pages
- Director's Take: Introducing Hero Bans (published 18 Apr 2025)
- Texts
- Our own words. Every statement links the source it is based on; what no source describes stays open.