The ranked match blacklist has been updated, revealing the secrets to climbing the ranks, and finally liberating support heroes.

Don't underestimate a hero's pick rate, as it reveals future trends and is beneficial for market research. Suppose a hero is frequently banned, or is a high-end but niche pick, and only occasionally gets a high-quality skin. At peak version points, would anyone be willing to buy it? Yes, but the number is low. They rely on dedicated main players, the national server, the peak tournament, and the top ranked matches. If they can't win over players of all ranks, they lose a lot of orders. Buying a skin but not being able to use it will definitely leave a bad taste in their mouth.

Soft supports are constantly being targeted, and dark horses for climbing the ranks are being ignored.

In multiple versions, soft supports have always been a staple in the ban list, causing Yao a lot of trouble. Her core mechanic is attaching to an enemy to provide a shield, and her attractive appearance has won her countless fans. Unfortunately, her gameplay is like that of a spectator – just sitting on someone's head watching the show while eating popcorn. The Ma-Yao duo is notoriously difficult to deal with in duo queue, and the best way to counter it is, of course, to ban it. However, Doriya has risen to prominence, with her water control, knockback, skill interruption, and ultimate refresh – two rounds of crucial damage. Who can escape that? Dunshan blocks projectiles, Donghuang Taiyi uses his Star Absorption Technique, Zhang Liang binds enemies, and Mozi provides ranged poke – a whole host of troublesome supports are simply not allowed to be played.

There's a trend within the game as well, not just in skin shopping, but also in the ban options. Often, players don't pay special attention to attribute adjustments. After playing too many ranked matches, seeing teammates picking the same few heroes over and over, they blindly follow suit when it's their turn, creating overpowered monsters who run wild. The top-ranked heroes on all three leaderboards become completely unplayable, resulting in a terrible gaming experience.

Peak Over-Standard Monster

The first one, Yu the Great, might not feel the impact of a head-on confrontation. His teleportation mechanism and cauldron healing are commonplace, but he exerts his power in secret, invisibly enhancing the strength of the entire team. With his ground spike version of advancing, he kills right in front of you, and you are inexplicably controlled before you realize that he is the culprit. Now, his ban rate in the top 1000 has reached 31.54%, which shows how much he is disliked.

The second hero is Sun Quan. He doesn't rely on gold, yet he delivers high burst damage as a marksman. His passive and mobility skills often make him unrecognizable in team fights. While you're busy positioning yourself, he's wielding his banner, stacking his passive, and charging in, slashing wildly. With 10-20% damage reduction, he's impossible to counter. In head-on confrontations, he often gains the upper hand. In the 1350-level peak ranking, he has a 21.44% ban rate.

Image source: Internet