Overwatch League Countdown Cup Hero Pools Make Surprising Bans to Selection
The Hero Pools have been released ahead of the Overwatch League Countdown Cup.
If you're a fan of esports, then you've no doubt been following (or at least heard of) the Overwatch League. With the Countdown Cup set to begin on July 30th, the hero pools have been revealed.
The Heroes that will be removed from play for the Countdown Cup include Echo, Ashe, Sigma, and Lucio. This may come as a relief to some, as Echo has been stealing the show as of late and becoming a top pick among pros and casual players alike. Removing Lucio from the pool is sure to add some new challenges as well, as the hyper-mobile healer can typically be found moving tanks and DPS's behind enemy lines quickly for a tight pinch.
The practice of temporarily "banning" some playable characters isn't something unique to Overwatch, as other games such as Rainbow Six Seige have used the pick and ban system to shake up competitive matches. But whereas Rainbox Six allows the players to make those picks on who to remove from rotation, allowing for teams to plan together better, Overwatch's system is fixed on RNG.
That's right, heroes will be removed from the character pool at random for this round of games. This news has been met with mixed responses, as some players feel it takes the creativity out to randomly ban heroes. Sigma has become a crutch tank for many teams, with a good mix of mobility and defense as opposed to some other tanks. And even more, RNG doesn't address the real challenges that arise with Competitive games. Teams often become stale, using the same group of heroes such as D.Va, Winston, and Wrecking Ball.
If you're not a fan of RNG hero pools, don't worry. This change won't be permanent, and is just being implemented for the Countdown Cup to impose more of a challenge. And if you're tuning in, you'll have a chance to earn Overwatch League Tokens and get your hands on the event themed D.Va skin! The Countdown Cup will begin on July 30, and the Global Tournament will run from August 19 - 21. Want to play with the pros? Team up with the CarrySquad for some Overwatch Boosting!