SinceValorantlaunched in June of 2020,Riot Gameshas worked diligently to balance the game and introduce new agents into the competitive shooter. However, one feature notably absent is a “pick-ban” system to lock out certain agents during matches. Players have since asked if a such a system will ever be introduced and while Riot has confirmed one may be added in the future, it may not happen for some time.
Valorantis a competitive, hero-based shooter from the developer best known for its popular MOBA-title,League of Legends. The game pits two teams of five agents against each other in objective-based, 25 round matches where the first team to take 13 rounds wins. The game serves as a blend ofOverwatchandCounter-Strike: Global Offensiveand has grown in popularity in the past year thanks to, in part, streamers like Pokimane, DisguisedToast, Jacksepticeye, and Sykkuno.
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Game Designer Nicholas Wu Smith spoke about a potential “pick-ban” system during a Monday Twitch stream. Smith said if bans were introduced, it may not until the roster hit around30 playable agentsand bans may be limited to one-per-team. He then underlined it by saying it will depend on whether or not bans will hurt or harm competition within the game and comparing it to other games with ban systems.
“Other games ban, but is it actually better?” Smith said.
Under a “pick-ban” system, players would choose a fixed number of agents and block the opposing team from choosing them. The idea is that it leads to more creative and varied gameplay while keeping the playing field level.League of Legendsfeatures a similar mode called “Draft Pick” where champions are banned from selection in the character pool.
Despite the player desire for it, Smith wasn’t the only developer at Riot unsure about the viability of a “pick-ban” system inValorant. Senior Game Designer Trevor Romleski previously told Dexerto in July 2020 such a system could prove harmful toValorant’s competitive scenewhere high-level, agent-specific expertise is seemingly required.
“We expect teams to have set plays and strategies that will require very specific Agents,” Romelski said.
On the one hand, it is easy to understand players arguments for adding such a ban system inValorantand similar games. It would force players to experiment more in the game, leading to new strategies and expanding the sandbox meta to make it more varied. However, Riot Games' stance also makes sense as the high-level, specialized play exhibited by some of the game’s best players is what keeps audiences viewing on platforms like Twitch and helping entice new players to give the game a shot.
In either case, going by Smith’s comments, it may be a few years until any sort of “pick-ban” system is introduced.
