Honor of Kings to adopt ban&pick format globally, with upcoming Phillipines invitational scheduled

Honor of Kings is making big esports announcements for 2025! Following its global release, the game is bringing an invitational tournament to the Philippines for the first time, running from February 21st to March 1st. Even bigger news? The adoption of a global ban & pick format for Season Three's invitational and all future tournaments.

What exactly is ban & pick? It's simpler than it sounds. Once a hero is used by a team in a match, that hero is unavailable to that team for the remainder of the tournament. This means a player's hero choice directly impacts their teammates' options, but not their opponents'.

This is a significant change. Many MOBA players specialize in a limited roster of mastered heroes. Think of Tyler1 and his iconic Draven in League of Legends – this system adds a new layer of strategy.

Ban & pick is a popular format in MOBAs, used in games like League of Legends and even Rainbow Six Siege. However, in those games, bans are often pre-determined. Honor of Kings' implementation puts the decision in the hands of individual players, emphasizing teamwork and strategic choices. Players must decide between using a hero they know is effective, a hero their teammate excels with, or reserving their main for later rounds. This strategic depth will undoubtedly make Honor of Kings esports even more engaging for viewers.