New Updates to Hero Pools, TL;DR included

[Leotail72-11552]

@ScottMercer

Hero Pools Will Now Use Overwatch League Data

Starting this weekend, Hero Pools eligibility will be determined using hero usage rates from Overwatch League games.

@ScottMercer

Refining the Algorithm

As part of moving back to Overwatch League data, we’re also looking to make some minor changes in the algorithm to lessen the chance of what might be best described as “hero rotation ping-pong,” where a hero is rotated out every other week. […] The goal is to create variance in the available heroes week to week, and that means there will be a wide range of reactions from the community on each week’s Hero Pool from “the comps we see in OWL this week should be super interesting,” to “ARGH! This week’s pool is the WORST!” It all depends on which heroes you like to play and watch.

@ScottMercer

Hero Pools Now Only for Master and Grandmaster Players

Another big change we’re making is to only have Hero Pools affect online Competitive Play matches at an average rating of Master or Grandmaster skill level (>3500 SR). […] Unfortunately, this is a change that will require a client patch, and we’re a bit too far along in the development process for the upcoming 1.48 patch to add a new feature like this one. This change will take a bit more time to implement. While we all wait for this feature to go live, we’ve decided to temporarily disable Hero Pools from being used in all Competitive Play games. We’ll switch them off next Monday morning, May 4, when the Hero Pool normally rotates.

TL;DR:

• Hero Pools will use League data, but will use Competitive Ladder data when the season is over.
• They will work on the algorithm that curates the Hero Pools.
• Hero Pools will only apply to match to where the average SR (Yes, that will finally mean something) is 3500+.
• Hero Pools will be removed from competitive starting May 4 until they implement the system for it only applying to 3500+ average SR games.

[Ordinn-2275]

I guess this topic would have made more sense in the general discussion and not in the comp discussion aswell

[Leotail72-11552]

I took the generally more important bits.

[Fuzzy-21849]

They’re just giving another incentive to smurf which currently is a massive issue to the point where you can’t tell whether someone is a new player or a smurf

[Leotail72-11552]

Only about 3% of the player base are in Masters+. I think Jeff said something in the thread about it alluding to doing something about it, idk. I read it pretty vaugely.

[Leotail72-11552]

lol, just noticed it. Thanks for noticing!

[JonStriker-11942]

@Leotail72-11552

they implement the system for it only applying to 3500+ average SR games

Yeah. And if you read the comments in the Main Post, a lot of people are worried about those players smurfing/throwing to lower ranks, so They don’t have to deal with the bans.

And, honestly, that wouldn’t surprise me.

@Fuzzy-21849

They’re just giving another incentive to smurf which currently is a massive issue to the point where you can’t tell whether someone is a new player or a smurf

Yup. I’m expecting an uptick in Smurfs and throwers.

Hell, man, they keep this up, Gold/Plat will be the new Master and GM. Because, as it stands right now, You cant be in any group bigger than a two stack in Diamond+, and these bans will be for Master+. So, that added on top of the excruciatingly long Q times for those ranks, who’s really going to want to play up there?

It wouldn’t surprise me, once All this is implemented, if most Diamond+ players didn’t have a least one other account at a lower rank to: avoid bans, play with friends, have shorter Q times, or a combination of the three.

[Xerxes-21824]

TL;DR

Mercy won’t be banned ever again

That is a prospect I am OK with

(not a raving mad Mercy main, just someone upset at the fact Lucio and Ana haven’t been banned more)