How to Ban Heroes in Dota 2

Some heroes in Dota 2 are just a pain to play against. They’ll either hard-counter your pick or just be an annoying presence that drains energy out of you to deal with. Fortunately, that’s why Valve allows players to ban heroes from getting picked before a match begins. In this guide, we’ll understand how you can ban heroes in Dota 2. 

How to Ban Heroes in All Pick

The name “All Pick” doesn’t necessarily mean all heroes can be picked, as more than 10 heroes will be banned before the picking stage even begins. This is because each player can ban one hero from the Dota 2 pool.

Instead of outright “banning” a hero from the draft, the proper word is “nominate.” Patch 7.35d introduced a new method of banning nominations for the All Pick game mode.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can nominate your bans:

1. Launch Dota 2 and go to the Heroes tab.
2. In the top-right corner, you will see four boxes next to “Bans.”
3. Here, select four heroes that you would like to try banning during your matches.

After selecting four heroes, at least one of these heroes is guaranteed to be banned in your matches. So, if another player has the same hero in their ban list as you do, the chances of that hero getting banned increase. 

Back then, players could nominate which heroes to ban once they had loaded into the match. But now, all bans are determined by the four choices made beforehand. 

Banning Heroes Due to Double-Picking

Apart from the banning nominations, there is another way to ban a hero in Dota 2, but it is only viable in ranked mode. If two players from either side pick the same hero in the same phase, the hero will be banned. 

For example:

• It is the first phase of the drafting stage. 
• A player on Radiant selects Lion.
• In the same stage, a player on Dire selects Lion.
• The game will ban Lion, and both players must select another hero.

So, if a hero is completely broken in the current meta, some teams have gentlemen’s agreements to select the hero in the first stage and get it removed from the match. 

Alternatively, if you often come across the same players, you can identify if someone loves spamming a certain hero. If you know this player is going to pick the same hero every game, you can pick it, which will result in it getting banned. 

What Heroes Should You Ban?

What heroes you’d like to ban completely comes down to personal preference. If you’re unsure of which heroes to select, here are several pointers to help make up your mind:

Ban Heroes Based on Role

If you’re a Dota 2 mid-laner who likes playing melee heroes like Pangolier or Dragon Knight, banning counterpicks like Viper or Huskar can be a viable option.

If you’re an offlaner, banning safelaners that are bullies in lane, such as Ursa, Troll Warlord, or Drow Ranger, could be the move.

If you’re a support player, banning heroes that can easily pick you off, like Spectre, Riki, or Phantom Assassin, might be best. 

Ban Broken Heroes

In every Dota 2 patch, some heroes get nerfed or buffed. Sometimes, some heroes receive way too many buffs and are considered “broken” or “overpowered.” 

If this is the case, you can add such heroes into your four nominations – there is a good chance someone else in the game has the same idea, which increases the chances of it getting banned. 

How to Ban Heroes in Captain’s Mode

Though All Pick is the most popular Dota 2 game mode, Captain’s Mode is the most competitive one. Captain’s Mode is used in professional matches, which is why you’ll always see the drafting stage before the game commences. 

In Captain’s Mode, each team gets to ban seven heroes, totaling 14 heroes banned throughout the game. Captain’s Mode ignores the four heroes you selected in the Heroes menu.

Banning heroes in Captain’s Mode is straightforward:

1. Load into a Captain’s Mode game.
2. One player on the team will become the Captain.
3. The Captain will be responsible for banning and picking heroes.
4. To ban a hero, simply click on a portrait and press the “Ban” button.

Since hero picks are revealed throughout the draft, bans in Captain’s Mode are far more tactical than in All Pick. Captains must ban heroes based on what the opposing team has already shown, as they can stop potential synergies or hero combinations. 

However, bans should also be used to protect the team’s current picks to prevent any hard matchups or counterpicks.