Overwatch pros react to the new Hero Pool system coming to the league

People had mixed feelings about the addition of Hero Pools to the pro scene.
Photo by Robert Paul via Blizzard Entertainment
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is SB1.png
Recommended Videos

This article is brought to you by StatBanana, the best Overwatch strategy tool.


Since Blizzard Entertainment announced the addition of Hero Pools to the Overwatch League yesterday, many people in the community have voiced arguments for and against the new system. Several pros and analysts thought the new system was good for variety, while others had problems with the small time window that teams have to prepare.

Guangzhou Charge’s Alberto “neptuNo” González, for example, said that Hero Pools will help players “learn how to adapt faster and learn the game fundamentally, and be more versatile.” He also thinks it’ll allow certain players to get more playing time depending on which Hero Pool is available.

Flexibility will be the name of the game this season—the team with the more versatile players could be extremely successful. But Star DPS player Lane “Surefour” Roberts also said that these changes won’t change who the best teams are because those rosters have “confidence in their play and trust between their teammates.”

This makes sense because the strongest rosters should be able to play almost any composition if they trust their teammates to play at the highest level, no matter what heroes they have.

Not everyone is happy about the changes to the pro scene, however. Atlanta Reign’s Petja “Masaa” Kantanen wasn’t too keen on Hero Pools due to the amount of “cheese strats” that some teams will pull out thanks to the small amount of practice time available after Hero Pools are chosen. This will also add a ton of stress to both players and coaches since they now have to worry about building compositions while traveling to different locations.

The Overwatch League begins on Saturday, Feb. 8.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article How to fix Memory Leak in Overwatch 2
Tracer grabbing Sombra to dance with her at a party while Brigitte, Kiriko, and D.Va cheer them on.
Read Article All Venture abilities in Overwatch 2
Venture Overwatch 2
Read Article All known differences between Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals
Magik and Black Panther in Marvel Rivals.
Related Content
Read Article How to fix Memory Leak in Overwatch 2
Tracer grabbing Sombra to dance with her at a party while Brigitte, Kiriko, and D.Va cheer them on.
Read Article All Venture abilities in Overwatch 2
Venture Overwatch 2
Read Article All known differences between Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals
Magik and Black Panther in Marvel Rivals.
Author
Tyler Esguerra
Lead League of Legends writer for Dot Esports. Forever an LCS supporter, AD carry main, with more than five years in the industry. Sometimes I like clicking heads in Call of Duty or VALORANT. Creator of the Critical Strike Podcast.