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

Honor of Kings is making major esports waves in 2025! Following its global launch and a hugely successful 2024, the game is bringing exciting updates for the next year. This includes the first-ever Honor of Kings invitational in the Philippines, running from February 21st to March 1st. Even bigger news? The adoption of a global ban & pick format for Season Three and all future tournaments.

But what exactly is ban & pick? It's simpler than you might think. Once a hero is used by a team in a match, that hero is unavailable for the rest of that tournament for that team. This means if a player uses a specific hero, their teammates can't use it again, although opposing teams remain free to select it.

This is a significant change. Many MOBA players specialize in a small roster of mastered characters. Think of Tyler1 and his Draven in League of Legends – a prime example of player-hero synergy.

Ban & pick is a popular MOBA mechanic, used in games like League of Legends and Rainbow Six Siege. However, in those games, bans are usually pre-determined. Honor of Kings' approach is unique, placing the ban & pick decision directly in the hands of individual players, emphasizing teamwork and strategic choices. Players must now balance using familiar characters against the risk of restricting teammates' options. This innovative change promises to make Honor of Kings esports even more compelling for viewers.