What is the draft?
Before a game starts, both teams take turns to pick and ban heroes. A banned hero can't be played by anyone that game.
In All Pick every player chooses their own hero. Tournaments use Captain's Mode, where one captain makes every pick and ban for the team.
Counter-picks: an answer to the enemy
A counter-pick is a hero that's naturally strong against one the enemy already picked. One good counter can ruin an enemy's lane.
Anti-Mage vs Storm Spirit
Storm Spirit needs mana to zip around; every Anti-Mage hit burns it away.
Axe vs Phantom Lancer
Phantom Lancer relies on illusions; Axe's spin cuts through all of them at once.
Silencer vs Invoker
Invoker lives on spells; Global Silence stops every enemy from casting.
Synergy: 1 + 1 = 3
Two heroes whose abilities fit together can be much stronger than the sum of their parts. That's synergy.
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Magnus bunches enemies together, and Sven's swings hit all of them.
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Ravage locks everyone down, then Echo Slam goes off in the middle of them.
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Io tethers to an ally (say, the carry), heals them, then teleports them anywhere.
The meta: what's strong right now
The meta is the heroes and strategies that work best in the current update (patch). It shifts every time Valve releases one.
For a beginner, knowing your own heroes well matters far more than chasing the meta.
Key Points to Remember
- The draft is the pick-and-ban phase before a game
- A counter-pick is a hero that's strong against an enemy hero
- Team synergy often matters more than a hero that's strong alone
- The meta changes every patch — the basics don't
Quick quiz
What does 'counter-pick' mean?
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