A small new setting in the roster screen could quietly reshape how Deadlock matches feel.
Valve has introduced a new form of hero banning in Deadlock, outlined in the latest patch notes shared by developer Yoshi on Saturday (31 January SGT) on Deadlock’s official feedback forum. The update confirms that hero banning has been “added to Standard Mode and Street Brawl”, giving players a way to signal which characters they would rather not see in their matches.
Rather than a traditional draft phase, the system works through an individual preference setting. As explained in the notes, players can now choose “one hero in your roster screen” and use middle click to tell the matchmaker they prefer to avoid that hero. When a match begins, the game will confirm which heroes “were banned”.
For now, Valve is limiting the system to “just 2 total bans” per match. The developer also clarified that the feature “does not affect new heroes in the initial release window”, meaning recently launched characters will still appear in games regardless of player selections.
Deadlock’s ban system is a lighter alternative to traditional MOBA drafts
Unlike many competitive MOBAs, Deadlock does not introduce a pre-game lobby where teams take turns banning heroes. Instead, this system operates in the background during matchmaking, keeping queues moving while still offering some control over matchups.
Because each player can only flag a single hero and the total number of bans is low, the overall roster remains widely available in most games. For players, this means a reduced chance of repeatedly facing particularly frustrating or dominant picks, without the longer setup time associated with full draft modes.
At the same time, newly released heroes are excluded from the system during their initial window, meaning they will continue to appear in matches regardless of player ban preferences.
Beyond hero banning, the update delivers extensive balance changes affecting items, hero abilities, and overall combat pacing. Players can check out the full patch notes here.
