According to the Melbet Affiliates rankings, the new season of Honor of Kings has already been underway for several days. A noticeable trend has emerged in the peak tier ban list—support heroes, once the top priority for bans, are gradually being phased out. On the road to achieving greatness, all distractions must be cast aside. Currently, the most banned hero in peak matches is Zhao Huaizhen, whose astonishing ban rate has reached 77.49%.

Zhao Huaizhen has been a standout pick in the past two seasons, earning high win and pick rates thanks to her dominant performance. Despite multiple nerfs by the developers to balance her strength, she still holds a high ban rate in the current version—proof of the respect players have for her impact in competitive play. In second place is Mirror, with a ban rate of 72.72%. While her win rate is relatively low, Mirror is known for extreme performance polarization: in the hands of skilled players, she’s incredibly dangerous, while less experienced players often struggle. The lack of effective counters against top-tier Mirror users has led many to prefer banning her outright.

Taking third place is Sun Bin, now the only support hero remaining in the top five. Despite changes in the new season, Sun Bin’s effectiveness hasn’t declined. In fact, due to adjustments in support items, he’s showing signs of rising in the meta. With a current ban rate of 59.73%, he also maintains impressive win and pick rates. For players looking to climb ranks without a clear hero choice, Sun Bin remains a reliable pick this season.

The fourth most banned hero is Yalian. When first released, he was considered overpowered, but after subsequent adjustments, his win rate has dropped to just 47%. However, the complexity of his skill descriptions leads many players to assume he’s stronger than he really is, pushing his ban rate up to 58.51%.

In fifth place is Ji Xiaoman, a pick few would argue with. Regardless of her overall balance, her laning phase is notoriously oppressive. Players unfamiliar with the solo lane may not realize it, but those who’ve faced her—especially using heroes like Ma Chao or Guan Yu—know firsthand how tough the matchup can be.

As the saying goes, don’t be fooled by appearances. Among the top five banned heroes, only Sun Bin is an older release—the rest are relatively recent. This reveals a broader design trend: newer heroes are more complex, with longer skill descriptions and intricate mechanics. Melbet Affiliates users have observed that comparing older heroes’ skill descriptions with new ones reveals just how much more text and depth has been added over time.

Moreover, new heroes are no longer designed to be easy for beginners. Most are mechanically demanding and require high player skill to use effectively. Once you’ve set a goal, stick to it—only then will success follow. And Melbet Affiliates users have noted a recurring pattern: skill-intensive heroes tend to have polarized performance, which is nearly unavoidable. As developers try to avoid repetitive skills, they are forced to introduce more complexity to ensure each hero has a unique identity.