Hero League

Hero League was a Ranked Play game mode that allowed players to queue up alone to play with (and against) other players of similar skill who were looking for a solo challenge. On March 26, 2019, Hero League and Team League were merged into a single Ranked queue: Storm League.

Former Content
Choose Hero League if:
 * You want to start playing ranked
 * You don't mind riding into battle with random players
 * You want the rewards that are exclusive to ranked play

If you have a reliable group of friends ready to tear it up in the Nexus, Team League is your place to go.

Players will see their current rank, win/loss record, and a few notable stats displayed on the Hero League Play Screen. From here, click "Ready" at the bottom of the screen to jump into the Hero League queue alone.

Requirements

 * Any account level can participate in Hero or Team League games.
 * Since there are 6 total bans, it is required to own 16 or more Heroes who are at least Level 5.
 * Weekly free Hero rotation now counts toward the minimum Hero requirement. They also need to be Level 5.
 * Neither Cho nor Gall count toward this requirement.

Matchmaking
The matchmaker will search the Hero League queue in order to place players with and against players of similar skill, use a Matchmaking Rating (MMR) that's separate from Quick Match rating. This is an individual rating, meaning that it is unique to each player's own performance, and will not change based on different parties or players they buddy up with. Everyone will start their Hero League journey with a blank slate in terms of MMR, which may initially cause Hero League matchmaking to feel a little wild while the matchmaker learns more about each player’s individual skill level. The more Hero League games are played, the more accurate matchmaking will become.

Points and Rank
Hero League begins with a series of 10 placement matches, to determine initial rank. During these matches, a player may encounter a large range of allies and opponents. After these are complete, the player will be placed at a rank deemed to be appropriate for their skill level.

Wins award points while losing results in points being lost. In a game where the matchmaker pits you against an evenly matched opponent, the player gains or loses around 200 points. Winning against a more skilled opponent will gain more points, but losing to one penalizes you less. Winning against a less skilled opponent will earn fewer points, and losing to one penalizes you more.

Each rank is represented as 2% of the overall population of Hero League, with 50 being the least skilled and 1 being the most. Ranking up or losing a rank will place you at first near the middle of ranking up or down again, usually taking two to three consecutive wins or losses to do either. The exceptions are that you cannot fall below rank 40 due to losses, and once reaching rank 1 you still acquire points, which means that a few losses will not always de-rank you to 2.

Rank Decay

 * Diamond, Master, and Grand Master Hero League players who have placed in the current season but haven’t completed any games in a while will be considered "inactive"
 * Once a player becomes inactive, they will receive a small amount of rank and MMR decay each day until they complete one Hero League match.
 * Diamond, Master, and Grand Master each have their own threshold for inactivity.
 * Players can earn additional “grace period” days by regularly playing Hero League matches during the current season.
 * Inactive players can avoid decay and regain active status by playing a single Hero League match to completion.

Placement
All players must play 10 placement matches in order to receive an initial ranking. Players who enter ranked play for the first time can no longer be seeded into placement matches higher than Gold 5.

Abandoning

 * Any player who leaves an in-progress Hero League or Quick Match game, and does not rejoin before it is finished, will be locked from playing any ranked games until they complete a new Quick Match game. That player will also still earn or lose ranked points depending on the outcome of the match he or she left prematurely.
 * Any player who leaves a Hero League game during Draft Mode will lose a substantial amount of ranked points, become unable to play ranked games until completing a Quick Match game, and will also cause any players in his or her party to incur these penalties.