In these games, two teams of five players each compete against each other. At the start of the game, each player selects an identity out of a list of more than 100 characters, each of whom has individual strengths, weaknesses, and special powers. Certain characters complement each other especially well, thus creating advantages such as increased mobility. The players choose their characters one by one, with the teams alternately taking turns. That enables players to choose a character who is an especially good opponent of another character already chosen by the competing team. This is called a “counter pick.”

Additional strategic depth is created by “bans” — the possibility of excluding individual characters from the selection process. This “pick & ban” phase is very strategic, and it requires lots of tactics and anticipatory moves, comparable to chess. The goal of the game is to conquer the opposing team’s base, so the composition of one’s own team already lays the foundation for victory.