Posts from Post-tournament analysis and discussion of the CIS Tournament Regulations.

Mirror matches, in my opinion, are more exhausting to play than HL+U. I think playing 5 games on x3dm1 in 5 days would be very difficult.

Mirror diamond is a great template; it's dynamic and spectacular, especially in the late game. In it, the fact that players don't get mirror heroes at this stage has less of an impact.

I only saw a mirror skirmish at the last M-200. I didn't play it myself.

Nuum explained to me about mirror matches while we were having shashlik, but as I understand it, they take a long time to play.

I think you're confusing me with someone else...

Hey, I have a question: what games can you play where randomness is minimized, and skill becomes more important? I mean, I've seen in FTS that it's very skill-based, but if things go wrong, there's nothing you can do. In my opinion, he should have easily made it to the finals. I think I, and many others, want tournaments to depend less on randomness, or am I wrong? Num explained to me about mirror matches, but as I understand it, they take a long time to play?

Mirror matches, in their current form, are wildly unbalanced.

Mirrors, in their current state, create a huge imbalance.

Giving the opponent the same as you have – that’s an imbalance!!!
And it doesn’t matter in what form.

He also gives the same things to his opponent as he gives to you – this is an imbalance!!!
And it doesn't matter in what form.

As long as different heroes with different skill trees come to the tavern, Aiva is right.

As long as different heroes with different skill trees visit the tavern, Aiva is right.

Is this the only downside?

P.S. There are actually 3 types of mirror maps at the moment, depending on the version.
At least one of them has a good balance.

I only saw the Skirmish mirror map on the previous M-200. I haven't played it myself.

It's a good map; I've played it a few times, and I liked the layout. It also plays a bit faster than HL+U.

The imbalance of heroes is critical only for M-sized maps (mirror Skirmish). On L-sized maps, the unevenness in hero strength affects the outcome significantly less than the unevenness on non-mirror maps. It's simply many times less impactful.

The fact that in a battle between two equally skilled players, any small detail (like a hero with +1 crystal per day) can decide the outcome doesn't make mirror matches imbalanced in the normal sense of the word. Because imbalance is a situation where a player who is weaker in skill wins solely due to the random distribution of items. There are very few such situations in L-sized mirror matches.

A mirror tavern is definitely needed, but when it will appear is unknown. Wizart has disappeared somewhere, and the HotA team isn't too eager to create similar functionality from scratch. It's not that it's completely impossible, but it's not a priority at this stage.

However, I predict that even if a mirror tavern appears, there will inevitably be those who will still complain about imbalance. They'll complain that the color of items matters, or that the treasure chest is too random, or that morale/luck are not distributed symmetrically, or something else like that. Complaining about the random distribution is an integral part of the Heroes mindset, and it cannot be solved by simple methods like a mirror match.

Regarding XL+U vs. h3dm1, I agree that h3dm1 is a more demanding game. Not in terms of the game's inherent difficulty, but in terms of the energy expenditure. Players understand that you can't just coast through, so they try to get the most out of each round. This is good in one sense, as it makes the game's outcome more indicative than on other maps, but on the other hand, within the context of a fast-paced tournament, it will lead to player fatigue.

As for the mirrored Diamond map, there's less information available – it's played less often, and it doesn't have an equivalent in WT, so the tournament run is shorter. From my personal observations, I'd say it's slightly more entertaining than h3dm1, as the contact happens earlier. But how the players themselves perceive it – let them speak. I got the impression that guessing the direction plays a slightly bigger role there than on h3dm1.

As for the mirrored Skirmish map, I really don't know; I've only seen one game, and according to reviews, the tavern plays too big a role.

Mirror maps, especially those with a lot of castles, are extremely tedious. You can spend a month, or even two, just running around in circles.

The balance is maintained until the first branching point. One player goes left, the other goes right. And the balance is broken. In this sense, mirror matches are no different from regular xl+u templates.

The balance is maintained until the first branching point. One player goes left, the other goes right. And there is no more balance. In this sense, mirrored maps are no different from regular xl+u templates.

Balance is not about having the same game scenario. Balance is about equal starting opportunities. And the scenario should be different; this is what distinguishes competitive gameplay from non-competitive gameplay.

You could argue this to the point that balance in chess ends with the first asymmetrical move.

Chess doesn't have any balance – it clearly favors white due to the first move.

Chess doesn't have balance – it clearly favors white due to the first move.

Yeah, due to the first move. But not due to the asymmetry of the moves (one moves a pawn to d, the other moves a pawn to e).

In mapmaking, color has a similar effect.

Asymmetry of moves sometimes matters, sometimes it doesn't, but more often it doesn't, as experienced players try to cover all directions and launch the papa strategically. Situations where a player randomly rushes somewhere and gets a great advantage, which they immediately turn into a victory, are quite rare, especially on h3dm1.

Chess doesn't have balance – it clearly favors white due to the first move.

Exactly! In Heroes, like in chess, red also has an advantage, but it's not as significant (since it's compensated by blue's favorable position on restarts, the ability to see enemy heroes, mana replenishment, and cooldowns).
By the way, with perfect defense in chess, black can force a draw.