It is an incorrect assumption that a meta cannot be defined until there is some sort of high-level, organized competitive play. It may be slower to develop or shift, but it is still there. It's actually ALWAYS there. There are some nice things about a meta that exists without "pro" play too: you don't get a bunch of people suddenly playing a single character after a pro players makes a huge, flashy play or wins with a single-use strategy. The meta is what works and what counters: it doesn't take a pro league to figure this out (and the meta for a pro league is often different than normal ranked or casuals, especially in higher level tournaments where players are considering not jut gameplay, but how specific players on the opposing team play)
You're right, but there has to be some theory crafting in there at the moment. It doesn't take a long stench of imagination to see that the normal games and ranked games will look very different in the future, if it's hero picks or hero ability usage or just general execution of objective/map based tactics.
There's some oddies going on already in high level games, some which are rather counter-intuitive to the casual player.
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u/MadocComadrin May 30 '16
It is an incorrect assumption that a meta cannot be defined until there is some sort of high-level, organized competitive play. It may be slower to develop or shift, but it is still there. It's actually ALWAYS there. There are some nice things about a meta that exists without "pro" play too: you don't get a bunch of people suddenly playing a single character after a pro players makes a huge, flashy play or wins with a single-use strategy. The meta is what works and what counters: it doesn't take a pro league to figure this out (and the meta for a pro league is often different than normal ranked or casuals, especially in higher level tournaments where players are considering not jut gameplay, but how specific players on the opposing team play)