The Overwatch League just unveiled their complete May schedule along with the introduction of a brand new regional tournament. And this change couldn’t have come at a better time. Overwatch League's new tournament series is not only welcome, but a needed change to offset some of the damage done to it by Hero Pools.

Right now, the farms in the Overwatch League can only provide shallow crops within a one week span. To take the analogy a bit further, look at the growth of the stories in the Overwatch League during 2020. Let’s not downplay the COVID-19 pandemic, but let’s be honest with ourselves; even with moving to an online league format, stories and lasting narratives should still remain.

They remained with Cloud9 during their run through the 2020 Spring LCS Split.

They remained with Mad Lions’ Flashpoint Season 1 victory.

Why is it that our crops in Overwatch are so weak? Why is it that our stories in Overwatch have become more distant? It’s because nothing in this season has a consistent thread. Week by week the game changes with the Hero Pool system and every other month that system seems to change as well.

Now monthly tournaments don’t completely remedy this, but they give the league a fantastic vehicle to begin to form more concrete stories and create drama to keep the fans interested. Picture this; May’s monthly final represents a glimpse into who is the best team removing the restrictions of Hero Pools. However, that stands in contrast to the teams that have dominated the Hero Pool landscape so far; the Philadelphia Fusion and the Shanghai Dragons (who would have thought). This opens up more discussion around who does

best

and

where

are they the best.

Having teams pick opponents is content fans want to see. Obviously, with the restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that is going to be hindered, but even just having an interview with the coaches as they pick their opponents to facilitate some trash talk and banter will be welcomed. For a league that is a bit content starved, this is another great way to give the individual a platform.

And for all intents and purposes, and I can’t be the only one to have this as a big take away, the “May Madness” tournament is just an improved stage playoffs—which is great!

Now the league has added stakes to the “stage playoffs” which are directly tied to wins in the regular season. With the tournament champion taking away three added wins and the second-place team taking two extra wins while the third and fourth place team taking home one added win means there are playoff implications, but more importantly this opens up teams who are not equipped to deal with the chaos of Hero Pools to have an avenue to make a playoff berth.

A few things need to happen before we perfect this. We need to add an “s” to the word “tournament” and feature more events like this in the coming months, perhaps adding more tournaments to the schedule before playoffs are set to begin. However, we also need to review the fundamental Hero Pool system. I will continue beating this drum; it is not healthy for the game to have a one-week turnaround before drastically changing again.

Similar to Role Lock and the safety for a player’s career, one-week Hero Pools is not healthy for the game and the league needs to meet the fans in the middle. I’ve always held the league accountable for their actions, both positive and negative, and while the work isn’t finished, this very well could be the harbinger of very positive change for the Overwatch League.

Having a single-elimination tournament for such an important reward is something I would like to see changed in the future, but I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Adding wins to a team’s regular-season record is a

very

big deal and I’d like to see teams that perform the best overall receive those rewards. We don’t need a world where the 2019 Shock loses to Atlanta in the upper bracket and then are unable to make such an amazing run to the grand finals and be rewarded for it.

That said, the introduction of the “May Madness” tournament is a welcome and needed addition to the 2020 Overwatch League. I’d say this is the best thing to happen to the esports scene since the role lock in 2019. Not only does it give players something extra to compete for, but this also is a large improvement over the former Stage model, and this counteracts some of the problems with the Hero Pool model affecting the broadcast and how that relates to fans.

Hope is not lost, Overwatch.

While the tunnel is long and winding, there is some light shining through.

Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLGs of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at @Volamel .

Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

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