A lot of time has passed since we’ve last seen the Overwatch League — too much, perhaps. While there were multiple Overwatch tournaments throughout last year, none were as exciting and engaging as the Overwatch League. But seeing how the inaugural season concluded last July, there’s been a drought of high-level Overwatch, and it feels like an eternity has passed since we’ve last seen the game’s biggest and most prestigious tournament.

This time around, there are multiple key changes being brought to the table. The format is slightly different, there will be more money for teams to earn, a different time schedule, and last, but definitely not least — there is a ton of new teams joining the fray! While twenty teams in total might seem like too much to handle, Blizzard is doing everything in their power to make the schedule as easy to follow as possible.

Furthermore, Blizzard has been employing some highly questionable marketing strategies (or lack thereof, rather), which has left a lot of the community in a state of confusion. There’s also a lot of turmoil behind the scenes going on as well, with there being almost a thousand layoffs at Activision Blizzard. A lot of things are in limbo, but the Overwatch League is going ahead full steam — for better or worse. In short, we have a lot to break down in our Overwatch League Season two preview!

Even though there hasn’t been a lot of official hype, hundreds of thousands of fans all around the globe are anticipating the upcoming competitive season, and with good reason. Last year’s season gave us some incredible top-tier play, and upsets and spectacular narratives were never absent regardless of your allegiance.

So, without any further ado, let’s start our Overwatch League Season two preview!

Overwatch League Season Two Preview | Interesting Facts

To be quite fair, everything is interesting regarding the second Overwatch League season, especially after the first one knocked it out of the park.

It was exciting, there were multiple over-arching narratives that developed throughout the season, and Blizzard did a stellar job marketing it all. While there was perhaps a bit too much Overwatch at one point, it was still incredibly engaging.

Furthermore, with multiple new teams joining the battle, it’ll be interesting to see if they can challenge the status quo. There are many rumblings behind the scenes that there are a couple of highly capable new contenders which should, in turn, make the upcoming season that much more thrilling and surprising.

One thing is for certain — if you’re a fan of high-octane Overwatch, you’re in for one heck of a ride!

Tournament Format

On first glance, the tournament format hasn’t changed too much, although there are a couple of key differences.

First of all, every team will play 28 matches instead of 40 like last year. This should combat player (and viewer) burnout. After stages one, two, and three there will be a stage playoff tournament. Eight teams will qualify — two division leaders and six teams below them in the standings regardless of division.

When the four stages conclude, two division winners along with the next four best teams (regardless of division) automatically qualify for the season playoffs. Two additional teams will also have the chance to qualify after a play-in tournament between the seventh through twelfth teams.

The final eight teams will then compete in a double-elimination bracket.

Prize Pool Distribution

The total prize pool for the entire season is a whopping $5 million.

The money is distributed across individual stage playoffs, as well as season playoffs.

Stage Playoffs:

1st Place — $200,000

2nd Place — $100,000

3rd and 4th Place — $50,000

5th through 8th Place — $25,000

Season Playoffs:

1st Place — $1.1 million

2nd Place — $600,000

3rd Place — $450,000

4th Place — $350,000

5th and 6th Place — $300,000

7th and 8th Place — $200,000

Overwatch League Season Two Preview | Teams Overview

The twelve teams that played in the inaugural Overwatch League season are returning, and there are eight new ones as well. Three are from China, one from Europe, two from the United States, and two from Canada.

The twelve teams returning are:

List with Set Numbers

1. Dallas Fuel — The former EnVyUs roster failed to leave a mark in 2018. They entered the League with a metric ton of hype, and yet other than a solid showing during the Brigitte meta in Stage 4, they failed to do much. Unfortunately, with every organization stepping up and signing incredibly talented players, it seems like Dallas won’t be able to do much better this time around either.
2. Boston Uprising — Last season was a strange one for Boston. They attained some success, but it wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things. They’re entering 2019 with multiple key changes to their roster, but without their main tank Young-Jin “Gamsu” Noh in the line-up, one has to be a bit skeptical regarding their overall strength.
3. Houston Outlaws — Other than their solid showing in Stage 1 last year, the Outlaws failed to make any waves. That said, you could never count them out, regardless of opponent. They were deceptively strong (especially on certain maps) and coming into 2019 they will retain their underdog (or perhaps dark horse) status. There’s a lot of talent within their roster, but whether or not they’ll be able to compete this time around remains to be seen.
4. Florida Mayhem — Even though they were able to lock down a couple of wins last year, Florida’s inaugural Overwatch League year was a resounding failure. They made a couple of good signings during the off-season, but they’re once again predicted to be a bottom-tier team, and with good reason.
5. New York Excelsior — Even though they failed to win the whole thing, NYXL was arguably the best team in the League throughout last year. Their level of play was absolutely staggering, and with a bolstered roster and coaching staff, they’re looking for redemption in 2019. Even though they were unable to lift the Overwatch League trophy, they’re still as good as it gets.
6. Los Angeles Valiant — When all was said and done, the Valiant were one of the best teams in the entire League. While they did eventually get 2-0’d in the playoff semifinals, their first year in the Overwatch League was an absolute success. There’s a lot more competition this time around, but the Valiant still have the tools at their disposal in order to stay competitive.
7. Los Angeles Gladiators — You could never count the Gladiators out last year, and that sentiment should still hold true. They’re an incredibly creative team, and many are predicting them to be a highly competitive top 10 contender this time around. Whether or not that’ll pan out is a completely different matter.
8. London Spitfire — The season one champions are entering 2019 looking to have a repeat performance. Fortunately, they retained a good portion of their 2018 roster, so they should, by all means, be able to compete with the best once again.
9. Seoul Dynasty — For Seoul, 2018 was a complete failure in every way imaginable. They did make a couple of interesting changes during the off-season, but how high they’ll rank once the upcoming season starts is completely up in the air. In any case, don’t expect too much.
10. San Francisco Shock — As the 2018 season came to a close, the Shock were deceptively strong and capable. They were creative, and they had the mechanical prowess to go blow-for-blow with the likes of NYXL and London Spitfire. They’re entering 2019 with a lot of pre-built synergy, so they should be surprisingly competitive.
11. Philadelphia Fusion — The 2018 runner-ups are looking to build on the foundation which they’ve set last year. They’re still as strong as ever, so you should expect them to make waves in the next couple of months.
12. Shanghai Dragons — The only team that failed to register even a single win throughout the forty-game long season last year. After a big roster overhaul, Shanghai is looking to not only get that elusive first win but also make a statement. According to multiple rumors, they should be able to surprise a lot of people, but we’ll wait a bit before buying into the hype.

Finally, the eight new teams are spread across the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions.

Atlantic:

1. Atlanta Reign
2. Paris Eternal
3. Toronto Defiant
4. Washington Justice

Pacific:

1. Chengdu Hunters
2. Guangzhou Charge
3. Hangzhou Spark
4. Vancouver Titans

Predicting how well either of these eight teams will do is a thankless endeavor. We all remember when Dallas Fuel and Seoul Dynasty had entered the League on the biggest of hype trains, only to get derailed in a matter of weeks.

Furthermore, the meta right now is in a state of flux. GOAT comps are still running rampant, and what teams are trying in scrims may or may not be what they’ll play on stage. Either way, a lot will change over the next month or two, which should heavily impact the standings and (by proxy) the power rankings.

That said, a lot of people are riding high on the Vancouver Titans, Hangzhou Spark, and the Guangzhou Charge.

Overwatch League Season Two Schedule

There are four game days per week (Thursday through Sunday). There will be four matches per day, with each match having four maps. If both teams are tied, they’ll play another deciding fifth map.

We already know the complete schedule, and you can check it out at the following link. Also, you can download the entire schedule in .PDF format by clicking here.

You can watch the Overwatch League on the official website, MLG.com (both online and through their mobile app), and on Twitch. Selected matches will also be broadcasted on the ESPN/Disney XD/ABC family of networks.