Overwatch League: Emerging trends for the 2022 offseason
Last Updated on: 1st October 2021, 03:10 am
The Shanghai Dragon’s sweep over the Atlanta Reign on Sunday may have seemed like a forgettable way to end the 2021 season.
However, the match signaled the end of the Overwatch 1 era and brought forth the Overwatch 2 era. The OW2 era is expected to bring vast changes to the league and this year’s Overwatch League free agency will highlight such changes.
With that being said here are some trends that I am predicting for what should be an incredibly hectic 2022 Overwatch League Free Agency.
Trend One: Mass turnover of Overwatch League players
I am ripping the band-aid off quickly with arguably the darkest trend of the off-season.
First and foremost, with Overwatch 2 the game’s competitive format is changing from a 6v6 model to a 5v5 model with the new version of the game including one tank instead of two.
This change is massive, particularly for tanks who will now need to adapt to be able to play the new Frankenstein tank role that will come out of the ashes of the main and off-tank roles.
However, it won’t just be tanks that will leave the league. Many in the community are speculating that players from top teams will opt to retire due to burnout and dissatisfaction with the future of the esports scene in Overwatch 2.
As sad as it will be to see some fan favorites go, we will get to see some new faces from a region that has not been somewhat quiet as of recently…
Trend Two: An influx of North American rookies
Only one North American rookie was signed during the 2021 offseason, the Houston Outlaws’ Enrique “Joobi” Triana. However, NA wasn’t always so dry for talent.
Back in 2019 and 2020, names such as Gator, Hawk, Crimzo, Corey, and more were hot commodities heading into Overwatch League Free Agency.
But soon it was becoming clear that NA was running out of OWL-level prospects who were eligible to compete in the league.
And so we saw the 2021 off-season go by with only a single player from the Collegiate scene break into OWL.
But fortunately, the drought is almost over.
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It started when the Toronto Defiant had a covid outbreak within the team and required a DPS player to stand in for their upcoming matches. The Defiant looked to Luka “Aspire” Rolovic to fill the hole.
Aspire quickly stood out in his first few matches and proved that he and other North American prospects deserved spots in the league.
And teams took notice, a recent report has suggested that the Florida Mayhem, a team that in the past has leaned towards Korean talent, will be looking to pick up a North American roster for the upcoming season.
And who is the team’s primary target’s this free agency? Aspire’s former teammates who are now eligible to play in OWL.
And Florida isn’t the only team expected to look to North America for talent this year. The Los Angeles Valiant is reported to be back from their stint in China and will likely be looking for a cheaper Western roster for next season.
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Several teams including the Toronto Defiant and the Vancouver Titans will also need to decide what their next move is this offseason. Perhaps the high demand NA talent will sway them in one way or another
Trend Three: Fewer budget teams this season
It is no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic hit several teams in the Overwatch League hard. And because of that, several teams such as the New York Excelsior, the Guangzhou Charge, and the Los Angeles Valiant opted to go with cheaper rosters during the 2021 season.
Now, with the worst parts of the pandemic and life beginning to go back to normal it looks like several of this year’s “budget” teams will be paying some higher prices for big names this season.
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The higher budget teams should mean that we see a higher level of competition next season as this season’s biggest free agents won’t automatically go to the same top teams.
Conclusion: A hectic Overwatch League Free Agency
This year’s Overwatch League Free Agency is bound to be one of the craziest we have seen in years. The high turnover rate will see new rookies from a variety of regions come into the league and more teams competing for all of the top free agents.
To get a refresher on how the 2021 offseason will work check out the roster construction article on the Overwatch League website.
