A sudden email from ESL has turned the Overwatch Open’s landscape around. The contents of the email are as follows:
Hello, all participants of “Overwatch Open Division Season 2 — Regular Season”! We’re happy to announce that the roster locks from Overwatch Open Division have been lifted! This means you will be able to add new players to your team on a weekly basis. The only restriction is that any of the players cannot be on an Overwatch Contenders, Overwatch APEX, Overwatch Premier Series or Overwatch Pacific Championship team. This means your teams have now been unlocked and you can change players freely. In addition to this change, we’ve also adjusted the rules in such a way that Control maps are now played according to the official Blizzard competitive season format, BO3. This replaces the old BO5 rule completely effective immediately. Best regards, Your Admin Team
Teams must now adjust as all Control maps played during the Open Division will have a shorter duration. With a score to win going down from 3 rounds to 2 instead, there are now no repetitions of any instance of the chosen Control map. This is in line with both competitive play rules and higher league play.
The more notable point though is that the rosters are now unlocked. Before, substitution rules of the Open Division were as followed: 8.1. Substitutions Eligibility
Teams may only use substitutes that were checked-in prior to the close of roster locks.
Now, the unlocked rosters would allow a showcase of new players. A team might have one roster the first week, and a completely different roster by the final week. With the only restriction being that the player cannot be from the higher leagues, this allows new talents a chance in the spotlight. The e-mail is unclear though on the need of a Masters or higher ranking from Season 5 for any of the players added.
With this big change, the lingering question is, would the Philippine teams use this in case of roster or schedule issues? Each of the three Filipino teams has notable possibilities. Would Justin “Caladbolg” Limbo return to Mineski to play in weeks he is available? Would Miraculum add substitutes on a rotation or stick with their solid 6-man roster? Could Fatal Faction re-add their regular members, Ericsson “DodgeThiss” Marquez and Veronico Mark “XGriever” Quiban, since the reason they were not on the roster was due to the “Masters or higher” rule?
The answers to these questions should come by this Sunday, on the first week of the Overwatch Open Division Season 2. For the Philippine teams, Mineski will face off against Fatal Faction, while Miraculum will square off against BBONG. Games will occur at a time between 12 PM to 4 PM, as agreed on by the teams on a case by case basis. The choice of which games to stream will be at ESL’s discretion. Whether they be on stream or not, both contests should prove to be exciting showcases of Filipino talent.