Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs: Hawaii, Patch, Map Pool, And Format
The Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs are upon us, as eight of the greatest teams face off for global supremacy and to etch their names in the game's folklore as the last six-man team to win the international champion.
As the upcoming Overwatch 2 conundrum rolls on, all eyes are focused on the present day, with a place in eternal history up for grabs alongside $1.5million.
Will San Francisco Shock complete their hat-trick? Can Shanghai Dragons kick on from their almost untouchable regular season performances?
Here's everything you need to know about the Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs...
Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs Moves To Hawaii From LA and Dallas
Amid the global pandemic and the influx of cases throughout the world due to the Delta variant, the Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs will no longer be held in Dallas and Los Angeles, as the league executives have made the decision to pivot to Hawaii.
Having previously intended to be played in live arenas with fans, the teams will now be forced to play out the remaining games online. The five Western teams will travel to Hawaii to minimise latency issues between the two regions.
Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs: Which Patch Will it be played on?
The Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs will be played on Patch 1.63 for its entirety, with no hero pools coming into play.
Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs: Seeding
As of writing, five teams have already secured their seeds for the Overwatch league 2021 Playoffs. Both Shanghai Dragons and Chengdu Hunters will be joining Dallas Fuel, Los Angeles Gladiators, and Atlanta Reign.
The full seeding is as follows:
- Shanghai Dragons
- Dallas Fuel
- Chengdu Hunters
- Los Angeles Gladiators
- Atlanta Reign
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
The top three teams will have the option of who they want to face in their opening fixtures, with Shanghai getting the first choice. The double-elimination bracket also sees LA Gladiators face whichever team isn't picked, although the four mentioned teams will also get their pick of the first map. Neither of the four teams can attempt to knock each other out in the first round, although there will be ample op[opportunity as the Playoffs unravels.
The final three teams will be decided through Regional Play-Ins.
Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs: Map Pools
As for the map pool on offer at the Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs, there will be five to pick from on Control and three for Escort, Hybrid, and Assault.
The map pool per game mode is broken down as follows:
- Control: Busan, Ilios, Lijiang Tower, Nepal, Oasis
- Assault: Hanamura, Temple of Anubis, Volskaya Industries
- Hybrid: Eichenwalde, King’s Row, Numbani
- Escort: Dorado, Havana, Route 66
Click to enlargeFor best of five games, the map order will be: Control, Assault, Hybrid, Escort, Control, (Escort, and Control).
For best of seven matches, the map order will be: Control, Assault, Hybrid, Escort, Control, Hybrid, Escort, (Control, and Escort).
As for the map picks, the better-seeded team will have first dibs on which they want to play on the opening Control. For the following rounds, the team who lost will choose the map, whilst the winner will choose attack or defence.
The Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs will kick off on September 09, with a combined prize pool of $3.2million.