The Overwatch League revealed the schedule and map pool for the 2022 season on Friday. While the map pool will change with future tournaments, this new format lacks the Assault map type and replaces it with Push.
Additionally, every map type except for Control will feature a new map for players to compete on. And while fans knew some of the earlier matchups of the 2022 schedule, now the entire list is up for fans to see.
New map pool, season schedule, and more 😏@Soembie, @MattMrX, and @sean_mmills break down the upcoming season in this Community Update! pic.twitter.com/VRzlbz4pVr
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 11, 2022
New Overwatch 2 map pool
For fans looking forward to the Overwatch 2 map changes, here is the full map pool to start the 2022 season with the new maps in bold:
- Control maps: Ilios, Lijiang Tower and Oasis
- Hybrid maps: Eichenwalde, King’s Row and Midtown (New York)
- Escort maps: Dorado, Route 66, Watchpoint Gibraltar and Circuit Royal (Monte Carlo)
- Push maps: Colosseo (Rome), New Queen Street (Toronto)
A lot of fan and player favorite maps, including King’s Row, Ilios, Eichenwalde and Dorado, are returning to start 2022. As for the new Push game mode, both Colosseo and New Queen Street will make their debuts in the Overwatch League. Along with Midtown and Circuit Royal, there are four new maps for the 2022 season so far with no Assault in sight.
Hero pools a thing of the past
In previous seasons of the Overwatch League, specific metas dominated for long periods of time. The people in charge of the league made multiple attempts to add more variation to the games, including 2/2/2 lock and hero pools. Overwatch 2 now only has five players per team, so the lock is now 1/2/2. With that change, the head of the Overwatch League Sean Miller confirmed that there are no hero pools in the 2022 season.
no hero pools for 2022
— Sean Miller (@sean_mmills) March 11, 2022
Full schedule revealed
After showing off the first 2022 matchups for teams across the league, the full schedule is now available on the Overwatch League website. Fans already knew of some big matchups that start the season off, including the Philadelphia Fusion facing the Shanghai Dragons. Another notable big game is the classic battle of Texas, between the Dallas Fuel and Houston Outlaws.
As for later matches in the first stage that sparks some interest, there is a match between the San Francisco Shock and Houston Outlaws, teams that always try their hardest against each other. Plus, along with a bunch of new roster debuts, there could be some big upsets and some big changes in the previously known Overwatch hierarchy. A new game means new skills, especially with familiar faces on new teams.
As for teams preparing, they currently have access to the Overwatch 2 Alpha. The new hero, Sojourn, is available to play on the build, and the teams have about two months to practice before the season starts. Due to the new game, the replay viewer won’t be available to fans, but teams will have access to it for the sake of coaching.
The new Overwatch League season starts on May 5, 2022, on YouTube.
