- Overwatch League 2021 Season Update
- New Roster Rule changes include more flexibility in team management
- Jon Spector provides greater analysis to rule changes
With the Countdown Cup 2020 nearing to its end and the Grand Finals right around the corner, the Overwatch League is starting to look forward to 2021. In an announcement on August 11, Tuesday, the Overwatch League revealed how roster construction will change in the upcoming season. Details of the Roster ruler changes were discussed more clearly by Jon Spector, Vice President of Overwatch in his blog post which came after the update on the Overwatch League twitter page.
Now as the major changes was regarding the roster rules so there were various dates that were revealed keep track of certain off-season(which starts just after Grand Finals) moves for the teams to shape up for the next season.
Key Dates
September 14, 2020: Free Agent signing opens back up, and teams can extend current contracts
September 21, 2020: Teams eliminated from the playoffs can discuss 2021 contract terms with players whose contracts expire after the 2020 season. This includes discussing contract terms with players still on team-option contracts. Contracts for the 2021 season cannot be signed until the player’s team declines to extend the current contract.
Oct. 12, 2020: Teams may begin submitting player trades for review by the League Office.
Oct. 23-Nov. 20, 2020: Any players not under contract into the 2021 season become free agents, with the specific expiration date dependent on the season in which their original agreement was executed.
Nov. 23, 2020: Deadline for all teams to have a minimum of seven players signed to season-long contracts for the 2021 season.
Two-Way Player Changes
The most important change to note for the 2021 season is the removal of the two-way player limit. Currently, teams are restricted to only two players designated as two-way. Now that teams no longer need to battle the player limit, teams are free to sign as many two-way players as they deem necessary.
Additionally, teams without an academy team can loan two-way players to non-affiliated Contenders teams. For example, if the San Francisco Shock felt they want to keep Matt “Super” DeLisi on the flex-dps role and he signed two-way contract, the Shock can have him play on any Contenders team looking for their next Genji player.
These changes aim to keep the connection between OWL and Contenders a little more meaningful. Overwatch League teams are now free to trial Contenders players, without being locked into a season-long contract. Hopefully, the new contract structure can provide more opportunities for aspiring pros in the Tier 2 scene.