Teams in the Overwatch League are expressing frustration with the new format of the 2023 playoffs. The changes made by the league have left many coaches and players dissatisfied with how the opening matches were determined and how map picks work.
The playoffs used to follow a double-elimination format, but now they consist of a group stage and a single-elimination stage. The most contentious issue is how seeding was determined. While five teams qualified automatically, two Western teams and one Eastern team made it through the play-ins, resulting in an uneven balance of regional teams.
To address this, the OWL introduced a draft where teams could choose who they wouldn’t face. However, this method of determining seeding based on the draft rather than regular season performances has caused frustration across the league.
Seeding in the groups is as follows: Atlanta Reign, Seoul Infernal, Florida Mayhem, London Spitfire, Houston Outlaws, Boston Uprising, Dallas Fuel, and Hangzhou Spark. This order determines which team gets the map pick that starts the series.
One issue that has been raised is that the higher seed always gets to pick the first map of Control. This was the case in previous events, but with the addition of the new map type of Flashpoint, Control is now only played once per series. This means that teams like the London Spitfire, who qualified last but are positioned fourth, get map advantages over teams that would not have received them based on their performances.
Florida Mayhem coach Jordan “Gunba” Graham was one of the first to speak out about these issues. He believes that the seeding method is unfair and gives certain teams a significant competitive advantage. Even the Spitfire coach, ChrisTFer, agrees that their position thanks to seeding helps them significantly.
This new seeding also affects on-site practices in Toronto, as specific teams get more time on their servers dedicated to scrimming against each other. Gunba argues that both the seeding and practice time should be based on regular season seeding rather than how teams qualified for the tournament.
The OWL has responded to these concerns by stating that all teams are receiving the same amount of practice time in equivalent facilities. However, tensions are rising as teams feel that their hard work throughout the year to achieve a good record is not being taken into account when it comes to map picks.
The 2023 OWL playoffs begin on Thursday, Sept. 28, and end on Sunday, Oct. 1. Teams will have to work through their frustrations in order to compete for the title of the sixth OWL champions.
Source: DOTESPORTS
