Stage 4 of Overwatch League debuted the 2-2-2 role lock to some exciting results. With the first three stages of the league behind them as well as the 3-3 (GOATS) meta, the league is moving forward with the new role lock. It's the first time in the history of the league that a role lock like this has been in place, and it's going to be fun watching teams' strategies evolve to get the best results from it.
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There are many good things to come from this change, but the best part is how it will benefit the Overwatch League overall. The 3-3 isn’t inherently bad - it’s just not entirely exciting to watch and when you're dealing with entertainment, people want to watch things that are exciting. This is looking to change with the implementation of the new 2-2-2 role lock. What proceeded in week one of stage four was just that: exciting, and quite unpredictable at that.
For the first time since the beginning of this season, it was hard to know who was going to win their respective match-ups. It wasn't apparent how well the likes of the Vancouver Titans or San Francisco Shock would fare in the new changes. Spoiler alert: they dominated their games, showing that they are more than capable of adapting past the 3-3 meta.
Upsets happened left and right, and games went to the wire with explosive map fives. Atlanta Reign defeated Hangzhou Spark 3-1. The Houston Outlaws upset the LA Gladiators and the Gladiators took it to the New York Excelsior. Familiar faces reappeared this season, and new faces made their debuts.
While people did enjoy the 3-3 meta and its focus on tight team play, the 2-2-2 role lock has allowed for more play making ability. This led to more exciting games and the awe of watching the world's greatest DPS players pop off. Haksal was definitely a week one standout for the Titans with his game-changing Genji play, helping lead them to a revenge win against the white-hot Shanghai Dragons.
Some new patterns have already begun forming in the league. Casters and fans alike coined a new term: "Ice Fishing." This is a meta that revolves around the use of Mei, Orisa and Roadhog. These three heroes work together to try to hook an opposing player to quickly end a team fight. On top of that, teams experimented with different damage dealers including; Reaper, Tracer, Hanzo, Widowmaker, McCree, Sombra, Junkrat, Pharah, and Ashe just to name a few. The amount of different heroes played was staggering and added a new depth to a somewhat predictable season.
The game has forever changed with the new 2-2-2 role lock and right now, it's not exactly clear who will hoist that championship trophy up at the end.
The Overwatch League just got a lot more exciting.