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Overwatch 2 Rulebook (Youth Program)
Overwatch 2 Rulebook (Youth Program)

The Overwatch Rulebook for Youth Program.

Updated over a week ago

Introduction and Purpose

These Official Rules (“Rules”) of the PlayVS Youth Program Esports League apply to each of the teams who have registered and met the requirements for the 2023-2024 year, as well as their adult sponsor, Starters, Substitutes (collectively “Team Members”), and other members.

1. Game Rules

1.1 Definition of Terms

1.1.1 Game. An instance of competition that is played until a winner is determined by one of the following methods, whichever occurs first: (a) completion of the countdown timer or objective achieved, (b) Team Surrender, or (c) Team Forfeit.

1.1.2 Match. A group of series (or "sets"). The winning team will either receive a win tally in a league format or advance to the next round in a tournament format.

1.1.3 Phase. A section of scheduled league play that comprises a season. There are three distinct phases: preseason, regular season, and playoffs. Each phase has its own league format.

1.1.4 Season. Scheduled league play that will occur over an approximately three-month period of time.

1.2 Roster Requirements

1.2.1 Roster Submission

Team members must be eligible to compete on behalf of their school as listed in Section 2 of the Youth Program Competition Rulebook.

In Overwatch 2, each team may have a maximum of ten (10) players, broken down into five (5) starting players on the Roster, and five (5) substitutes on the Bench. No individual may simultaneously hold two or more roles as listed above. All players and coaches are expected to be present physically or virtually for all official PlayVS matches. Both the Roster and Bench must be finalized before the Roster Lock Date, as listed in Section 3.3 Roster Submission.

1.2.2 Substitutions

Players on the bench may be used for any match their team is competing in within their assigned league. Only the players shown on a team’s Bench before the start of the match can be used as substitutes in an official PlayVS Match.

Once a Game of Record is established, substitutions are not allowed. Once the game is complete with results recorded, player substitutions may be made before the start of the following game.

If a player on the starting roster cannot compete in the match and there are no available Substitutes, competition may continue without that player as long as it does not put the opposing team at a disadvantage.

1.3 Game of Record

A Game of Record (“GOR”) in Overwatch 2 is established under the following conditions:

1.3.1 Any attack or ability is landed on an enemy Hero.

1.3.2 Line-of-sight is established between players on opposing teams.

1.3.3 Game timer reaches two minutes (00:02:00).

Once GOR is established, game restarts will only be allowed under limited conditions, as listed in Section 7.4 of the Youth Program Competition Rulebook.

1.4 Stoppage of Play

During any pause or stoppage, players may not leave the match area unless authorized by their coach. Sponsors should communicate any disconnections or pauses inside PlayVS’s Match Lobby chat.

1.4.1 Directed Pause

At any time and at their sole discretion, League Officials may order the pause of a match.Teams may complete the current game and finalize the results.

1.4.2 Player Pauses

So long as there are no team engagements (such as team fights, or skirmishing around objectives), players may pause a match using the in-game pause function by typing “/pause” within the in-game chat. and must notify a Sponsor and identify the reason for the pause in Match Lobby Chat immediately.

Once paused, all sponsors and players must return to the PlayVS Match Lobby page, where both coaches should provide updates in the PlayVS lobby chat to address the situation.

Pauses that are expected to last longer than 10 minutes must be approved by a League Official, and verified by a PlayVS Admin in Match Lobby Chat.

When the pausing team is ready to unpause the game, a member of each team must confirm the resumption of play by typing “ready” or “r” in the chat. To communicate with the opponent, players will press enter, type “/all” followed by a space and the message, and then press enter again to send the message.

If a player pauses or unpauses a game without permission from the sponsors, it will be considered unfair play, and penalties will be applied at the sole discretion of League Officials.

1.4.3 Player Disconnection

If a player disconnects from the online match during a game a pause will be allowed. The player will have to reconnect back to match within 5 minutes or the game will be unpaused and teams will continue to play with the current players found in the lobby. For all disconnects, please provide a screenshot as proof of when the disconnection happens.

You may NOT fill the spot of a disconnected player with a different player in the middle of a game. You must wait until after the game to substitute the disconnected player for another player. Rosters are locked for each game once the game begins and a “Game of Record” has been established according to section 1.3.

1.4.4 Team Disconnection

If an entire team disconnects from the online match during a game, the disconnected team must share a message in the match lobby chat to notify the opposing team. If the team cannot reconnect in a timely manner, notify PlayVS Support immediately for further assistance.

1.5 Game Format

  • Series: Best-of-Five (“Bo5”) Games (or “Maps”)

  • Format: Competitive

  • Team Size: Teams each consist of groups of five (5) players with an in-game role spread of one (1) tank, two (2) healers, and two (2) DPS.

Games will be played in the standard “Competitive” format found in-game which will limit role selections on each team to one (1) tank, two (2) healers, and two (2) DPS. Roles will be selected in-game at the beginning of each map by each player on the team and cannot be swapped once the round begins. Players may swap roles at any time between games and the beginning of each game.

In the case of a Draw leading to a tied score between teams at the end of Game 5, teams will play a Tie-breaker game with the game mode and map outlined for “Game 6” in section 1.6.1 below.

1.5.1 Preseason

This phase consists of each team enrolled in the league competing in the official preseason weeks. Results of these matches will not count toward team standings however, this match is strongly recommended to properly test equipment and player game connections.

1.5.2 Regular Season

This phase consists of each team within a state, each playing a weekly match in a league format against opponents within their region. Ranking in the league will be determined by each team's win-loss ratio.

1.5.3 Playoffs

This phase consists of eligible teams competing in a single-elimination tournament until only two teams remain. Winning teams will advance to the next round of the Bracket while losing teams will be removed from the competition.

Playoff Eligibility, Bracket, and Tiebreaker information can be found in section 5.2.3 Playoffs of the High School Competition Rulebook. More information about Tiebreakers can also be found here.

1.5.4 Finals

This phase consists of a final match between the top two teams from the league as decided by the Playoffs. The Finals will be a series of Best-of-Five (Bo5) games. The team to achieve three game wins will be awarded the match win and will be declared the League Champion.

1.6 Special Rules

Each match will follow the Game Mode order listed below with the map pool selection listed beside it. Teams MUST follow the Game Mode order; if an incorrect Game Mode is selected for a game, the game must be restarted before a “Game of Record” has been established as per Section 1.3 of this rulebook. Failure to restart the game with the proper game mode may result in action being taken against the host’s team by League officials.

1.6.1 Game Mode & Map Pool

Game Mode

Maps

Game 1: Flashpoint

New Junk City, Suravasa

Game 2: Push

New Queen Street, Colosseo, Esperança

Game 3: Escort

Route 66, Junkertown, Circuit Royal, Dorado, Havana, Rialto, Shambali Monastery, Watchpoint: Gibraltar

Game 4: Hybrid

Blizzard World, King’s Row, Midtown, Paraiso, Eichenwalde, Hollywood, Numbani

Game 5: Control

Busan, Nepal, Lijiang Tower, Ilios, Oasis, Antarctic Peninsula, Samoa

Game 6 (Tiebreaker ONLY): Flashpoint

New Junk City

1.6.2 Map and Side Selection

The losing team of the first game will have map selection. The losing team will determine the map, while the winning team will have side selection.

Important: In the lobby, Team 1 will always defend first and Team 2 will always attack first

Map Selection

Side Selection

Home Team ➤ Picks Map 1

Loser of Map 1 ➤ Picks Map 2

Winner of Map 1 ➤ Selects Side

Loser of Map 2 ➤ Picks Map 3

Winner of Map 2 ➤ Selects Side

Loser of Map 3 ➤ Picks Map 4

Winner of Map 3 ➤ Selects Side

Loser of Map 4 ➤ Picks Map 5

Winner of Map 4 ➤ Selects Side

2. Player Equipment

2.1 Equipment

Each player on the Starting Roster must have access to school-provided equipment or must be permitted by the school to provide their own equipment in the following categories:

2.1.1 PC/Xbox One/ Playstation 4/ Nintendo Switch System

2.1.2 Headsets and/or Earbuds and/or Microphones

2.1.3 Table and Chairs

2.1.4 Peripherals for computer (mouse, keyboard) or console (game controller)

2.1.5 Stable Internet/Wifi connection

3. Match Process

3.1 Pre-Match Setup

Teams must adhere to Section 6.2 Pre-Match Setup as they prepare to join their match.

3.2 Match Setup

3.2.1 Create Lobby

  • Open Overwatch 2

  • Click Play

  • Click Custom Game, then click Create

  • Change Title to PlayVS HOMETEAM vs AWAYTEAM

  • Change from Friends Only to Invite Only

3.2.2 Confirm Lobby Settings & Map Selection

  • Click Settings

  • Click Presets, then Competitive

  • Open Maps and turn off all maps other than the selected

  • Rename Team 1 & Team 2 based on Side Selection

  • Click Invite to send invites to all players

3.2.2 Join Lobby

The Home team will invite the Away Team Captain to the lobby using the invite button. Once the Away Team Captain has joined the lobby, both team captains will invite the remainder of their roster and their coaches if applicable.

3.2.3 Lobby Management

At all times, the Home Team is in charge of managing the lobby, including moving players, assigning sides, and selecting the correct game mode and maps.

3.2.4 Tiebreakers

If Competitive mode is selected, there will not be a tiebreaker.

If Competitive mode is not selected, and there is a tie after the fifth game, then a sixth game will be played, as shown in Section 1.6.1, to determine the winner.

3.3 Match F.A.Q.

3.3.1 Spectating

In order to avoid giving any team an advantage, spectators should be removed from spectating unless both Adult Sponsors have agreed to allow for a spectator by following section 7.7 Match Spectating from the Youth Program Competition Rulebook.

If an Adult Sponsor is using a spectator, the lobby host will need to ensure that spectators are set to only be able to spectate their respective team using the in-game lobby settings found within Overwatch.

3.3.2 In-Game Content Updates

Overwatch 2 is a live-service multiplayer game that may release new heroes, maps, or competitive game modes while the season is occurring.

New maps and heroes added to the competitive pool of Overwatch 2 during the regular season may be available for use in a PlayVS match. All competing teams will be notified of any map pool or hero changes and/or additions at least one (1) week in advance to them being available. Any maps or heroes currently disabled in-game by Blizzard Entertainment will not be available to use in PlayVS official matches. This rulebook will be updated as needed to act as a source of truth.

Any new map or hero added to the competitive pool of Overwatch 2 after the regular season has ended will not be available for Playoffs. Any new competitive Game Modes added to Overwatch 2 will be assessed for the following season. We will not add any new Game Modes mid-season to our competitive Matches.

4. Post-Match Process

4.1 Results

If the match is completed using PlayVS Match Assistant tool, then results will be recorded at the conclusion of each game using the tool.

If the PlayVS Match Assistant could not be used, then the match results would need to be submitted manually within 1 hour of match completion. Players should take screenshots of the match results and share those with their coaches.

In the event of an error, coaches must contact PlayVS directly.


Changelog

V 1.0 - 2023//2024

V1.1 // 10/2/2023 - Removed Section 3.3.5

V2.0 // 1/16/24 Reformatted to match PlayVS Resources Style Guidelines

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