The Overwatch League is growing. It’s regularly shown on ESPN, and more players and more money are getting involved.

But what is the Overwatch League?

Here is a primer:

The Overwatch League is an international esports league made up of 20 city-based teams containing the best Overwatch players in the world.

Each team is made up of six starters and a few reserves, depending on your roster. Overwatch puts two teams head-to-head for a 6-vs.-6 team-based player combat, where competitors battle in a first person shooter action game that emphasizes teamwork, individual skill and specific strategies to defeat their opponent.

Each matchup consists of a best-of-five series with a variety of different game modes depending on the match.  Matches are played across four predetermined map types; Escort,
Control, Hybrid and Assault.

Control maps are played in a best-of-three format with each team having the same goal of taking control of the point and holding it for as long as possible (King of the Hill type style).

Assault maps are pretty basic. They  require the defending team to protect objectives from the attacking team.

Escort maps require teams to carry the payload from one side of the map to the other while the opposing team attempts to stop them.

Finally Hybrid maps are similar in which attacking teams must unlock the payload from a checkpoint before escorting the payload against the defending team. For the Hybrid and Escort maps, the team that takes the payload to the end the fastest or the furthest wins.

Overwatch teams can consist of at least six players along with some reserves, depending on each team’s preference and availability. Each player has unique skill sets and has specific roles on their team. Just any other professional sport, Overwatch has certain positions on the team that need to be filled. Players on their respective teams are able to choose from over 30 different playable
characters with unique skill sets, and weapons to that specific hero that can all benefit your team in many different aspects.

The three main hero roles on each team are Damage, Tank and Support, while sub-roles are Sniper, Builder and the Healer.

Players that use damage characters are responsible for seeking out, engaging and defeating the enemy using the variety of tools each character has with abilities and play styles.

The objective for Tank players is protecting their allies, disrupting enemies, and occupying the front line. They have abilities to protect themselves and others with shields and crowd control, high survivability.

And Support players have the objective to heal, buff and provide utility for their team. Support heroes boost the overall performance of their team by increasing their survivability, speed, and damage output. Generally support heroes are the worst in 1-on-1 combat but are best
when surrounded by teammates.

The Overwatch League also owns and runs Overwatch Contenders, which is the equivalent of  baseballs Triple-A.

The Overwatch League contains the best players in the entire world, and if you are lucky enough to make it, are well compensated. Since the Overwatch League is stationed in Los
Angeles, not only do the players have a minimum salary of $50,000, they also have paid housing by the teams. Players can also earn more incentives, especially with the potential share of $5 million at the end of the season going to the league champion.

The league season is currently divided into four different stages. After each stage, the top eight teams during that particular stage advance, with the winner of each stage securing an automatic spot in the league playoffs at the end of the regular season. Stage Two wrapped up two weeks ago where the San Francisco Shock finished off their remarkable perfect stage in which they did not drop a single map, winning all 28 for a new Overwatch League record.

The Shock went on to get their revenge from the Stage One finals as they defeated the Vancouver Titans, securing themselves a spot in the league playoffs at the end of the regular season.

The Overwatch League started in the winter of 2018 consisting of 12 teams. Each organization had to purchase a spot in the league, which goes for $20 million.

This year, the Overwatch League expanded to 20 teams and the price for a spot in the league increased to between $45-$60 million. That cost does not include players’ and coaches’ salaries.

The teams in the league right now (starting with the original 12) are: New York Excelsior, Houston Outlaws, Dallas Fuel, Florida Mayhem, Philadelphia Fusion, Boston Uprising (owned by Robert Craft), Los Angeles Valiant, Los Angeles Gladiators (owned by Stan Kroenke), San Francisco Shock, Seoul Dynasty, Shanghai Dragons, and of course the season one champs London Spitfire. The expansion teams; Vancouver Titans, Atlanta Reign, Paris Eternal, Toronto
Defiant, Washington Justice, Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, and the Hangzhou Spark.

— Jordan Goethe, Sportsfan 1330