The Overwatch League is set to start up again in seven weeks. Blizzard has announced the competitive map pool for Overwatch League’s first stage in 2020.
All five maps in the Control game mode will be included in the Overwatch League map pool (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)
The Map Pool
Control
Ilios
Busan
Lijiang Tower
Oasis
Nepal
Assault
Hanamura
Horizon: Lunar Colony
Temple of Anubis
Hybrid
Blizzard World
Eichenwalde
King’s Row
Escort
Junkertown
Havana
Dorado
Oasis is one of the control maps added to the Overwatch League map pool in 2020 (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)
The changelog from the 2019 Season’s Stage 4 is as follows:
Oasis and Nepal added to Control pool
Volskaya Industries removed from Assault pool
Horizon: Lunar Colony added to Assault pool
Hollywood removed from Hybrid pool
Eichenwalde added to Hybrid pool
Route 66 removed from Escort pool
Dorado added to Escort pool
Eichenwalde has found itself added to the map pool to start the 2020 Overwatch League season (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)
A month has passed since the deadline for teams to sign a minimum of eight players. Now that the full list of maps is released, scrimmages will likely start to heat up after the holiday season. With two maps added to the Control pool and none being removed, there are more maps available to be picked than ever before in OWL at 14. Teams will need to heavily focus on the Control game type since every map is unlocked.
In addition, Volskaya Industries will not be played for the first time since Stage 2 of last season. Its replacement of Horizon: Lunar Colony has had its fair share of criticism, but certain teams such as the Hangzhou Spark do play it as a pocket pick.
With the release maps of Volskaya, Hollywood, and Route 66 all removed from last Stage, this will be the most modern map pool the Overwatch League has seen in a while. Teams will have to adjust their new rosters and gameplay accordingly to navigate through Stage 1. OWL is set to start up again on January 8. Check back at Hotspawn for more Overwatch coverage.
