The Overwatch League has supposedly told all 20 of its teams that the rumoured 2-2-2 role lock will not be implemented for Stage 3 of the 2019 competition.
The information was brought to light by esports blogger Arran “Halo” Brown, though he could not name his sources from within the League.
Halo, also known by his blog name and Twitter handle HaloofThoughts, revealed the information this week on his blog. According to his sources, all 20 of the OWL teams have been informed that despite rumours in the community to the contrary, the 2-2-2 rule will not yet be implemented. Teams were further told that they would have been informed well in advance of any rule changes of that nature that were going to be announced.
Halo also reported that this news was a disappointment to the various teams so informed, as sources had informed him that members of every team had wanted the role lock to be pushed forward into competitive play.
The rumor of a 2-2-2 role lock first surfaced due to an announcement by esports insider Rod “Slasher” Breslau earlier in the month.
Slasher revealed that an internal source from within the League had hinted to a big change to the Overwatch competitive structure was on the horizon, and that this change would first be implemented on the Overwatch League client rather than within the retail version of the client that is played at home.
It was speculated by many fans within the community that this change to the game would be a role lock of two tanks, two DPS, and 2 support heroes. The idea has recently gained traction among fans and players alike due to the controversial prevalence of the three tank and three support meta composition called GOATS.
To many, it was an idea that made a lot of sense, as developer Blizzard has been attempting to combat the popularity of the GOATS team composition with recent hero changes and the strengthening of many heroes in the DPS role.
Despite some discontent with the GOATS meta from viewers of the Overwatch League, it seems as though a set role lock will not be implemented as a new rule any time soon.
