What to expect from Student Champs 2022/23

With registrations now open for the British Esports Student Champs 2022/23 season, we wanted to outline some of the new changes in more detail for new and existing participants.

Here are some of the most important changes, and a little bit more detail on them:

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Overwatch 2:

One of the biggest changes for this season is the removal of Overwatch to be replaced with its sequel – Overwatch 2.

This is a significant alteration, especially in how teams will be formed, and games will be played. Now being 5v5, teams will have to work on new in-game compositions (with one tank role being removed), and work together to battle new heroes and new abilities, all on new maps. 

Due to the release of the game being set on the 4th October, we have decided to delay the start of Overwatch 2 matches for the Student Champs by a week (to start of the 12th October) in order for students to have time to practice. 

As well as this, the map pool has changed to accommodate the new game modes, and maps that are due to drop when the game launches.

They are as follows:
Push – New Queen Street / Collosseo
Hybrid – King’s Row / Midtown
Control – Ilios / Oasis
Escort – Circuit Royal / Junkertown
Push – New Queen Street / Collosseo (whichever was not picked first)

Push (the new game mode) will replace ‘2CP’ (Capture point) maps permanently. This game mode is essentially like a payload map, but both teams are aiming to push the bot in the centre of the map the furthest in the time given. More information about Push can be found here. 

The positive of this new game mode is that there is no way for teams to draw, so it allows for a good way to break a potential tie. 

On the topic of a tiebreaker – we have decided to continue with this part of the competition to ensure a fair and balanced way to break a tie if the situation arises. For this season, the tiebreaker map is Nepal – which will be played at the end of the series to determine a winner. Moving the tiebreaker to the end of the series this season allows for less time to be wasted playing this between maps, and having it in this position opens up the opportunity for it to not even be needed at the end. 

Map pools may change throughout the course of the season, due to the addition of new maps frequently from release, but sufficient notice will be given to all participants if this is the case. 

More information about the running of Overwatch 2 in the Student Champs can be found in the ruleset here.

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Regionalisation:

For this season, we are changing the format slightly to make for a more fun and competitive experience. 

We will be splitting participants into two regions – North and South. Teams will be manually assigned to a region when fixtures are being decided.

Teams compete in their respective region throughout the Winter season, and there will be an opportunity in Spring for teams to be promoted into a higher division – as well as the chance to enter the Nationals.

The Nationals will be composed of the best teams from the North and South regions, and this will make the premise of the Grand Finals for this season. 

Teams will find out what region they will be competing when matches begin.

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Format:

Regionalisation will have some impact on the format of the tournament, but the Winter and Spring seasons are still in place.

Essentially, in the Winter season (starting October 2022) the teams will be split into North and South – with teams from each region starting in a swiss-bracket stage to determine their skill level and placement. 

Teams will then be placed into either Division 1 or Division 2 for both North and South regions, and then will be split into groups in these divisions to play matches throughout the rest of the Winter season. 

Then, in the Spring season, registrations will open again for new teams to be able to join – whilst all teams from the Winter season are automatically registered for this split. All new teams in Spring will then have to go through the same seeding process to determine their division placement. 

For returning teams from the Winter season, if you are in the top seed of Division 1, you will earn a spot for your team in the National Division – a combination of the best teams from both regions. Top seeds in Division 2 will earn a promotion for their team to move to Division 1.

In March, the top teams from the entire tournament will enter the playoffs. Each division (National, North & South 1, and North & South 2) will have their own elimination bracket. These will then end in a National finals, North and South Regional finals for Division 1, and a combined finals for Division 2.

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Women in Esports Pilot:

Running alongside the Student Champs will be a pilot, run by Women in Esports, in Overwatch 2 for women and marginalised genders to have a safe space to step into competing.

This division is open to all competing in the Student Champs, but there is a roster requirement of a 60% majority of female or femme-identifying players.

Players are able to decide which division would be most suitable for them, as long as they meet the team roster requirements. This division is an option for those who may not feel comfortable entering the main Student Champs divisions, and is designed to be a safe space.

Unfortunately, if you compete in this pilot, you will be unable to compete in other Student Champs titles at the same time – but this division opens up opportunities for new teams to get to grips with the competitive scene at a smaller capacity.

Please note – Female and femme-identifying players are able to choose if they want to compete in this division or not, and will not automatically be placed in this pilot.

If you have any questions about this division, please reach out to Women in Esports Manager Billie Purdie on bp@britishesports.org. 

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Registrations are now open for the 2022/23 season of the Student Champs, and teams have until the 21st September to sign up.

For further information about the running of the tournament this year, please refer to the Champs Handbook.

Alternatively, please contact Head of Operations Alice Leaman (al@britishesports.org), Operations Executive Jasmine Hong (jh@britishesports.org), or contact a member of staff in the staff-only Student Champs Discord.