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Overwatch Game Manual

Spring 2026 Season​

THANKS TO OUR DIAMOND TIER SPONSORS FOR SUPPORTING MICHIGAN STUDENTS

Schedule

Match Day: Tuesday Match Time: 4:00 PM EST

  • Match start time can be altered only with approval from both teams.
  • Rescheduled matches must start no later than 4:00 PM on Friday of the same week.

THIS TOURNAMENT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH, SANCTIONED OR SPONSORED BY BLIZZARD, ACTIVISION OR ANY OTHER GAME DEVELOPER OR PLATFORM.

1. COMPETITION​

1.1 PLATFORM​

  • Cross Platform (PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)

1.2 SERIES LENGTHS​

  • Map: A single map between two teams each with 5 players (5v5).
  • Match: Point accumulation best of 5 maps.

1.3 SCHEDULING​

  1. Match time is 4pm on Tuesdays. Match start time can be altered only with approval from both teams.
  2. Match rescheduling needs to be planned in advance of match time and communicated to the TO(s).
  3. Rescheduled matches must start no later than 4pm on Friday the same week of the original match.

2. PRE-MATCH​

2.1 Communication​

  1. All team to team communication must take place in the appropriate Fenworks/Discord chats.
  2. All in game communication should be pick/ban communication and positive affirmations.
  3. A team that has not responded to Fenworks/Discord chat or in-game invites by 15 minutes following the match start time will automatically forfeit the match.
  4. If a team is unable to field enough players (4 players) to start the match during the 15 minute period following the match start time, they may be forced to forfeit the match at the opposing team's discretion.

2.2 Lobby Creation​

The home team will create the lobby and invite the captain of the opposing team, pick game mode and side.

2.3 Map Determination​

The away team will determine which map is played first from the gamemode that the home team chose.

info

2.4 Match Settings​

The match settings to be used are the most recent competitive rules preset with the following settings:

  1. Lobby > Team > Swap teams after match: No
  2. Lobby > Match > Pause game on player disconnect: Yes
  3. Modes > All > General > Kill cam: Disabled
  4. Lobby Settings Code: 8Q7TK (Use this to automatically load the correct settings).

2.5 Error Handling​

In the event ineligible players are present or an incorrect ruleset is loaded in the lobby, the match should be stopped and reset. If a map is completed before realizing the error, the map results stand and the teams should continue to the next map. If a team is found to be using ineligible players, please notify the game TO. Teams using ineligible players may be forced to forfeit maps, matches and/or the season.

2.6 Spectating​

  1. Each team is allowed spectators for coaching, streaming, or alternate player purposes under the condition that any spectator has no communication with any players in the game at any time.
  2. A stream delay of 60 seconds minimum is required.
  3. All spectators should be assigned to a team rather than left neutral, unless agreed upon by both teams.
  4. A team caught abusing spectator mode will have their spectator rights revoked for all future matches in the season and other penalties may be enforced at the discretion of the Tournament Organizers.

3. GAMEPLAY​

3.1 TEAM COMPOSITION​

  1. Matches will enforce role lock. Roles include two damage, one tank, two support.
  2. Players may switch roles, but players MUST play the role they select at the start of a map, for the entirety of the map. They may switch roles at the start of a new map.

3.2 Hero Bans​

  1. Bans happen after each map is picked, either in Fenworks chat or discord messaging.
  2. Each team is able to ban two heroes per map played (4 total heroes). Once a hero is banned it can not be banned again for the rest of the match.
  3. Each team's two bans must be from different roles (tank, support, damage).
    • For example: if your team bans a tank as your first ban, the next ban must be either a damage or support hero.
  4. After each map, teams must run the banning process again. Banning will follow the below process: a. Map 1: Home team bans 1st hero, away team bans 2nd hero, home bans 3rd, away bans 4th. b. Map 2-5: Winning team bans 1st hero, losing team bans 2nd, winning team bans 3rd, losing bans 4th.
  5. Once heroes are banned for a map, disable them in the settings so neither team can play them.

3.3 MAP SELECTION​

  1. Map 1: Home team picks game mode, away team picks map and home team picks side. That mode is removed from the pool.
  2. Map 2-5: The losing team from the previous map picks the game mode and map, the winning team picks the side (if applicable), and that game mode is removed from the pool.
  3. Continue until Bo5 is completed.
  4. In the event of a 2-2-1 tie at the end of 5 modes, the 6th remaining mode is played on a tiebreaker map, and each mode has the tiebreaker map identified with (TB).

4. MAP POOL​

The following maps are permitted to play in official matches. Any reskinned/seasonal versions of these maps or maps released after the start of the competition are prohibited from play in official matches.

CONTROLHYBRIDESCORTPUSHFLASHPOINTCLASH
Busan (TB)Blizzard WorldDoradoColosseoNew Junk CityHanaoka (TB)
IliosEichenwaldeCircuit RoyalNew Queen StreetSuravasa (TB)Throne of Anubis
Lijiang TowerMidtownJunkertown (TB)Esperanca (TB)Aatlis
NepalKing’s Row (TB)RialtoRunasapi
OasisParaísoRoute 66
SamoaHollywoodShambali Monastery
Antarctic PeninsulaNumbaniHavana
Watchpoint: Gibraltar

Note: All regular season and playoff brackets are Best of 5. The first team to win 3 maps will win the match. Finals will be a Best of 5 unless stated otherwise at Finals. Regular season restrictions will be followed for all playoff matches.

5. SCORING​

5.1 Point Accumulation Series​

  1. Points will be accumulated per map:
    • The winning team will receive 2 points per map.
    • The losing team will receive 1 point per map.
    • Each map of a match forfeited is 0 points.
    • Winning a 3-0 series grants 1 extra point.

5.2 Best of Series​

  1. The team that wins the majority of maps in the series wins the match.
  2. Teams play until one school wins 3 maps.
  3. Please input your scores into League OS based on the map results. Map wins and losses will be assigned the points per game.
  4. Both teams report/verify scores in Fenworks.
  5. If individual games are forfeited during a regular season match, please enter them as game losses for the team that forfeited them. If a team forfeits the entire match, please tick the forfeit checkbox next to the team’s name that forfeited.

6. STOPPAGE OF PLAY​

  1. The game may only be paused for the following reasons:
    • Player Drop/Disconnect
    • Server Crash
    • Severe Technical Issues
  2. Stoppage of play may be requested at any time for the above reasons. The match host must initiate a pause when a team requests it so long as the pause is not called during combat, while the objective is contested, or during overtime.
  3. Each team will have 5 total minutes of pause time per map. Abuse of the auto-pause feature may result in punishment for the team abusing it.
  4. Good faith restarts are allowed, but both teams must use the exact same players and roles as the initial game, otherwise the restarted game will automatically count as the next game in the match.

7. RESTRICTIONS​

  1. All heroes, skins, sprays, voice lines, emotes, victory poses and highlight intros are allowed, except those that are currently disabled in the competitive game mode or official Overwatch tournament rules.
  2. Any intentional use, or attempted use, by a player of any bugs, exploits, game file modification or third party applications that would give an unfair advantage in the Game is strictly prohibited. MiHSEF will determine the bugs and exploits prohibited by this rule and whether a player has taken advantage of a bug or exploit in violation of this rule.
  3. New heroes/champions cannot be used for 2 weeks after the public release date and time.

8. PLAYERS​

8.1 Eligibility​

  1. All players must be at least 13 years of age and are active students at their high school.
  2. Coaches may only roster players from the school/school district that they are representing.
  3. 8th grade students that are active in the same school/school district are allowed to be rostered as long as they are 13 years of age and your high school administration approves.
  4. A team roster must consist of at least 5 players (more is strongly advised) and no more than 10 players.
  5. A player is allowed to represent only one team’s roster in the same MiHSEF Overwatch competition.
  6. Players must have a valid Fenworks account that has been linked to their Discord account as well as their Blizzard (Battle.net) account.
  7. Any number of players may be substituted between maps (NOT rounds within a map) in a match as long as they are rostered and meet the requirements.

8.2 Player Count​

  1. Both teams must provide 4 players at the beginning of the first game, and 4 for each consecutive game.
  2. During a game, if a team should lose 2 or more players that have disconnected with the intention of no longer playing in the match at the same time, that team will forfeit the remainder of the game to the opposing team. If a team is unable to field the required number of players for additional games in the series, then they will forfeit the remainder of the match.

8.3 Roster Management​

  1. Roster Changes: Permitted until the Roster Lock (begins on TBT).
  2. Teams are encouraged to verify Fenworks roster information to ensure only rostered players are participating on the opposing team.
  3. Teams must be created in Fenworks, fully rostered with a minimum of 5 players, and registered for the active season prior to the start of pre-season matches to be eligible to play during the regular season.

Last Updated: February 9, 2026

Rule Management & Change History​

📋 Rule Administration & Historical Changes

📅 CHANGE LOG​

DateChange TypeDescriptionAffected Section
Feb 9, 2026Rebrand/UpdateRenamed to Overwatch; Updated bans to role lock + persistenceHero Bans, Title
Jan 26, 2026Season UpdateRebranded to Fenworks; clarified forfeit rulesPre-Match, Restrictions
Jan 25, 2026Season UpdateUpdated to Bo5, 4-man min, and new Map PoolAll
Jan 15, 2026Season UpdateInitial Spring 2026 SetupAll

Version Information​

  • Current Version: 2.0.0