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Overwatch 2 Game Manual

Spring 2026​

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 4 PM 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 4 PM 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 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 game mode that the home team chose.

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: QWJXQ (use this to automatically load the correct settings)

2.4 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 teams should continue to the next map. Teams using ineligible players may be forced to forfeit maps, matches, and/or the season.

2.5 Spectating​

  1. Each team is allowed spectators for coaching, streaming, or alternate player purposes, provided spectators have 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 TO discretion.

3. GAMEPLAY​

3.1 Team Composition​

  1. Matches enforce role lock: two damage, one tank, two support.
  2. Players must play the role selected at the start of a map for its entirety. Roles may switch at the start of a new map.

3.2 Hero Bans​

  1. Bans happen before each game in Fenworks chat or Discord messaging.
  2. Each team may ban two heroes per map played (4 total heroes). Bans reset after each map.
    • Map 1: Home bans 1st; away bans 2nd; home bans 3rd; away bans 4th.
    • Maps 2–5: Winning team bans 1st; losing team bans 2nd; winning bans 3rd; losing bans 4th.
  3. Once heroes are banned for a map, disable them in settings so neither team can play them.

3.3 Map Selection​

  1. Map 1: Home team picks game mode; away team picks map; home team picks side. That mode is removed from the pool.
  2. Maps 2–5: The losing team from the previous map picks the game mode and map; the winning team picks the side (if applicable); 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. 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 competition are prohibited.

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

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

5. SCORING​

5.1 Point Accumulation Series​

Points accumulated per map:

  • Winning team: 2 points
  • Losing team: 1 point
  • Forfeited map: 0 points
  • Winning a 3-0 series: +1 bonus point

5.2 Best of Series​

  1. The team that wins the majority of maps wins the match
  2. Teams play until one school wins 3 maps
  3. Input scores into Fenworks based on map results
  4. Both teams report/verify scores in Fenworks
  5. Individual game forfeits are entered as game losses. Match forfeits use the forfeit checkbox.

6. STOPPAGE OF PLAY​

  1. The game may only be paused for:
    • Player Drop/Disconnect
    • Server Crash
    • Severe Technical Issues
  2. Stoppage may be requested at any time, but not during combat, while the objective is contested, or during overtime
  3. Each team has 5 total minutes of pause time per map
  4. Good faith restarts are allowed, but both teams must use the exact same players and roles as the initial game

7. RESTRICTIONS​

  1. All heroes, skins, sprays, voice lines, emotes, victory poses, and highlight intros are allowed, except those disabled in competitive mode or official Overwatch tournament rules
  2. Any intentional use of bugs, exploits, game file modification, or third-party applications that give an unfair advantage is strictly prohibited
  3. New heroes/champions cannot be used for 2 weeks after the public release date

8. PLAYERS​

8.1 Eligibility​

  1. All players must be at least 13 years of age and active students at their high school
  2. Coaches may only roster players from the school/school district they represent
  3. 8th grade students are allowed if 13+ and approved by high school administration
  4. A team roster must consist of at least 5 players (more is strongly advised) and no more than 10 players
  5. A player may represent only one team's roster in the same MiHSEF Overwatch 2 competition
  6. Players must have a valid Fenworks account linked to their Discord account and Blizzard (Battle.net) account
  7. Any number of players may be substituted between maps (NOT rounds within a map) as long as they are rostered. A substitution cannot be made after hero bans.

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. If a team loses 2 or more players via disconnect simultaneously, they forfeit the remainder of that game. If a team cannot field the required players for additional games, they forfeit the match

8.3 Roster Management​

  1. Roster Changes: Permitted until the Roster Lock on March 14th
  2. Teams are encouraged to verify Fenworks roster information to ensure only rostered players are participating
  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

Last Updated: April 11, 2026

📋 Rule Administration & Historical Changes

📅 CHANGE LOG​

DateChange TypeDescriptionAffected Section
Apr 11, 2026Content UpdateSynced rules from Spring 2026 official PDFAll
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: 1.3.0