2018 has been an exciting year for Overwatch esports, but as they say: it’s not over until it’s over. Before the 2019 Overwatch League season begins, there’s one more season of Overwatch Contenders Australia to play, and it promises to be action-packed!
Many new teams have joined the roster for the upcoming season, with Team Athletico (formerly Masterminds GC) and Heist (formerly Dark Sided) to name are few. Blank Esports is set to make its return from Contenders Pacific to play in Contenders Australia for the first time, while back-to-back champion, Sydney Drop Bears, is looking as strong as ever, despite star DPS, Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse, transferring to the Boston Uprising Overwatch League team and newly-signed Overwatch World Cup tank, Ashley “Trill” Powell, moving to NA Contenders’ Team Envy. Additionally, brand new teams from Trials have earned their place in Contenders this season.
With so many player movements and organisation changes, Season 3 is shaping up to be the most thrilling yet. You won’t want to miss the action starting today at: https://www.twitch.tv/overwatchcontenders.
The twelve teams competing are as follows (also viewable here under the Australia tab):
- Sydney Drop Bears
- Mindfreak (formerly Sandbaggers from Trials)
- Kraken (Trials)
- Legacy Esports
- Athletico (formerly Masterminds GC)
- Blank Esports (Trials)
- Heist (formerly Dark Sided)
- Freshman Class (Trials)
- Breakaway Esports (formerly Tainted Minds)
- Kanga Esports
- Melbourne Mavericks (formerly Serenity)
- ORDER
In addition to exciting Overwatch Contenders Australia changes, viewers can expect some broader updates from this season:
New Contenders
National citizens and legal residents of Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are now eligible to play in Contenders. This is an exciting new chapter for the program, and we look forward to seeing even more players plotting their course on the Path to Pro as Overwatch esports continues to expand around the world.
The Floor is Lava
Torbjörn is back, and more molten than ever before. Everyone’s favourite engineer and his baby trusty turret have a new look in Contenders Season 3, and it remains to be seen how teams will choose to utilise the powerful area-denial potential and armour shred. Torbjörn isn’t the only hero coming into the new season sporting changes, however. Pharah, McCree, Soldier: 76, Orisa, and Brigitte have also been tweaked, which heats up an already spicy competitive meta.
Battle in Busan
Contenders Season 3’s map pool includes the recently added control map, Busan. This will be the first time we see the map at the Contenders level and, much like Rialto in Contenders Season 2 and the Overwatch World Cup Group Stages, it should lead to some entertaining exchanges as teams try and figure out the best strategies for the new map.
Below is the full map pool for Contenders Season 3:
- Control: Busan, Ilios, Lijiang Tower
- Hybrid: Hollywood, Numbani
- Assault: Hanamura, Horizon Lunar Colony
- Escort: Dorado, Route 66
- Tiebreaker: Nepal
With a new map, updated heroes, and new player stories, Contenders Season 3 promises to be an exciting way to close out the 2018 season. Clear your schedule, because you’ve got Contenders to watch.
Take a moment to follow the official Contenders Twitch channel, and tune into the official Path to Pro Twitter for more updates.