The Overwatch Team Story series has undergone major changes due to the Path to Pro structure Blizzard has introduced in China. With Premier Series spots no longer available as a prize due to the introduction of Contenders, Team Story will now host top tier Korean and Chinese teams in stand-alone tournaments. The series is set to kick of 2018 with a bang, as numerous big names will compete for a slice of the hefty ¥300,000 CNY ($46,428~ USD) prize pool in OTS Chapter 4, starting on the 15th of January.
Four Korean teams will compete alongside twelve Chinese squads in the tournament. Notably, all but one of the participants are slated to play in Contenders this March. With teams such as RunAway, Kongdoo Panthera and LGD playing, matches should be of a high quality. A full list of the competing teams in OTS Chapter 4 can be found below:
- LYB
- LGD Gaming
- LinGan e-Sports
- Lucky Future
- Lucky Future Zenith
- Miracle Team One
- Moss Seven Club
- SN1
- Team CC
- Team Laffey
- SKG
- ViCi Gaming
- Lunatic-Hai
- RunAway
- Kongdoo Panthera
- X6-Gaming
Competitors will be split into four groups of four and play a round robin within their group in stage one of the tournament. Stage one matches will be played in a best-of-three maps format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the playoffs. The playoff format is single elimination, with matches played in a best-of-five maps format. You can tune into matches at http://ots.zhanqi.tv/ for a Chinese cast or https://www.twitch.tv/playoverwatch_kr for a Korean cast, although a schedule has not yet been released.