With a busy week ahead of ourselves and Overwatch Contenders Season 0 in the bags, we are left with the Overwatch BEAT Invitational Season 2 this weekend. Riding on the coattails of the APEX Season 3 grand finals and the beginning of the World Cup group stages, let’s take a peek under the veil and check some of the most prominent storylines leading into the second season of the BEAT Invitational.

After dominantly marching to the beat of their own drum, Immortals managed to finish in first place in Season 0 of Overwatch Contenders. Riding on their momentum from their first place finish, Immortals has another test that lay in front of them coming into the BEAT Invitational, Rogue. The French super-team, last seen at the TakeOver 2 event, look dominant in their quick dispatching of every team at the event which housed big Overwatch staple teams such as Cloud 9, Movistar Riders, and Misfits.

Something that will be on everyone's mind through the entire event is, what happens when the two forces clash? Will this be the grand final everyone has been waiting for or will something stir the balance and cause an upset in the bracket? Rogue has been seemingly itching to play someone that could cause them to sweat after their match against eUnited. Immortals could very well be that team, but it depends on many factors. Do Immortals try and fight fire with fire against Rogue or do they find a counter to their blaze? Many questions and hype surround this matchup, if it happens, which makes this tournament all that more important.

This same notion goes for many of the other contenders at this tournament. LG Evil, Tempo Storm, Arc6, EnVision Esports, and FNRGFE all have to fight not only against themselves for a spot in the semifinals to play some of the best teams in the West, but they’re all so close in skill and rating that it becomes a metaphorical “knife fight.”

One misstep could cost a team heavily; the amount of pressure immediately placed on you, as a 6 man squad is tough to beat. This will be a giant proving grounds for a majority of everyone in the tournament. Anyone could end up in the loser's bracket with a knife in their gut.

The Overwatch BEAT Invitational Season 2 will be a double-elimination tournament format with all teams playing best of fives matches which lead into a best of seven grand final. With the caliber of talent and the volatile nature of the metagame currently, there could easily be some major upsets leading into a surprisingly deep run for any team not named “Immortals” or “Rogue.”

Can you envision a world where EnVision eSports can and possibly could make a dent edging out a questionable LG Evil? Obviously, this is purely an example, but just let your mind wander when you take a look at the brackets leading into this weekend and look at how close some of these teams are in skill to one another. They all could have easily been in Contenders Season 1. Sadly, there just isn’t enough room.

What really sold me on the idea that this tournament, in particular, could be the host for a considerable amount of upsets is the fact that it is going to be a strict double-elimination format. With the lack of round robin, teams don’t get the chance to view their opponents tapes multiple times over to gain information.

With the double-elimination portion, this gives teams a second chance to be clipped by a sneaky uppercut and not immediately get counted out. Whether or not this is the most optimal format is up for debate and Overwatch is still looking for that “sweet-spot” with tournament formats, but rest assured, the BEAT Invitational could be much more than just a “minor” tournament.

Another interesting matchup could be the rematch from the grand final from Overwatch Contenders Season 0 between FNRGFE and Immortals. The two clashed in the grand finals and to the chagrin of Immortal’s fans, it was quite competitive and ended with Immortals taking home the win with a 4-1 scorecard. With time to prepare between sets and the gift of second chances in the form of the losers bracket, can FNRGFE topple the powerhouse from Season 0 or will Immortals add to their body count?

Something that Sideshow wrote for over.gg back in May was describing the interesting trend that drew a correlation between roster changes and actually winning events. So far, this has not been disproven. Looking at the most recent events Immortals just had signed Fate, Kariv, and Coach Ookz right before winning Contenders Season 0.

The same rule applies to both APEX grand finalists, Lunatic-Hai and KongDoo Panthera. Both teams have someone partaking in their rookie season. With this same logic in mind, does this same “buff” apply to teams in the BEAT Invitational? Arc6 and Counter Logic Gaming are definitely betting that it does.

Formerly Denial Esports and YIKES!, Arc6 is one of the teams that could easily make a run for the semifinals, if given a running start. With Fnatic veteran Custa joining the band of brothers they look refreshed and revitalized for the BEAT Invitational. However, CLG has made a powerplay as well. With the organization bringing aboard the solo cue and former #1 ranked player, Silkthread, they definitely stand to pack more of a punch with their added DPS star.

His competitive background in TF2 and CS: GO is just a testament to how talented this rising star truly is. Yes, Overwatch is completely different beast entirely, but some of those skills have been seen to carry over very well. Silkthread is not only one of Overwatch’s up-in-coming prospects, but he’s an absolute monster on the ladder. You’d be correct to stop me and say “we’ll ladder doesn’t equal skill on a team that plays at the highest level” and you’d be correct, but you have to admit, that achieving rank #1 multiple times is quite the feat. This should easily put him on your radar as someone to watch out for.

As for Arc6, they’ve brought on board someone who has been competitive not only in TF2 but in CS 1.6 and Dota. Having not only the FPS background but also the MOBA experience is something that I personally will be keeping an eye on. Custa brings experience from the early days of Overwatch and mixes it will a concoction of other games to add to the Arc 6 blueprint.   

These teams have just signed talent that, if history is to remain true, “should” improve their roster to some degree. To what degree each team will perform with their new prospects is unknown, but rest assured they could very well and come out of the gates swinging.

A storyline that is often overlooked for player drama and the purity of competition is where Overwatch is at in it’s life cycle as an esport. This technically is still the preseason to what is to come whenever the Overwatch League finally launches. These “minor” tournaments hold more water than air when it comes to competition because there just isn’t much else to do. For those who don’t know, a litmus test is a strip of treated paper that tests for how acidic or basic a liquid is, through litmus. In the context we’re using it in, it servers as “the” test to gauge how a team or player is doing currently.

If a team, or player for that matter, can consistently be invited and place well within these tournaments then they make a name for themselves and start to climb the social rungs which could allow their career to blossom. Coming into Blizzcon in November and with the Overwatch League sometime in the future, these “minor” tournaments are the litmus test for the length and growth of Overwatch as an esport and the names and faces you will see inhabit it.

These are the moments that careers are defined. The Great Filter in the sky is slowly approaching as the Overwatch League looms ahead of us. Those who are left standing will hopefully pass through onto teams that have been predicted to fill stadiums across the United States. Grab a bag of ice and turn on the air conditioner, because this Summer, heat is only going up from here.

Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLG’s of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at @Volamel.

Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment, over.gg, and BEAT Gaming.