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Season 21 of Competitive Play is here, introducing hero pools to the Competitive playlist.
Unlocked at level 25, Competitive Play is designed for those players who want to put their skills to the test, and offers a more serious experience than our Quick Play or Arcade Modes.
GETTING STARTED
Before you can kick off your competitive career, every player will be required to complete five placement matches in a selected role to obtain their seasonal skill rating for that role. Players will earn separate skill ratings (SR) for each role in Competitive Play, for a total of three distinct SRs. This rating will be a number between 1 and 5000, with higher values indicating a greater skill level. Players will also be assigned a tier per role based on their rating—Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, or Grandmaster – and climbing into the next tier is possible as you improve.
Skill ratings and tier icons will be visible at the beginning of every match. As you compete, your selected role skill rating will increase or decrease with each win or loss based on a number of factors, including your own performance and the skill of the other players in the match.
A detailed breakdown of the skill tiers, along with icons and information about the corresponding skill ratings can be found by pressing the “Information” button under the Competitive Play menu.
COMPETITIVE REWARDS
In addition to experiencing the thrill of victory, players can also unlock unique rewards through Competitive Play. Anyone who completes their placement matches in any role during a Competitive Season will receive a special spray and player icon.
On top of that, as you complete competitive matches, you’ll earn a currency called Competitive Points. When the season concludes, you’ll also receive a number of Competitive Points based on the highest Skill Tier you obtained during the season per role to spend on golden versions of your favorite heroes’ weapons.
Here’s the Skill Rating (SR) to Competitive Point (CP) breakdown:
| Skill Tier | Per Role | Max Total |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 25 | 75 |
| Silver | 50 | 150 |
| Gold | 100 | 300 |
| Platinum | 200 | 600 |
| Diamond | 300 | 900 |
| Master | 450 | 1350 |
| Grandmaster | 650 | 1950 |
TOP 500 LEADERBOARDS
The best of the best players compete across four separate Top 500 Leaderboards—one for each role, along with an additional combined average leaderboard. The combined Top 500 Leaderboard will be based on the player’s average skill rating across all three roles. To be eligible for a role-specific leaderboard, players must complete at least 25 games in that role (down from 50 games). To qualify for the combined Top 500 Leaderboard, players must be eligible for all three role-specific leaderboards. At the end of the season, players who earn a spot within the Top 500 players for any of these leaderboards on their platform and region will receive an additional player icon and animated spray.
WHAT’S NEW
Hero Pools
Season 21 introduces Hero Pools to Competitive Play. Rather than having all heroes available for play at all times, a weekly changing list of heroes will be available. The list will include the vast majority of the hero roster, with only a few being excluded during any given week. We think this feature will help keep Competitive Play interesting, as team compositions will change more frequently during a season. To learn more, check out our interview with Scott Mercer.
It is important to note that Hero Pools is a new feature that may not last past this initial season. Throughout the season, we will be adjusting the types of Hero Pools available. In addition, it is possible we will also adjust the frequency with which they change.
Map Pool
Season 21 introduces a new pool of maps to Competitive Play. This season will feature the following maps:
Assault
- Hanamura
- Horizon Lunar Colony
- Volskaya Industries
Hybrid
- Blizzard World
- Hollywood
- King’s Row
Control
- Busan
- Lijiang Tower
- Oasis
Escort
- Dorado
- Junkertown
- Watchpoint: Gibraltar
Season 21 is live RIGHT NOW on Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, so power up your favorite gaming machine and join the fight. We’ll see you in-game!