Overwatch has a way of empowering players and spectators that few other games do, the way each hero’s abilities change the world around them seems much more dramatic than in most other games. It’s hard to not feel a bit of power rush when gliding through Overwatch’s bright, neon maps.
Overwatch is Activision-Blizzard’s hero shooter hit that came out back in May 2016 and has amassed millions of players along the way. The Overwatch League (OWL) is one of the most highly anticipated eSports leagues each year, and plenty of eSports betting sites offer live betting options.
In this Overwatch betting guide and review, we’ll be exploring what the game feels like, looks like, and our recommended betting strategies.
Overwatch is a first-person hero shooter centred around 27 hero characters (up from the 21 characters that were available at launch). Each hero falls into one of three categories: Damage (the characters who can deal tons of damage quickly), Tank (the characters who can take a beating and push enemy lines), and Support (the characters who heal, buff, and debuff).
Players are sorted into two teams of five, with the game encouraging players to choose a balanced selection of character roles, and with no two players on the same team able to use the same character.
Gameplay is split into three distinct modes. Escort missions have one team trying to escort a payload from one end of the map to another, and the other team trying to stop them. Assault missions have one team trying to capture two particular points on a map, with the other team trying to stop them. Hybrid missions are a mixture of the two, with one team needing to capture a point before escorting a payload.
The simple rules of play make it easy for casual players to jump in, and for spectators of eSports events (such as bettors) to follow what’s happening. This also makes it a lot easier for bookmakers to set up betting markets, and for bettors in the know to make predictions on which markets to wager on.
Each of Overwatch’s 27 heroes has their own unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, such as Mei’s ice walls which can be used for shielding and crowd control, or D.Va’s ability to blow up her mech suit in a last-ditch attempt to get out from being pinned down by the enemy team. Players respawn when downed, so each shot and ability has the space to make a real impact on the game and on opponent’s health bars.
Overwatch has a way of empowering players and spectators that few other games do, the way each hero’s abilities change the world around them seems much more dramatic than in most other games. From deflecting bullets, to clearing the screen by blowing up your mech armor, to getting a shoutout clip at the end of the match for being MVP, it’s hard to not feel a bit of power rush when gliding through Overwatch’s bright, neon maps.
Overwatch gives players and spectators an audiovisual treat. To the uninitiated tuning into the endgame of a competitive match, it might seem like a neon hellscape, but trust us when we say that the audiovisual experience of this game is absolutely top-notch.
Overwatch uses its visuals and audio to signpost things to players and spectators in an effective and efficient way that other games could learn from. For example, if a character is hit by Mei’s ice gun, the edges of their screen frost up, clearly indicating what’s happening even if they’re being ambushed from behind. If Reinhardt’s forcefield is close to breaking, cracks will appear in the shield. Players with even cursory experience playing the game know that when an ally’s Lucio shouts out “Let’s break it down” it’s time to push forward as hard as you can without worrying about your HP.
These things make Overwatch a wonderfully entertaining game to spectate and bet on, as these audiovisual cues inform both teams of what’s going on, meaning players are quick to adapt and to change up strategies. A bettor who knows the cues themselves can use them to help inform his live betting strategies, and potentially end the match with significant winnings.
The game’s generally bright color-scheme and use of contrasting light and shadow make it a visual treat that gets our blood pumping even while we spectate. The lack of gore and general unrealistic qualities of the game’s violence makes it easy to get swept up by the action without ever feeling uncomfortable.
At the time of writing, these are the top 3 Overwatch channels who are pulling in major daily numbers.
OverwatchLeague is the official OWL channel and the best place to catch OWL matches, replays, and player interviews. They have over 1.5 million Twitch followers at the time of writing and have logged over 128 million hours watched.
A_Seagull is a retired Overwatch pro player from the US. He placed 10th in 2018’s Overwatch League – Inaugural Season, and placed 1st in 2017’s Overwatch Contenders Seasion 1: North America major league. His channel has just under 1 million Twitch followers at the time of writing, and has clocked 17.5 million hours watched.
KabajiOW – An Austrian Player who is a streamer for the Philadelphia Fusion. He represented Austria in the 2017 Overwatch World Cup, placing 7th-8th, and also came in 2nd place in the 2017 Abs CUP while playing for team 99 Percent. His Twitch channel has close to 300,000 followers at the time of writing, and almost 7 million hours watched.
Like any game with rich and varied gameplay, our number 1 tip for potential Overwatch bettors is to spend a little time getting to know the game. The easiest (and most fun) way to do that would be to pick up the game and try it out, however bettors can actually learn a lot from just spectating.
As mentioned above, each of the 27 characters has a unique set of abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and can be categorised into either Tank, Damage, or Support roles. Each character also has its own Ultimate Ability which can severely alter the flow or direction of a match. Getting to know what the characters are capable of doing would give bettors a huge advantage when betting on live matches in particular.
It also bears mentioning that teams that tend to stick somewhat close together tend to do very well in matches, especially if designated as the “escorters” or “flag capturers” in a match, as the resulting teamwork and concentration of fire gives them a major advantage in pushing forward through enemy lines.
In terms of operators, we at Super eSports betting recommend taking a look at sites like Arcanebet, GG.Bet, and Betway for traditional eSportsbook and live eSportsbook Overwatch betting. All three of these operators offer a really broad selection of betting markets on each match and have decent event coverage, with the former two also offering embedded live streams.
For Bitcoin Overwatch betting, we’d recommend OneHash. Not only are they a Bitcoin-based betting operator, but they run mutual betting as opposed to odds betting, which sets them apart as truly unique in the current eSports betting landscape.
For Overwatch betting on live streams as opposed to eSports events, we’d recommend checking out Unikrn, who offer cryptocurrency and fiat betting on live streamers, and feature a decent amount of betting markets.
Whether you’re a player, a bettor, or just a spectator, Overwatch is a wild ride. It’s clear to see why this game has such a thriving eSports scene, and why so many people talk about this game even over three years after its launch.
In terms of Overwatch betting, our handy betting guide above should help point curious bettors in the right direction, and it’s something we definitely recommend. Overwatch betting is one of the most thrilling forms of eSports live betting we’ve encountered so far.