Custom match creation
After the hero draft finishes, both teams need to be in the same Deadlock custom lobby using a party code. How that lobby is created depends on how your season is configured (your league operators choose this when they set up the season).
Two ways the lobby can be created
Manual (default)
The home captain (shown on the draft screen) creates the custom game in Deadlock and shares the party code. The away captain and players join in Deadlock using that code.
The home captain then pastes the party code into OCElock on the draft screen so everyone sees the same code on the platform.
Automatic (when enabled for the season)
For seasons where operators have turned on automatic custom lobby, OCElock creates the Deadlock party for you using the season’s lobby defaults. If the match has a scheduled kick-off time, creation runs about 5 minutes before that time so the upstream lobby is not left idle too long; the draft page shows a countdown until then. If there is no scheduled time, the party is created straight after the draft completes. The party code then appears on the draft flow (and is broadcast like the manual path) so both teams can copy it and join in Deadlock.
You still join and start the match in Deadlock the same way — only who clicks “create custom” in the client changes (the platform’s integration does it when automatic mode is on).
In Deadlock: join the lobby
Everyone needs the party code from OCElock (or from your captain in Discord if they relay it):
- Open Deadlock and use Custom game / party join with the code.
- Pick the heroes from the draft when you lock in.
- When both teams are ready, start the match using the normal in-game controls.
Step-by-step screenshots for the Deadlock client (where to paste the code, server settings your league expects) may be added here later.
Paste the code in OCElock (manual seasons)
When the season uses manual lobby creation, the home captain pastes the Deadlock party code into the draft lobby screen after they create the lobby in-game. That keeps the platform, spectators, and both teams aligned on the same code.
Match ID and live scoreboard
Your match page may show live match information once the game is running and a Deadlock match ID is available (operators configure the server so this can update automatically, or the captain can record the match ID as before). You can still use the match ID from the in-game scoreboard for results submission — see Match week flow.