March 2019 was the last time Counter-Strike: Global Offensive world saw its competitive map pool get a shake up, with Cache being replaced by the always controversial Vertigo. It has been one of the longest periods in the game’s history without the pool changing, and everyone from fans, pundits, commentators, coaches and players have all begun voicing their discontent over the samey feel of the game these days.
There have been countless theories and possible solutions put forward by the CS community, but the most obvious answer for this issue would be to simply refresh the map pool, bring in more maps for pro teams to pick at events and tournaments and regularly refresh the meta by regularly subbing in and out different picks.
Of course with any decision in life there are pros and cons to this and it’ll surely bring with it as many critics as it does fans. So, with the situation fully explored, does CS:GO need a map refresh?
Why It Does
As we mentioned before, it’s been over a year and a half since the Counter-Strike world experienced a map change. Ironically, it was a move that few people in the circuit were expecting or particularly asking for, with Cache being one of the most stable maps in the meta at the time and Vertigo being ridiculously T-sided and so unrefined many pros had no hesitancy in calling it an unpolished, unfinished map.
Cache was just the latest casualty in a list of beloved maps that have been taken away from the competitive circuit, with Cobblestone being removed in early 2018 in favour of the then-new version of Dust II. Whilst Cobblestone was nowhere near as balanced as Cache, both maps were great fun to watch and gave the CS world some of the biggest legacies in the game’s history. Both maps are still regularly played on by the community and having these added maps will definitely make watching CS:GO much more entertaining for the fans.
It would also provide the game with a more competitive and engaging meta for professionals orgs, coaches and players to navigate through. 100 Thieves head coach ImAPet recently took to social media to express his frustrations over having a stale map pool, and having more maps rotating in and out the meta will certainly push the competition up to newer heights.
Why It Doesn’t
CS:GO has established itself as one of the most competitive titles in the Esports world with a huge skill ceiling, and its settled map pool is a huge reason behind this. Think of it as a quality vs. quantity debate, with a more settled line up allowing pros to fully invest their time into mastering every nook and cranny and pushing the skill levels required to compete up even higher.
It’s also a lot better from a wagering perspective, with the stable map pool in CS:GO helping users gain more insight and make more educated decisions that stand a better chance of winning than alternative Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty or Fortnite betting markets.
And finally, plenty of CS fans will tell you that the game doesn’t need a map refresh because they’re still enjoying the map pool they have. The seven maps currently in the pool all bring something different, have a plethora of strong teams that have honed their craft on them and have all undergone huge tactical swings during the last year or so.
CS:GO’s current map pool currently consists of:
- Dust II
- Inferno
- Nuke
- Overpass
- Vertigo
- Mirage
- Train