The recently released update for Counter-Strike 2 brought several important changes at once. Valve continues to send out new waves of invites, which means more and more active players are getting access to the new version. It's time to understand how the innovations may affect gameplay and what will change for those who strive for high achievements.
What MR12 and MR15 mean
The abbreviation MR
stands
for «Max Round», i.e. the maximum number of rounds in a match before changing sides. Thus, the familiar system from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can be labeled as MR15 – 15 rounds are played before the change of sides, and the maximum number of rounds in a match – 30, and in the case of a tie on points is appointed overtime.The transition to MR12, that is, matches with 12 rounds before the change of sides, should, according to the developers, make the game more dynamic. However, in the first days this innovation caused a negative reaction of the community: many mention that the game's economy is not designed for such a format, pistol rounds will gain even more weight, and it will be more difficult for teams to win back if they lose several points in a row.
Nevertheless, we should not forget that CS 1.6 used this exact match length. The economics of the game were set up a bit differently back then, but CS2 also has features that can make this format interesting. First of all, it's how the rewards are structured for the team that loses the round. Losing one round or even several in a row allows a team to accumulate resources and win back.
It is not yet clear whether the introduction of the new format will be followed by any adjustments to the game's economy. After all, the closed beta is to see how well the new system works. In any case, the teams will have to adapt – which means that the audience is in for surprises and non-standard scenarios. Therefore, many connoisseurs of the game agree that it is not worth rejecting the changes simply because they are unfamiliar – time will tell how well the MR12 will fit into the game and whether any further adjustments will be needed.
Player Rating in CS2
Another new feature is the rating system, which looks like it may force many players to leave third-party platforms such as FACEIT and return to official matchmaking. They may be pushed by the appearance of Premier mode, which is as close to the competitive format as possible. Regional and global leaderboards will be available to players. The starting rating is calculated after the calibration process, during which the player needs to win ten victories.
The ratings that players earned in CS:GO will not go anywhere and will be transferred to the new game. But there is one difference: they will now be tied to specific cards, so it is possible to have, for example, Legendary Eagle status on one of them and just Silver on another. As a result, it becomes easier for players to figure out which maps to work on before competing in Premier mode. According to Reddit users' calculations, it currently takes over 18,000 points to rise to the Global Elite level.
Thus, the rankings in Premier become the rest of the game, and are what players will value most, while the older ranks are rendered secondary.
