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Today Valve released a new CS:GO update which saw several changes to a few weapons. Valve have been very quiet with regards to the CS:GO esports scene, having very little personal investment and impact on the scene outside of providing streaming rights.
While the update saw several updates to the casual map pool as well, we will focus on how this update will change the competitive CS:GO circuit.
The two big weapon changes initiated in this update are for the CZ75 and the Tec9.
CZ75
The CZ75a has been adjusted to encourage semi-automatic fire at medium and long ranges.
- Increased recoil and fire inaccuracy.
- Slightly improved accuracy recovery rate.
The CZ was notorious for being exceptionally well-rounded especially in anti-eco rounds. It was not as powerful as a few years ago, but its popularity, especially over the other weapons of similar economic value was definitely visible. Valve decided to initiate changes for the CZ after noticing how frequent its use was.
The increased recoil means that the players will need to make the most use of their aim. The lack of proper aim with the single clip could mean a disaster for the player who is in a somewhat risky position. The improved accuracy recovery rate is hardly noticeable in the game and it should not affect the professional scene by much.
The primary aim of the CZ still remains to increase its usage in long-range duels, but it does have the disadvantage of being a pistol with very few bullets. So accuracy and first shot become even more important.
Tec9
Contrary to the CZ, the Tec9 has not been seeing much usage in recent professional matches. In previous updates, we have seen Tec9’s accuracy being reduced drastically making it highly unreliable in medium range duels.
Tec9 adjustments have been implemented to make the weapon more forgiving at medium rates of fire.
- Reduced fire inaccuracy
- Slightly improved accuracy recovery rate
However, the current update will slightly buff the Tec9. It might not be a viable buy for Terrorist sides yet, as we have seen a drastic change to the economy. Teams will be more inclined to buy an AK instead of force buying a Tec9 early in the game.
Changes to the economy
The biggest change in the professional scene will be in the game economy. In CS:GO, the “economy” is how much money your team has and can subsequently spend on purchasing weapons, armour and utility. Money can be earned per-player by killing an enemy team member, planting/defusing the bomb or winning the round.
The new update brings much-needed change that reduces the impact a pistol round can have on the final outcome.
- Adjusted the start-of-half economy with the goal of reducing the impact of a pistol round win on subsequent rounds.
- In Competitive Matchmaking, both teams are now considered to start the half with a one-round ‘losing streak’ that is reset following a round win. Instead of $1400, the Round 1 loser receives $1900, then $2400 for a subsequent loss, etc.
- The start-of-half losing streak can be adjusted via “mp_starting_losses”
The impact of the losing streak economic model will be huge for teams which want to rely on their own expertise. With the current economic model, if a team goes full eco (no armour, no upgraded pistols) in Round 1, they can buy an AK-47 and Armor irrespective of the outcome of the first round. This means that if a team loses the pistol round, they can still rely on their ability to win the ‘gun-round’. A normal game of Counter Strike in the previous version would have two pistol rounds at the start of each half.
At the start of the half, pistol rounds are crucial mainly due to the economy. If a team wins a pistol round, it provides a massive advantage for the winning team. They can buy better weaponry and also farm more money via cheaper SMGs and relatively inferior weapons.
Teams will move towards more aggression
All the teams will now start with a one-round loss in their economy. This means that a team that loses the pistol round gets $1900 in the second round, due to loss velocity in the economy system (losing more rounds gives the losing team additional income to offer an advantage). This can severely impact the outcome of the next round. The top teams will almost always go for a big power push and try to wrest control of the game economy back in their hands. For a team like Na’Vi which is always looking to get any advantage via force buys, this is definitely a big boost. They will have extra grenades and more weaponry to use as they attempt to get some rounds on the scoreboard.
The reviews to this update have been very mixed. There are pros who like the update while some others, not so much. The update will definitely have an impact on the final placements of the team, however, we don’t know how the teams will fare in the future. For now, Starladder is still using the old economic model with the new update.