The dust has settled on the first appearance of Counter-Strike 2 at IEM Sydney, providing an opportunity for professional players and fans to experience top-tier CS2 for the first time. While G2’s NiKo found that the game felt smoother when played on LAN, he has raised concerns about the format and economy of CS2.
Although NiKo acknowledged that he and G2 had limited practice with CS2 leading up to its debut, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the current MR12 format. “I think it’s safe to say the current state of MR12 is not optimal,” NiKo stated, emphasizing that the shift to this shorter format would have made more sense with adjustments to the in-game economy. With fewer rounds to play, economy resets become more punishing, especially for the CT side, where teams often find themselves in situations where they must double eco after losing their loss bonus.
NiKo believes that in MR12, teams should not be forced to make more than one eco or have a good buy round after pistol rounds. “Those rounds should not be happening,” he added.
Due to the MR12 format, a team’s performance on the CT side is crucial in CS2. With only 12 rounds per half, there is less room for error and greater emphasis on intelligent economy management. This has already influenced NiKo’s choice of weaponry, as he leans towards the M4A1 at the start of halves when the economy is tighter, switching to the M4A4 as the team’s economy improves.
NiKo mentioned that the M4A4 feels even stronger in CS2 because he believes its spray is more reliable. He expressed his preference for the M4A4 in CS:GO but found it expensive. Now that he can use both M4 variants in CS2, he utilizes both in different situations.
Ultimately, NiKo believes that the economy in CS2 needs to be reevaluated. Valve may need more data from CS2 before making adjustments. NiKo proposed the idea of increasing the loss bonus to as much as $2,400, allowing losing teams to recover faster and afford more expensive and effective weapons more frequently.
However, it’s possible that the issues are related to the MR12 format, which might not change in the near future. NiKo expressed his dissatisfaction with the high number of “useless rounds” in such short maps and the need for better balance, even if the economy were improved.
G2 faced a loss to Complexity at IEM Sydney, with the American squad defeating them in the semifinals. Despite the challenges they encountered, NiKo found the overall experience at the tournament positive. He stated that the team is continuously striving to improve and learn from other teams, showing growth as a team during the event.
NiKo and G2 have a brief period to regroup before heading to China for the CS2 Asia Championships. Their experience in Sydney will be valuable as they face other competitive teams like Astralis, ENCE, FaZe, and MOUZ in the 2023 season’s final stages.