StarCraft II is one of the most active games in esports, with tournaments taking place nearly year-round on both the amateur and professional levels. In fact, the IEM Katowice Tournament is active as we speak, with the group stage rapidly approaching!
With the first season of 2020 coming up rapidly, Blizzard has added maps to the Custom Games section of Multiplayer for playtesting and exploration. These maps will be in the competitive ladder for the coming season. We’ve listed them below with small tidbits of information from the announcement as well.
Ever Dream LE is the first map in the 1v1 tier. It features sixteen blue bases, with two of them containing a single Rich Vespene Geyser. At an average rush distance of 37 seconds, it’ll provide decent room for aggressive play, but line-of-sight blockers, ramps, and rocks will make map mobility a challenge.
Afterwards, we have Golden Wall LE, which features a divisive wall through the center. The bottom half of the map remains inaccessible at the start of the game, making players mine through minerals to reach the section and provide some excellent maneuverability. Otherwise, there are five easier-to-reach bases on the top half for a more vanilla playstyle.
In Purity and Industry, we have a map pockmarked with Inhibitor Zone Generators to curtail airborne armies while placing the players in close proximity via air. The slowing zones force players to consider their air approach, while a far travel distance for ground troops provides further cons.
The War Chest Skin Bundles are now available! pic.twitter.com/Hcwkn9koqx
— StarCraft (@StarCraft) February 22, 2020
Moving to the team maps, we have Arctic Dream LE as a 2v2 map. Here, both teammates have their own main base and pocket bases, as well as adjacent Inhibitor Zone Generators to defend against air harass. Rocks and line of sight blockers in the middle help defend gold bases located in the middle of low-ground areas.
In 3v3, we see the addition of Sentinel LE, a map with evenly-spaced expansions to help “leapfrog” your way towards your enemy’s territory. Pocket expansions in the opposite direction are blocked off by reduced mineral fields but are available nonetheless for a safer route.
Finally, the 4v4 map joining the ladder queue is Nekodrec LE, which has the least information by far. The map is designed as a fortress map, complete with Inhibitor Zone Generators bringing a slow to the air space between main bases and spilling over onto the shortest ground path as well.
And those are the maps joining the rotation for the first 2020 season! They’re sure to add a bit of variety to gameplay and allow for new tactics to help you climb the ladder faster this time around.
