Counter-Strike 2 pro speaks up about the main competitive format’s economy unbalance

It’s been a rough few weeks for Valve after the release of Counter-Strike 2 failed to deliver on everything it had promised fans. Having completely replaced CS:GO and Source, fans were disappointed with not only the content included, but the state of the multiplayer game’s network, performance, and optimization. Now we’ve seen its first appearance on the professional scene at IEM Sidney, and while most pro players are warming up to it, at least one of them is worried about its future.

It was G2′s NiKo who, in an interview with Dot Esports, revealed that he’s unhappy with the way a match’s economy has been changed with the change of format. The change from MR15 to MR12 means that teams have had to rapidly adapt to a much tighter strategy when it comes to the “buy” phases of each match, as item prices haven’t changed from the previous game but the amount of rounds have.

“I think it’s safe to say the current state of MR12 is not optimal,” he said. “Maybe I’m just not used to it but I don’t think it fits CS. You should not be forced to make more than one eco or have a good buy round in MR12. After pistol rounds, you don’t have to force, but if you are reset in the middle of the half you’ll have to double eco. Those rounds should not be happening.”

If you’re not very well versed in the Counter-Strike world, MR stands for “Max Rounds” in a half-match, meaning the maximum amount of rounds teams have to play to get a point before resetting for the second half. Every round earns players money with which to buy items and weapons for the next round, with an “Eco” round (short for Economic) meaning players don’t spend money that round to save up for better weapons in the following rounds.

With now 12 max rounds instead of 15, the gameplay has shifted to a more unforgiving style where teams can steamroll their opponents if enough pressure is sustained. There is less room for mistakes, and now most matches have seen the rise of multiple Eco rounds.

This very specific detail is something that the developers could address in the future, but as always, it’s not something that is guaranteed.