CSGO pros EliGE, tarik, and more react to Ancient replacing Train in map pool

Valve has revealed Train will be subbed out of the Active Duty map pool on May 3 for an updated version of Ancient, one of CS:GO’s newest maps, and it’s divided the community.

To freshen up their tactical shooter, Valve is going to sideline Train for Ancient in the competitive map pool. While Train has its detractors, it’s one of the most recognizable maps in modern CS history.

Ancient will be the first major switch to the map pool in a couple of years when it replaces Train, and it’s splitting opinions among the community.

Valve has also shipped a host of changes to Ancient to give it a fresher design compared to its initial Operation Broken Fang release.

Valve has made a host of edits that will introduce a new route from CT spawn to A site, giving them more rotate options.

Similarly, they’ve opened a skylight inside of T tunnel to the A site, along with other changes that make Ancient more competitively viable.

While regular players can choose whether they want to play Ancient, pros will have to contend with the new map regardless. Because it’s in the Active Duty pool, it will be added to pro play ahead of the Stockholm Major.

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While Train was the setting of countless highlights throughout CSGO, it’s only been the fifth-highest picked map (out of seven) in the last year. Inferno, Dust 2, Nuke, and Mirage have seen more games played.

CS:GO pros have mixed reactions to Ancient’s addition

With current RMR events occurring for qualification to the first CSGO Major in over a year, people naturally had questions about how the map change would affect esports.

Valve confirmed that on-going events like Flashpoint Season 3 will continue using the old map pool for the time being. Future events will use the new pool.

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As expected, the reactions are mixed. While Liquid’s Jonathan ‘EliGE’ Jablonowski is elated with the removal of Train, David ‘DAVEY’ Stafford called the move “absolutely pathetic.”

Ancient’s addition to the Active Duty map pool weren’t the only changes made in CS:GO’s May 3 patch.

A permanent stat tracking feature called “360 Stats” was added, building on the Premier stats from Operation Broken Fang. A new Snakebite case has been added, as well as various bug fixes.