Though many followers have been anticipating that iconic map, Cache, would make its return for Season 4 of Counter-Strike 2, these followers have been left disillusioned by the precise map change that’s occurring.
The truth is, many gamers and groups are additionally disillusioned with the change, because the largely unpopular map Anubis will probably be reintroduced to the pool rather than Practice.
Professionals Sad About Return of Anubis
Anubis was by no means significantly widespread amongst followers or gamers, with many citing points associated to its design being too one-sided. Nonetheless, on condition that the CT aspect has seen buffs to its financial system since Anubis was final within the pool, a few of these points could have been alleviated.
There’s additionally nonetheless the possibility that adjustments to the precise format of the map will probably be made. Anubis doesn’t formally arrive within the Lively Responsibility pool till the 19, and Valve have been their normal mysterious selves when caster Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill requested if any adjustments had been made.
Different figures, corresponding to OG IGL Casper “cadiaN” Moller and analyst Dustin “dusT” Mouret questioned the timeline of the announcement. Provided that the StarLadder Budapest Main ended on December 14, there was ample time for Valve to announce the change previous to the beginning of the 2026 season – time it finally didn’t use.
This creates an enormous difficulty for groups when it comes to their apply schedules, particularly if they’d already been practising the map leaving the pool, in addition to creating an odd spell in the beginning of the cycle the place groups don’t have the time to truly adapt the brand new map into their pool.
A number of figures, corresponding to G2’s Nikita “HeavyGod” Marynenko, expressed their dismay on the return of Anubis, while others like American desk host Mike “DarfMike” Winnick additionally questioned the time given to Practice to really embed itself inside the earlier map pool.
Nonetheless, the vast majority of the frustration relating to the change got here from the group, which was anticipating Cache to be the map to return. A fan-favourite map, Cache has been out of the map pool since 2019, and Valve shopping for the map had made many hopeful that it might lastly return.
Which Groups Profit from Anubis Return?
One crew that’s joyful to see Anubis come again is Aurora. The Turkish squad was elite on the map earlier than its removing, and that removing additionally coincides with the crew beginning to battle extra following the BLAST Austin Main.
The change additionally advantages Vitality, whose Practice stratbook had grown stale over the course of 2025. They’d began to drop maps on the outgoing map, whereas Anubis was all the time persistently a powerful map for them and particularly for his or her opener, Shar “flameZ” Shushan, whose 1.39 ranking on the map was the very best on the planet in 2025.
On the shedding aspect are MOUZ. MOUZ had been elite on Practice all through 2025, and it had develop into a assured win for them towards Vitality, one thing a lot wanted for them in that long-standing rivalry.
NAVI may also be disillusioned to see Practice go. The Ukrainian group had develop into elite on Practice in current months, and their full dismantling of FURIA throughout the Budapest Main playoffs was what allowed them to tug off the upset victory and push onto the semi-finals.
