Four key talking points ahead of IEM Sydney

IEM Sydney brings with it the first taste of what Counter-Strike 2 looks like at an elite level. There are many question marks, and we're in to get some answers this upcoming week in Australia.

IEM Sydney 2023 will mark the dawn of a new era in the world of Counter-Strike. The Australian event will serve as the first tier-one LAN event played in the franchise's newest installment, one that promises to shake up the professional scene as teams attempt to conquer it.

There's plenty of uncertainty ahead of CS2's Big Event debut, as there is no established meta and precedents to guide our expectations. Question marks about new gameplay dynamics and the meta-game hang in the air, and no one knows what could happen when the tournament gets underway on Monday.

In this article, we delve into the four pivotal talking points set to shape the story of IEM Sydney 2023. From strategic innovations to potential underdog stories, we are in for an exciting week of top-level competition that is expected to serve up some memorable moments.

Early vs. late Counter-Strike 2 adopters

It was known for a long time that CS2 would replace CS:GO at some point, but when exactly that would happen was unclear for some time. That put teams and tournament organizers in a tough predicament and meant that some events were still played in the old version despite the official release of the new installment.

The ESL Pro League Season 18 playoffs and BLAST Premier Fall Showdown were thus held in CS:GO, which gave the attending teams a scant amount of time to adapt and strategize due to their schedule.

The IEM Sydney attendees can be split into three groups in terms of their CS2 preparation. GamerLegion, Apeks, Lynn Vision, Grayhound, BetBoom, and VERTEX have all missed out on the final two events in CS:GO, which gives them an upper hand in preparation time. While no team on that list is a tournament favorite, it's unwise to underestimate their ability to pull off an upset against some of the top dogs.

The second group is made up of teams that participated in one of the two events, which puts their practice time somewhere in the middle of the team list. The group consists of Vitality, MOUZ, FaZe, fnatic, Natus Vincere, Monte, and Cloud9, a mix of out-and-out favorites and some teams with an outside shot for the title.

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The final group consists of Complexity, ENCE, and G2. The three squads competed at both the EPL playoffs and the BLAST Showdown and were also the most vocal about those events remaining in CS:GO. Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač said that the schedule gives G2 just three days of practice, with Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer agreeing with the Bosnian rifler in a reply to his Tweet.

An important thing to note is that while teams were playing in the final CS:GO tournaments, they might have already been practicing in CS2. Vitality, Monte, and GamerLegion told HLTV on September 24 — a few days before the new game even officially launched — that they have switched to CS2 practice already. If their answers were truthful, they should mean the three rosters should have a fair bit of experience in the new game, even though two made significant changes since then. Vitality lost coach Danny "⁠zonic⁠" Sørensen, and GamerLegion replaced in-game leader Sanzhar "⁠neaLaN⁠" Iskhakov with Polish legend Janusz "⁠Snax⁠" Pogorzelski.

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In terms of officials in CS2, only three teams have recorded matches on HLTV before IEM Sydney. Monte and VERTEX played a solitary best-of-three in online competitions, while Apeks' four series make them the most experienced in a match setting.

MR12 format makes its tier-one debut

The biggest difference in tournament structure is the change from MR15 to MR12. According to ESL's data based on a sample of four online qualifiers and tournaments, the new format will reduce map duration by an average of around 15 minutes. With shorter match times comes a more compact schedule, with the IEM Sydney timetable moving back 90 minutes to account for the MR12 change.

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The schedule still features best-of-one games, however. Some players made their frustrations known about that fact on Twitter, and many share the sentiment that the reduction of rounds played will lead to more upsets and make match outcomes more reliant on pistols.

Marc Winther, Head of Game Ecosystems for Counter-Strike at ESL, informed the public that the tournament organizer isn't looking to do format changes short-term and that they will evaluate heading into 2024 after they have data on hand.

ESL did however make one change for IEM Sydney by reducing the number of timeouts per regulation map from four to three to align their rules with Valve's implementation for Premier games played in MR12. Coaches will also be allowed to stand behind the team as usual, as the lack of coaching feature in online CS2 matches will not affect the tournament.

How will the CS2 meta evolve?

CS2 was released with several alterations to gameplay, and the revamped use of smoke grenades looks to be the most impactful. No longer can teams rely on these smokes to provide cover for the duration of the grenade; instead, smokes can be dispersed by an HE grenade to give the opposing team a clear line of sight. This shift injects a fresh layer of complexity into the game and requires players to rethink grenade usage. Some players, like G2 IGL Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen, have expressed their reservations about the new mechanic, which is set to evolve as teams race to be the first to master it.

Another change in Counter-Strike 2 was the introduction of personalized loadouts, which allow players to curate their arsenal and select weapons that work with their playstyle and strengths. This departure from the conventional one-size-fits-all will give players more choices, such as the long-requested ability to equip both the M4A1-S and the M4A4, but also limit their wider options at the same time.

Additionally, many believe the current version of the game features a significant "peeker's advantage" phenomenon. With the mechanics allowing players who peek around corners to have a split-second advantage, it remains to be seen how players will adapt their playstyle. That is especially true for AWPers, who might find holding an angle harder than before.

All of the aforementioned changes and the switch to MR12 will influence the meta in different ways, but saving remains one of the biggest talking points. Players holding on to their weapons has become more and more prevalent in CS:GO's recent years, and we can only hope that the changes in CS2 will entice teams to go for more retakes, but whether that will happen remains to be seen.

Jonathan "⁠EliGE⁠" Jablonowski was a recent guest on the HLTV Confirmed podcast, and the North American rifler was far from optimistic about saving preferences in MR12. "We're probably going to see a similar amount of saves that we did before because guns are so much more important. Maybe there will be even more saving from the teams that weren't doing it before," he opined.

Is the game ready for competitive play?

The final point of discussion has been ripe in the community since the game officially launched. As with any major game release, game-breaking bugs and issues loomed large, which prompted players to accuse Valve of releasing an unfinished game.

The inaugural Counter-Strike 2 tournament will be a crucible that will put the game to the ultimate test as the teams aim to find any competitive advantage they can. Spectators can only hold their breath and hope that the gameplay experience will be smooth and seamless, as any unforeseen glitches threaten to mar the tournament's integrity.

The discovery of in-game exploits is not an uncommon occurrence. History has shown that game-breaking bugs can be unearthed at the most competitive tournaments, such as the "crouch jump" bug at PGL Major Krakow 2017. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect that the inaugural event in CS2 would be immune to such bugs. Vigilant developers and a responsive attitude by ESL will be crucial in swiftly addressing any unexpected issues to ensure that the tournament runs without unintended mechanics adding an asterisk to the results. Tech delays should be expected too, as tournament operations are adjusted to the new game's intricacies.

In essence, IEM Sydney is set to be a spectacle of innovation in strategy. The smoke grenade dynamic will add another layer to utility usage, personalized loadouts will give each player decisions to take even before they join the server, and players will need to navigate around the peeker's advantage. We are in for an exciting week of action, one set to kick off a new era in Counter-Strike.