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While some pros are happy with Train’s addition to CS2, some have reservations about the map.
Although the CS2 community is loving the addition of Train to the game, not every pro is equally excited about the return of the classic map.
Valve added Train to CS2 for the first time on Nov. 13. The map has been out of the professional pool since 2021, and for now it, will remain that way. Players, however, can play Train in competitive, casual, and deathmatch modes.
Although CS2 pros don’t necessarily have to play Train yet, some of them already have strong opinions about the map. This was bound to happen, given thatCS2’s Traindoesn’t look like the one we had in CS:GO.
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Positive reactions
Vitality’s CS2 captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire probably had the most positive reaction out of all pros. “It’s decided. Pick train,” apEX wrote on X.
Natus Vincere’s CS2 star Justinas “jL” Lekavičius is also on board with Train. The Lithuanian wants Valve to remove Vertigo from the Active Duty map pool and add Train in the future.
It’s worth noting that Vertigo is currently the least-played map in tier-one tournaments, despite inumerous reworks.
Though not as famous as jL and apEX, the North American streamer and semi-pro Austin “Austin” Meadows also voiced his satisfaction towards the Train rework.
“Also the Train rework is AMAZING and I can’t wait to play it next season,” Austin wrote on X, in addition to praising Valve for the netcode tweaks.
Guides
Best Train smokes in CS2
Learn some Train smokes to gain the upper hand while most players are still unfamiliar with the map.
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Mixed reactions
Although Kenny “kennyS” Schrub liked Train, he does have some concerns about the redesign favoring the T-side — and honestly, he might be right.
There’s no skybox in CS2, meaning that Terrorists can throw all sorts ofsmokes on Train’s A bombsite. For kennyS, it feels like it’s too easy to take control of A right now.
Another pro who had a mixed reaction towards Train was Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard, the in-game leader for OG.
The newcomer praised Valve for Train’s “minimalistic” looks, but pointed out that some hitboxes need adjustments.
Wrapping up the mixed reaction comes G2’s former captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen. The Dane praised Valve for Train’s new visuals, but isn’t sure about the map layout.
The in-game leader wasn’t expecting the map too change this much. “Feels like some places will be too narrow and some too open,” HooXi wrote on X.
Leonardo Biazzi
Negative reactions
Astralis' in-game leader Casper “cadiaN” Møller criticized Train’s redesign. To him, the remakes of classic CS:GO maps didn’t do any good.
While cadiaN didn’t offer too much input, MOUZ’s captain Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek went a bit deeper.
The prodigy in-game leader said that CS “is losing its game feeling” with all these map overhauls. This is a topic that comes and go in the CS2 community as some players feel that some CS2 maps look like VALORANT maps.
One of the big talking points when it comes to CS2’s Train is the redesign of Popdog. That portion of the map got massively overhauled as Valve removed the ladder and expanded it, renaming it to Longdog.
Popdog was a strong position for CTs, but now that is gone. For ENCE’s pro Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, Train favors the T-side too much.
All that said, it’s totally possible that Valve will tweak Train as more pros and casuals play the map and share their feedback. The developer already shipped some minor improvements on Nov. 14, so it’s not like this is the definitive edition of Train.
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