As GCS2 sallies forth we are entering a crucial period where players start to prepare for the qualification tournaments.
What is also being refined is the overall format for the competitive side of the tournament, these changes are small but significant and should be noted by all players.
1) Balance patch. The balance patch coming is going to hit soon™ with a refined outlook. It has been assured there will be ample time to learn and #ADAPT to new changes. If the changes are seen to be very large in the scope of 1v1 meta, there may be a warm up tournament to help settle people.
2)Map Changes. In light of player and mapper feedback - Langreskaya is susceptible to large changes and has been removed from the map pool in favour of Kholodny Ferma which is seen as being a much more polished map in its current state.
The map pool is now the same as GCS1 with: Crossroads, Crossing in the Woods, Faymonville Approach and Kholodny Ferma.
3) Smurfing. Although usually there are no tournament issues with players smurfing in automatch to preserve strategic secrecy etc. as long as they are signed up and ranked for the tournament based on their main account...
As GCS2 is using automatch to help inform the seeding process it is only fair that as of today onward no players seeking entry to GCS2 play automatch on a smurf account in the build up to seeding.
This is because it could be seen by some as trying to game the system, even if that is not the intention. Therefore a rule has been added to the
Qualification Criteria.
4)Game format to alleviate playing times during qualification events all matches will be best-of-three until the final which will be best-of-five. Previously semi-finals were best-of-five also.
Update as posted on GCS2.ORG