Train dropped from active duty map pool, replaced by Ancient

Fariha Bhatti Published 04/05/2021

Train’s tenure in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is over. At least, as far as active duty goes.

Valve has revamped the active duty map pool with the addition of a fresh new location, Ancient. CSGO hasn’t seen a massive map update in a long time. While the game has a tall list of unique maps designed by developers and community members, the competitive map pool was still restricted to the same seven locations. The new patch will change that.

Thanks to everyone who took part in Operation Broken Fang. As of now the Operation has concluded. Players have until May 15th to spend Operation Stars.

We have a few updates today, beginning with the Active Duty Map Pool—Train has been removed and Ancient has been added.
— CS:GO (@CSGO) May 3, 2021

The May 4 update will cut Train from active duty map pool after six long years, and it will be replaced by new map Ancient. Train has managed to garner a loyal fanbase, thanks to its extensive history in CSGO. The map was part of the original Counter-Strike and peaked again in popularity in CSGO, re-released after a major overhaul.

It’s also one of the most popular maps in professional games due to its complex design that has spiced up many intense matches. The classic location has recorded various historical moments like Jaryd “summit1G” Lazar’s molotov fail ,and has a spot named after CSGO legend Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer.

New update removes Train from CSGO map pool

While Train leaves the CSGO map pool in the new update, players can still watch the final few matches in the upcoming Regional Major Ranking event Flashpoint 3. Future RMR events will likely utilize the updated map pool, which means the Stockholm Major will have tons of new tactics and surprises in store.

Ancient is a relatively new location in CSGO. The murky map was released as part of the Broken Fang update, but didn’t make the cut for ranked queues. Three months after its release, the map will finally be available for competitive games. The torrid location is reminiscent of CS 1.6 map Aztec, while the grey base pays homage to Cobblestone. The familiar design made Ancient an easily likeable map for older CSGO players.

The community response has been overwhelming as this is the first significant map update in a long time. Fans were anticipating a Mirage remake as it has been a tradition of Valve’s to remake older maps to freshen up the pool. But the Ancient addition has taken the community by surprise. Due to its similarities with classic CSGO maps, Ancient may quickly replace other player-favored locations in the game.

CSGO Active Duty Map Pool after the new patch update:

Dust 2
Mirage
Overpass
Inferno
Vertigo
Nuke
Ancient

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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