Counter-Terrorist/Terrorist Sided Maps at ESL One Cologne
After ESL One Cologne, I wanted to analyze the map pool and determine which sides, Counter-Terrorists (CT) or Terrorists (T), had the advantage. Here’s how I conducted the analysis:
In order to ensure fairness, I only considered maps where the final score was at least 16-8. This allowed enough rounds to be played for a reasonable assessment of each side’s performance. Including maps with lower scores could have skewed the results if the stronger team started on the less favored side.
After identifying the fair matches, I calculated the percentage of rounds won by the Terrorists. For example, in the match between Fnatic and G2 on Train, Fnatic won 16 rounds and G2 won 13 rounds, out of a total of 29 rounds. Of these 29 rounds, 14 were won by the Terrorists, which amounts to 48% of the total rounds. This indicates that the map was slightly CT sided.
When calculating the percentages, I rounded the numbers to the nearest whole number. For example, 33.3 recurring would become 33%.
Dust II
Dust II was played four times at the ESL One Cologne Major, but only two matches had a scoreline above 16-8. In these games, the map demonstrated its balanced nature, with the Terrorists winning 49% of the rounds.
Nuke
Like Dust II, Nuke also had two matches with a scoreline above 16-8. These games confirmed that Nuke remains CT sided, as the Terrorists only won 43% of the rounds.
Cobblestone
Despite recent changes, Cobblestone still favors the Terrorists. Out of the seven games played with a scoreline of 16-8 or more, the Terrorists claimed 55% of the rounds.
Overpass
Overpass remains a CT sided map, with the Terrorists winning 47% of the rounds in the three even matches analyzed.
Mirage
Mirage showed interesting variations, particularly in a match between Astralis and Dignitas, where the Terrorists won the majority of rounds. Overall, the Terrorists won 52% of the rounds in the three games analyzed. However, the abnormal result in the Astralis vs Dignitas match affected the overall average. In the other two matches, the CTs won 62% of the rounds.
Cache
Surprisingly, the CTs had a strong advantage in the three even matches played on Cache, winning 65% of the rounds in total.
Train
Train proved to be a diverse map, with no clear advantage for either side. On average, 47% of the rounds were won by the Terrorists across the six even games analyzed.
These statistics may challenge common perceptions of certain maps, but they reflect the performance at the ESL One Cologne Major. If you have any suggestions to refine this analysis, please feel free to leave feedback. You can also reach out on Twitter.
Photo credit: Counter-Strike wiki
Article by: @clootch_cs