What Is Counter-Strike 2 Premier Mode?

If you’ve ever played CS:GO in the past, you would have noticed that millions of players were bombarding Valve because of how bad the original matchmaking system was. Thankfully for Counter-Strike fans, Valve listened and released a new mode that solves many complaints. 

The Premier Mode is Counter-Strike’s newest ranked game mode, featuring reshaped formats and a new, functional ranking system. So far, the Premier Mode has received positive feedback throughout the community. Even though the old Competitive Mode is still available in the game, Premier has become the main game mode players play on. 

Counter-Strike’s Premier Mode brings forth interesting changes, such as:

• A new map veto phase
• A rating system
• A change in round formats and overtime
• Regional and friend leaderboards

Let’s discuss each of these changes and figure out what the Premier Mode is all about. 

As mentioned earlier, there are four new features implemented in Premier Mode. We’ll go over each feature and answer all your questions and doubts.

Team Veto To Select Maps

The most notable change from Competitive to Premier Mode is easily the map veto system. Previously in Global Offensive, players could select which maps they’d like to play. They can check maps they’re okay with, and uncheck the ones they don’t want to play. This access has allowed players to spam one or two maps only and rank up easily.

However, the Premier Mode abolished this flaw and forced players out of their comfort zone. When loading into a Premier match, both teams are placed into a veto phase, in other words, banning maps. Both teams will take turns banning out maps until one map remains. Then, the selected map will be the battleground for the match. 

There are seven maps featured in Premier Mode, and it depends on which maps are currently in the Active Duty Pool. As of June 2024, here are the seven maps available in Premier:

• Dust II
• Mirage
• Inferno
• Vertigo
• Ancient
• Anubis
• Nuke

A team’s map bans will be determined by majority vote. So, make sure to be present for the veto phase to avoid playing on maps you’re unfamiliar with. Three votes will guarantee a ban. 

The order of the CS2 Premier veto phase is as follows:

• Team 1 bans a map.
• Team 1 bans a map.
• Team 2 bans a map.
• Team 2 bans a map.
• Team 2 bans a map.
• Team 1 bans a map.
• The leftover map is selected, Team 2 selects which side to start on. 

This is the same system used by the FACEIT platform as well as professional matches. Once in a while, you might find yourself playing on an uncomfortable map like Ancient or Anubis. Valve has reworked the system so that players must study all the maps to achieve a high rating. 

Numerical Rating System

Another massive concern from the previous Competitive Mode system is how the ranks worked. In Global Offensive, players were divided into eighteen skill groups, such as Gold Nova Master and Distinguished Master Guardian. 

Though these medals give players an idea of where they belong, it still isn’t very accurate, especially when you’ve reached The Global Elite. Once you have accomplished the highest rank, there’s nowhere higher you can do.

CS2’s Premier Mode introduces a new ranking system featuring numerical ratings. The new rating allows players to have real-time updates of their progression and get an overall better idea of where they stand. 

Players can see exactly what their rating is, and how many elo points will be gained or lost after a match. All rank gains and losses for a match are fixed. You will not gain more elo points from farming Round MVPs or from winning by a massive stomp. 

Here is a table displaying what the new rating system looks like, corresponding to their color tiers:

As of June 2024, here is a representation of how Global Offensive’s ranks matches with the current Premier Mode system:

Round Formats and Overtime

Another significant change to Counter-Strike 2 is the new round format, transitioning from MR15 to MR12. The MR12 format stands for “maximum rounds 12,” meaning there can only be up to 12 rounds per half. 

As a result, a team only needs to win 13 rounds to secure a victory. However, the MR12 format isn’t only applied to Premier Mode, and is a global change to Counter-Strike. This change has generated mixed feelings for community members.

Premier Mode matches are now faster since there are less rounds to play. This is a positive change for most casual players, as busy people with jobs can fit in more matches into their Counter-Strike sessions.

However, many professional players are not a fan of this change, as there is now less room for error. It makes matches more random, as a heroic play from a player can turn the tides of a game entirely.

Additionally, overtime has finally made it to ranked matchmaking. In case of a 12-12 tie, players will go into overtime which follows an MR3 format. So, the first team to secure four rounds will win. In case of another tie at 15-15, the game will end in a draw. 

Global, Regional and Friend Leaderboards

Now that everyone has a numerical rating, it is easier to rank players in a leaderboard system. Valve has added global, regional, and friend leaderboards to Premier mode, since there are numbers to back up a person’s rank. 

Valve intended to use this leaderboard system to display the best players in the various regions, but unfortunately, Counter-Strike 2 still has a massive cheating problem. Most names you see on the global are either hackers or are queued up with hackers. 

Still, we look forward to seeing how the leaderboard system will shape up once Valve has slammed the ban hammer on these cheaters.