EPTAs you probably already know, the upcoming ladder season will host the “dreampool”, a collection of old ladder maps voted by the community.
While for some it may be fun, for others it may not be as much, or at least not for a seasons length.
Aside from that it is also hard to get legitimate practice on these maps as most of them have balance issues to some extent.
Another thing is that many tournaments choose to continue to use the season 3 map pool, whilst now free of the WCS season are capable of hosting their own map pool and have an opportunity to explore other maps and create more unique viewing experiences.
With that said I am here to provide alternatives to the dreampool for those who wish to use these.
This is a collection of recent maps you can use for custom games/practice or even a tournament map pool.
Not all maps will be represented in the shortlist, if you do wish to see my source for this selection, it is here:
http://imgur.com/a/DZT6m
http://imgur.com/a/j5tNa
http://imgur.com/a/vj2OG
You might also disagree with the placements of maps in some categorys for valid reasons, if so please mention which and why.
List of small rush/micro maps
(2) Emerald Plaza by IeZaeL http://i.imgur.com/oLsayp1.jpg
(2) Wrong Place by IeZaeL http://i.imgur.com/f2nNWCy.jpg
(2) Monlyth Sanctuary http://i.imgur.com/eM1rFpw.png
(2) Endgame http://i.imgur.com/egihMK5.png
(2) Catalyst by NegativeZero http://i.imgur.com/l2qD7FK.jpg
(2) Ice Valley http://i.imgur.com/ecchcSv.jpg
(2) Expedition Lost http://i.imgur.com/UfskX0i.jpg
(2) August Flood http://i.imgur.com/yO9f9VM.jpg
List of medium sized standard maps
(2) Sputnik by IRoha http://i.imgur.com/mDV6hSa.jpg
(2) Laboratory by IRoha: http://i.imgur.com/AAG1zCs.jpg
(2) Neo Sol Dios by NewSunshine http://i.imgur.com/7zUq1jn.jpg
(2) Mahatma by Meavis http://i.imgur.com/Ln48gOX.jpg
(2) Space Circuit by ScorpSCII http://i.imgur.com/FbyGxGu.jpg
(2) Countdown by IeZael http://i.imgur.com/XHwJ2J1.png
(2) Sanctuary by TimeTwister22 http://i.imgur.com/lmsC0u3.jpg
(2)TL Laboratory by CuTroll http://i.imgur.com/z6I7p37.jpg
(2) Ember Fortress by Etcetra http://i.imgur.com/0AXLm0D.jpg
(2) Hesperium by Uvantak/Kantuva http://i.imgur.com/EZKMO9j.jpg
List of macro oriented maps
(4) Fortitude http://i.imgur.com/JYfbPS4.png
(4) Salamander by NewSunshine http://i.imgur.com/LlrI3cE.jpg
(4) Dallaire by Uvantak/Kantuva http://i.imgur.com/RRI6XJo.jpg
(4) Colonial Province by TimeTwister22 http://i.imgur.com/TDNC4og.jpg
List of more complex strategy maps (mostly smaller, this ate some of the rush map category)
(2) Callisto http://i.imgur.com/NGlC82Q.png
(2) Rockslide by algue http://i.imgur.com/oGnZu3S.jpg
(2) Bridgehead by Semmo http://i.imgur.com/sXEygSc.jpg
(2) Cassandra Gemini by SeinGalton http://i.imgur.com/dg2O07E.jpg
(2) Toxic Outpost by DatGameSense http://i.imgur.com/vnSZg87.jpg
(2) Tremor by lorestarcraft http://i.imgur.com/0lzVof5.jpg
(2) A Long Way Home by SiskosGoatee http://i.imgur.com/jB3YgZr.jpg
(2) Moonlight Madness http://i.imgur.com/UNJpoBH.jpg
As you can see from this, the amount of maps that are made and how few are played is absurd.
Now, how do I find people to play with you ask?
Simply join channel "melee" in battle.net to find desired opponents, with using a channel to find a match rather than ladder, so do come additional options.
You can now choose the match-up you want to play, or play with your off-race against people the level of your off race, red/blue colour restriction on ladder, what’s that?
The channel might still be somewhat inactive moments after this post but hopefully it will start up fast to get this running.
For tournament/match organizers specifically.
If you were to pick any of these maps for a tournament, please take care that you select maps with variety, as picking maps all the same is self-defeating of the purpose of using different maps.
Additional information for creating a good map pool: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/starcraft-2/338532-map-pool-creation-guide
