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Blizzard just posted this last night: starcraft2.com
The new season starts on November 20th.
We're getting four new 1v1 maps:
Stasis LE
![[image loading]](https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/page_media/5F5QP2CF384J1541448578533.jpg)
On this abandoned wing of the Purifier starship, you find yourself in close quarters with your enemy. Thanks to the watchtowers, gold bases, and a hidden path to the main bases, there is plenty to fight for from start to finish.
Automaton LE
![[image loading]](https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/page_media/18IUSURURN9C1541448577777.jpg)
This map features main bases that are relatively close together by air, but the expansions are less vulnerable to harassment.
Kairos Junction LE
![[image loading]](https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/page_media/8CFDQEBHJ8C01541448578170.jpg)
Be ready when push comes to shove, because the rush distance on this map is very short. There are also alternate paths and no watchtowers to assist in scouting.
Port Aleksander LE
![[image loading]](https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/page_media/JUK1P1JICJP81541448578358.jpg)
This is a large macro map, and it has a long rush distance between the main bases. The main start locations are vulnerable to air attacks if the enemy sneaks along the edges of the map.
For 2v2, there is one new map:
Emerald City LE
![[image loading]](https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/page_media/IQP4KL4QM6EV1541448577889.jpg)
Emerald City is a large macro map. Two players should defend the single wide entrance. Natural expansions have two chokepoints, splitting rush paths and expansion patterns. Gold bases can be taken as third expansions for aggressive plays.
Same for 3v3, one new map:
Whitewater Line LE
![[image loading]](https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/page_media/6AQIOQ1ZJKGB1541448578680.jpg)
Each team has a single main base, followed by a single natural expansion with a ramp to defend it. Pathways and expansions are similar to those in traditional 1v1 maps, and a Xel'naga tower is in each corner.
And lastly, one new 4v4 map:
Multiprocessor LE
![[image loading]](https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/page_media/ECRK91W2JUV51541448578231.jpg)
Two pairs of allies spawn together with their main bases connected by a backdoor path they can both use to reinforce each other. Both bases open into a shared defensive area with two chokepoints. Two potential third bases are located nearby, while additional expansions require moving towards the edges of the map.
The 1v1 pool will be:
Your final list for Season 4, 2018 will be:
Blueshift LE
Para Site LE
Cerulean Fall LE
Kairos Junction LE
Automaton LE
Port Aleksander LE
Stasis LE
The Season 4 maps are now available for testing under the Custom tab, so jump in and start practicing strategies before the new season begins on November 20. GLHF!
So that means that the following are being removed:
- Acid Plant LE
- Fracture LE
- Lost And Found LE
- Dreamcatcher LE
and Blueshift, Para Site, and Cerulean Fall are being carried over.
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Tank pushes along/through the corridor on Stasis are so ridiculous I'm bemused it's making ladder.
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Canada8989 Posts
Visually the maps looks amazing props to that.
Stasis is giving he Habitation Station flashback but a bit more "funky" and the rest of the maps seems pretty straight forward, overall doesn't seems like a bad map pool but I guess I will see when I play on it.
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i don't play 3v3 but whitewater is beautiful! much better than the tired old "TRON" aesthetic like on the 4v4 map. 16 bit, neon violet... it's just been done before and it's not all that cool
platform and space based maps and dark neon colors are fun for variety, but maps that look lush and alive with sand, water and vegetation will always be the most fun to look at for me.
first impression of the new 1v1 maps is that they all seem pretty visually busy and multi-layered with lots of high ground, corridors and odd ramp angles. interesting direction overall
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On November 08 2018 04:06 Elentos wrote:
Tank pushes along/through the corridor on Stasis are so ridiculous I'm bemused it's making ladder.
haven't played it at all, but is there any possibility of taking the third base and fourth bases down the right side of the map and skipping the vulnerable natural? although even then, the corridor to that low ground third base is sooo narrow...
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Stasis is kinda crazy, and all the other maps are mostly fine, but really big on average.
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We lose Acid Plant and Lost and Found but keep Para Site and Cerulean Fall? Disappointing.
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Rofl, get rid of all viable maps for T, nice. 
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Who designs these awful "team" maps?
Instead of making real team maps they just make 1v1 maps for 2/3/4 players.
A real team map should have at least some distance between the players, there is a reason the by far most popular team map was BGH/Hunters and team games were more popular in Bw.
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Can't wait to get dropped from every side on Automaton  Otherwise, fresh maps are always welcome
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On November 08 2018 09:29 AmFreak wrote:
Who designs these awful "team" maps?
Instead of making real team maps they just make 1v1 maps for 2/3/4 players.
A real team map should have at least some distance between the players, there is a reason the by far most popular team map was BGH/Hunters and team games were more popular in Bw.
why? do you want all team games to be NR 20 and 4 sky armies crashing into each other?
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On November 08 2018 12:09 brickrd wrote:Show nested quote +On November 08 2018 09:29 AmFreak wrote:
Who designs these awful "team" maps?
Instead of making real team maps they just make 1v1 maps for 2/3/4 players.
A real team map should have at least some distance between the players, there is a reason the by far most popular team map was BGH/Hunters and team games were more popular in Bw. why? do you want all team games to be NR 20 and 4 sky armies crashing into each other?
Exact opposite, split teams makes map control way more potent and promotes early aggression. Hunters in KESPA usually ended with zealots and lings alone
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So, all terrans and zegs veto Port Aleksandrr and welcome the start of season of proxyes or bullshit till april.
Ez
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I really want to see a high level TvT on Stasis.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51485 Posts
Wow Stasis is a beautiful map!
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when is next season going live? nvm found it: november 20
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Stasis looks awesome. Reminds me of a similar map we had in hots, where we had the legandary Scarlett vs Bomber. Can't wait to see epic games on this map <3
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Am protoss. Am scared for my winrate on these maps.
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first and second map are trash well played !
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First map Stasis looks like Scrap station and Shakuras Plateau made a fusion dance.
2nd map is basically a new Daybreak.
Interesting for this meta, we will see a lot of drop and air allins :O
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New maps look amazing for drops and zerg
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too much whining and assumptions. let's give them a shot first and see what happens. you can whine after.
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On November 09 2018 02:41 vyzion wrote:
too much whining and assumptions. let's give them a shot first and see what happens. you can whine after.
Negative sir, I will whine now! D:<
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So all but one new 1v1 map are basically small to medium sized? I wonder if this is to specifically shift the balance of power, so to speak? Will be interesting to see how the meta changes as a result of this map pool, and specifically if Terran will go back to more standard, no-proxy play vs Toss.
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Habitation Watcher looks so beautiful.
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On November 09 2018 03:49 Togekiss wrote:
So all but one new 1v1 map are basically small to medium sized? I wonder if this is to specifically shift the balance of power, so to speak? Will be interesting to see how the meta changes as a result of this map pool, and specifically if Terran will go back to more standard, no-proxy play vs Toss.
I think terran will go back to more standard play now that the cyclone is a different unit on new balance patch. Cyclone was kind of the enabler of the proxy meta because it was super threatening on offense so it forced protoss to guard the front which made it hard to also guard the main vs hellion drops and the like. It also was very strong defensively so it was difficult to counter attack a proxying terran due to the strength of mass repaired cyclones. new cyclone is much more suited to a purely defensive play style and lacks the offensive threat of the old cylone.
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I've had a complaint all LOTV long.
Maps with an S-shape from the main to the 4th bases make for much more interesting games than maps with a J-shape from the main to the 4th.
The fact that most LOTV maps have had a J-shape really just means you can't be out-positioned if your units are faster. Also an attack in the main means little since it's not far away.
In contrast, on maps with an S- shape the positioning is much more tactical. There are actual choices to make in terms of the question, "what is the right response to this enemy position?"
If you look back to HOTS era maps, the base layout includes a good mixture of all sorts of arrangements of 1st through 4th bases. I personally can't stand how in modern maps 4 bases can be easily defended just by setting troops on a horizontal patrol, whereas the 3rd base alone is hardly less secure.
To be designed well, maps need to have a 1 1/2 -point defence for the 3 bases (plus droppability in main) and 3-point defence for 4 bases. With the current design, the ground pathing between 4th and main (compared to air path) is too short for drops to be advantageous, and 4 bases only requires 2 points of defence. This is not right.
That's my twopence.
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United States2141 Posts
On November 09 2018 03:49 Togekiss wrote:
So all but one new 1v1 map are basically small to medium sized? I wonder if this is to specifically shift the balance of power, so to speak? Will be interesting to see how the meta changes as a result of this map pool, and specifically if Terran will go back to more standard, no-proxy play vs Toss.
automaton and port aleksander are both larger than any map currently in the ladder pool.
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On November 09 2018 02:56 Tempest wrote:Show nested quote +On November 09 2018 02:41 vyzion wrote:
too much whining and assumptions. let's give them a shot first and see what happens. you can whine after. Negative sir, I will whine now! D:<
It's a TL tradition to complain about maps, veto said maps without trying them, then continuing to complain about them. Can't stop it now.
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On November 09 2018 05:32 KR_4EVR wrote:
I've had a complaint all LOTV long.
Maps with an S-shape from the main to the 4th bases make for much more interesting games than maps with a J-shape from the main to the 4th.
The fact that most LOTV maps have had a J-shape really just means you can't be out-positioned if your units are faster. Also an attack in the main means little since it's not far away.
In contrast, on maps with an S- shape the positioning is much more tactical. There are actual choices to make in terms of the question, "what is the right response to this enemy position?"
If you look back to HOTS era maps, the base layout includes a good mixture of all sorts of arrangements of 1st through 4th bases. I personally can't stand how in modern maps 4 bases can be easily defended just by setting troops on a horizontal patrol, whereas the 3rd base alone is hardly less secure.
To be designed well, maps need to have a 1 1/2 -point defence for the 3 bases (plus droppability in main) and 3-point defence for 4 bases. With the current design, the ground pathing between 4th and main (compared to air path) is too short for drops to be advantageous, and 4 bases only requires 2 points of defence. This is not right.
That's my twopence.
Could you give examples of S-shaped and J-shaped maps?
In general though, main/nat/third/fourth setups have trended this way in LotV due to the fact that having different possible thirds means that match-ups shake out to be more balanced (since having all three bases in a line can be difficult for terran, and having the third below the main can be difficult for zerg, and so on). The homogeneity isn't great of course.
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On November 08 2018 21:10 _Epi_ wrote:
Stasis looks awesome. Reminds me of a similar map we had in hots, where we had the legandary Scarlett vs Bomber. Can't wait to see epic games on this map <3
Was that where T floated his main over to the gold?
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On November 09 2018 19:54 _fool wrote:Show nested quote +On November 08 2018 21:10 _Epi_ wrote:
Stasis looks awesome. Reminds me of a similar map we had in hots, where we had the legandary Scarlett vs Bomber. Can't wait to see epic games on this map <3 Was that where T floated his main over to the gold?
Terran did the gold float on more than one map, but yes habitation station is the one where it became standard (at least until pro zergs perfected the ridiculous drone rush response)
man, what a great time. i miss proleague more than i miss anything in sc2.
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On November 08 2018 14:40 yubo56 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 08 2018 12:09 brickrd wrote:On November 08 2018 09:29 AmFreak wrote:
Who designs these awful "team" maps?
Instead of making real team maps they just make 1v1 maps for 2/3/4 players.
A real team map should have at least some distance between the players, there is a reason the by far most popular team map was BGH/Hunters and team games were more popular in Bw. why? do you want all team games to be NR 20 and 4 sky armies crashing into each other? Exact opposite, split teams makes map control way more potent and promotes early aggression. Hunters in KESPA usually ended with zealots and lings alone
That's becasue there were no ramps and walls were pretty stupid and asymmetrical.
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Is Automaton in TvZ a joke ?
Is it only playable vs Zerg or it is an automatic veto ?
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I am sad... they removed Acid Plant. That was my favorite map.
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Blizz seems to be promoting more aggressive play with these new maps. Anyone else agree?
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EPT
