EPT
Continuing Map Rotations
Hi, this is Waxangel from TL.net, the head administrator of the TL.net Map Contest.
For several years, TLMC has helped Blizzard and ESL facilitate ladder map rotations. With ESL no longer directly involved in the map selection process, TLMC is stepping up to try and make sure seasonal map changes continue. Right now, we're in communication with Blizzard to rotate the map pool ahead of the EWC competitive cycle.
As our starting point, we've assembled a temporary, provisional map pool centered on TLMC #20 with minimal subjective input on our end. We've incorporated different factors and interests to try and get a rough impression of what maps are popular with the community. Of course, this is just a first step, and we will iterate based on feedback.
Provisional Map Pool #1
Top 3 community voted maps from TLMC #20 finalists
- Last Fantasy (see note below)
- Persephone
- Torches
Top 3 pro-player polled maps from TLMC #20 finalists (polled via the old ESL feedback chat)
- Incorporeal
- Tokamak
- Magannatha
Top 3 most-played maps from the previous pool (Liquipedia stats)
- Ley Lines
- Whispers of Gold
- Ultralove
(In accordance with 2024's pre-EWC rotation, we have started with a 3-old, 6-new structure.)
We welcome the broader community's comments, and will look to supplement the original TLMC #20 voting results with additional feedback. We may ask for specific feedback in the future, but feel free to use this thread for general map feedback in the meanwhile. Please check the finalists post or our public results sheet for more information on the TLMC #20 maps.
We have already received some initial feedback from progamers, and we will continue to be in communication with them during this crucial time for the competitive scene.
We also invite tournament organizers to play events on the provisional pool to help the community further evaluate the maps. We also encourage tournament organizers to continue experimenting with maps they find interesting and beneficial to their events, as we consider their map curation to be valuable feedback in itself.
By collecting feedback from various sources, we hope to ultimately arrive at a final pool of maps that can both breathe fresh air into the competitive scene, as well as be agreeable to various facets of the community.
Regarding 3+ player maps
As the topic of 3+ player maps has been controversial in the scene, especially among progamers, we'd like to comment specifically on Last Fantasy.
Last Fantasy is the first 3+ player map to be a TLMC finalist since 2021, and it immediately won the fan vote by a comfortable margin. Interestingly enough, the TLMC that last included 3+ player maps among the finalists—TLMC 15—did not see those maps perform particularly well in voting.
TLMC voting is hardly a perfect representation of the entire SC2 scene, but the recent result of Last Fantasy winning the community vote does appear meaningful. At the very least, it merits including the map in this initial, provisional pool, and listening to more feedback on it.
