New Ladder Maps for 2015 Season 1
With 2015 right around the corner, we thought it would be a good time to reveal the new maps that will be coming to the ladder and to let you know that these maps are now available for play in the Custom Games section!
1v1 Removals
King Sejong Station
Foxtrot Labs
Merry go round
Nimbus
To replace these four removals, we’ll be adding in four new maps, some of which we’ve made here at Blizzard, and others which we’ve pulled in from top community contributors. As always, we’re looking for a good mix of balanced maps, maps that slightly favor a certain side in a given matchup, as well as maps that play differently compared to what we’re used to seeing. Here are the new maps for the next season. Please check them out not only in this blog post, but also in game!
1v1 Additions
Expedition Lost
Map created by algue. One strong features in this map is the choice it presents in taking a third base. One option is easy to access but far away and very open. The other third base is closer, but requires that you break the rocks in the main to easily access it.. Also, the placement of the collapsible debris leading to the center high ground location vs. the wider, further away ramp makes this map very unique and different from what we’re used to seeing on the ladder. We were looking for a balanced yet different in gameplay map, and this felt like the strongest choice out of the community maps we looked at this season.
Secret Spring
Secret Spring's unique feature is that there are 3 ground paths to your opponent, two of which are initially blocked by destructible rocks and a third which begins as open, but can also be blocked by breaking down collapsible debris. Therefore, although the rush distance is shorter on this map compared to most other maps, players will be able to make the choice of rushing early or breaking down debris to play a more of a defensive game. We’re excited to try out this map and see the effects of having ground paths which can potentially be cut off depending on the players’ choices within the game. We believe one of the main important factors when playing on this map will be to scout which paths are being opened up throughout the course of the game.
Vaani Research Station
Vaani Research Stations is the more standard map of those in the pool. Overall, the expansion paths are quite straight forward, and the main difference compared to other standard maps we’ve seen in the past is that there are lots of open spaces around various locations of the map.
Inferno Pools
We wanted to include at least one big macro map this season and Inferno Pools is that map. Even though rush distances are quite far away, defending the third base on this map will be more challenging than other macro maps we’ve tried so far. There are some unique choices of grabbing the High-Yield base as the third or taking the island expansion depending on where players spawn on this 4 player map. Overall, scouting and watching for when enemies are coming will be important in order to be able to macro well on this map.
Those are the four 1v1 maps we’ll be adding in for the 2015 Season 1 map pool. Make sure to check out the new 1v1 maps in the custom games section so you can prepare your best strategies to surprise players come next season! Below is a compiled list of the complete map pool.
Complete 1v1 Map Pool for 2015 Season 1
Overgrowth LE
Catallena LE
Expedition Lost
Secret Spring
Vaani Research Station
Inferno Pools
Deadwing LE
2v2 Additions
Desert Refuge
We wanted to introduce another map that plays more like the macro 1v1 games in StarCraft II. Therefore, this is a straightforward macro map where expansion paths and attack paths are very obvious and defined.
Wolfe Industries Compound
Wolfe Industries Compound is a map that starts out simple, and gets more strategic as the game develops. There are two regular natural expansions as well as an in-base High-Yield expansion that can be taken right away for each team. However, since more attack paths can be opened up after breaking the rocks, mobile units become extremely valuable on this map in the late-game.
3v3 Additions
Hills of Peshkov
This 3v3 map aims to be quite unique, with one player starting in a completely seperate area from the other two players on the team. With this difference in mind, we expect that teams will have to strategize well after seeing which race spawns where in order to maximize their chances of winning.
The Aftermath
The Aftermath is a map that develops along with the game. There is a close attack-path and High-Yield expansions that are blocked off by rocks. The center path is also watched over by the Xel’Naga Towers. These elements make for easy expansions when combined with how close everyone on a team spawns. We generally expect to see more macro games on this map, but it will also be possible to quickly break down the rocks and go for an aggressive mid-game strategy as well, because, by the nature of this map, it will also be difficult to scout in the early mid-game without air units.
4v4 Additions
Blackfrost Extraction
The main rush distance on this map is really close, but your whole team starts the game together. This, in combination with the fact that there are 2 other routes into the main bases of the opposing team, means that we expect games on Blackfrost Extraction to quickly escalate to combat.
Scoria Reactor
Scoria Reactor is another fortress-style map with a twist. Half of your team will spawn much closer to the opponents than the other half. Also, two of the natural expansions are High-Yield. In the early stages of the game, this means you'll want to collaborate with your closest teammate, as well as coordinate which team members will claim the High-Yield expansions. We expect Scoria Reactor to be a map that truly rewards effective teamwork.