BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals to Be Played on Old CS2 Patch Despite Major Valve Update

BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals to Be Played on Old CS2 Patch Despite Major Valve Update

BLAST has officially confirmed that the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals will be played on a pre-update Counter-Strike 2 patch, even though Valve released a major gameplay and map pool update just one day before the LAN begins.

The decision means that teams competing at the BLAST Bounty Finals in Malta (January 22–25) will not play on the newly updated version of CS2 that reintroduced Anubis to the Active Duty map pool and removed Train, delaying the Tier 1 LAN debut of the new patch until at least IEM Kraków.

Why BLAST Bounty Finals Are Staying on the Old CS2 Patch

According to BLAST, the tournament will use the same game build as the online stage to preserve competitive integrity and avoid last-minute changes immediately before a LAN event.

This choice prevents teams from having to rapidly adapt to:

A reworked Anubis

Movement and bunnyhop timing changes

Weapon balance updates affecting SMGs

However, it also creates a rare situation where Tier 1 LAN Counter-Strike is temporarily disconnected from the live competitive meta.

What Changed in the Latest CS2 Update

Valve’s update, released shortly before the Finals, introduced several esports-relevant changes:

Map Pool Changes

Anubis added to Active Duty

Train removed from the competitive pool

Weapon Adjustments

MP7 and MP5-SD buffs

Price reductions for MP7, MP5-SD, and PP-Bizon

Movement Mechanics

Updated jumping and bunnyhop timing

Adjustments to landing behavior within CS2’s subtick system

Despite Anubis returning, HLTV reported that the map was the least-picked map during the BLAST Bounty online stage, appearing only four times—making its absence from the Finals less surprising from a preparation standpoint.

ESL Takes the Opposite Approach Ahead of IEM Kraków

While BLAST opted for stability, ESL confirmed that it will immediately adopt the new CS2 patch, including for IEM Rio closed qualifiers.

This effectively sets up IEM Kraków (starting January 28) as the first major Tier 1 LAN expected to fully embrace:

The updated Anubis

New movement mechanics

Revised SMG balance

As a result, BLAST Bounty Finals may offer limited long-term meta insight, with teams and analysts already shifting focus toward Kraków.

Pro Player Reactions to the Train–Anubis Swap

In a recent HLTV interview, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire commented positively on the map pool change, highlighting how it benefits Vitality:

“It was a good map change for us because our Train dropped off… while Anubis, we won it, so we were quite happy.”

Although Vitality are among the top teams involved in BLAST Bounty, the Finals will be played on the older Anubis version, postponing any evaluation of how teams adapt to the reworked layout.

What This Means for the CS2 Pro Scene

The BLAST decision highlights a growing challenge in Counter-Strike 2 esports:
balancing competitive stability with frequent, impactful Valve updates.

Key implications:

Results from BLAST Bounty Finals may age quickly

Teams already practicing the new patch gain an edge heading into Kraków

Fans will not see the “new Anubis” tested on Tier 1 LAN until ESL events

BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals – Event Overview

Online stage: January 13–18

LAN Finals: January 22–25

Location: Malta

Format highlight: Lower-seeded teams select opponents from the higher-seeded pool

Final takeaway

BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals will deliver elite Counter-Strike, but on a meta that’s already obsolete. With ESL accelerating adoption of Valve’s latest CS2 update, all eyes now turn to IEM Kraków as the true starting point of the next competitive era.