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! For now, we only have the 1v1 maps for you, but will soon be adding team maps to this blog. So, let’s get started!

1v1 Removals
King Sejong Station
Overgrowth
Merry go round
Nimbus

To replace these four removals, we’ll be adding in four new maps 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 feature 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 has 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 maps we’ll be adding in for the 2015 Season 1 map pool. Keep your eyes peeled for future updates as we’ll soon be adding details on the team maps! Until then, 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
Foxtrot Labs LE
Catallena LE
Expedition Lost
Secret Spring
Vaani Research Station
Inferno Pools
Deadwing LE