First, we’d like to thank TeamLiquid and everyone who participated in their map contest. Your votes and participation aided in selecting the 1v1 map pool this season. In accordance with your votes, we agree that having a diverse set of maps both in the ladder and in tournaments is critical in order to keep each map feeling fresh and unique. Below are the maps we’ve selected to bring such a map pool to life.

1v1

Bridgehead took 2^nd place in the community-voted Team Liquid map contest. We believe this map is extremely unique (and quite cool) thanks to its high-level layout, which is very different from maps we’ve seen in StarCraft II so far. Due to its far-away bases and multiple attack routes, we expect to see more mobile strategies used on this map. Ultimately, we see Bridgehead as a map that the community strongly desires, and as a map that could bring more diverse strategies to StarCraft II in Season 3.

Dash and Terminal immediately stands out due to the nearby High Yield expansions that players can utilize early on. Similarly to Habitation Station, it could turn out that Terran players may be able to float their Command Centers to these gold bases to start games. The map also boasts a number of unique attributes, such as the mutually distant High Yield expansion, the island expansion that’s accessible to both players by air, and a wide variety of pathways connecting each of the bases on the map. We are excited to see what kind of games play out on this unique map.

Moonlight Madness is a great example of a more “standard” map . . . with a twist. The unique feature on this map is easy access to three bases early on until the two destructible rocks are broken. Keeping an eye on the state of these two rocks will be critical, and we think that the three-base setup may ultimately be different in an effective way. We’re always keeping an eye out for standard maps that have a stand-out cool factor, and we believe this map qualifies.

You guys voted Terraform as the best map in the latest map contest, so we decided to include it in the Season 3 map pool. How the High Yield expansion works out looks interesting in that any ranged units can perform harassment attacks well against this area from behind the mineral patches. Between the attack-paths and the collapsible rocks, we see great potential for exciting and complex positioning plays.

Team Maps

For team maps, we wanted a good mix of unique maps as well as more standard maps. Because there are many players in team games, we feel that the rate at which we push for big changes in map diversity for team games should be slower than in 1v1 games.

2v2

This map has two opposite paths your team can take to the enemy. If the center rocks aren’t broken, it’ll be difficult to move around to defend the other attack route, so a mobile army would be preferred here. Air-based armies will also shine on this map due to the close air-to-air distance.

The main stand-out features on this map are the High Yield natural expansions. We’re excited to potentially see strategies based around mineral-heavy team compositions utilizing this map feature.

3v3

This is a fairly standard 3v3 fortress-style map. We expect that the way games flow on Backcountry won’t be too surprising.

This map features a very long ground path to the opposing team, but a close air-to-air distance. We expect to see more air-based compositions on this map.

4v4

Although all players start out rather separated, there is also a shared choke point through which any ground armies must pass. In the later stages of the game, the team that controls the center, low-ground area will have access to lots of High Yield resource expansions. This means the playstyles on this map could range from early rushes to more coordinated center map control play.

On this map, two of four players start together, but other than that, the map itself is fairly standard. We don’t expect anything crazy to happen here, and this will most likely be a solid, standard map.

Once again we thank you for your participation and hope you are as excited for the kickoff of Season 3 and its new maps for the ladder and WCS!