Counter-Strike 2’s Premier matchmaking system is under fire again after the number-one-ranked player’s rating plummeted following just eight days of inactivity.
Richard “chay” Seidy lost 15,000 Elo in one fell swoop this week, raising concerns for those who struggle to find time to play CS2. This Elo loss saw chay’s rating take a massive nosedive—down to rank 64—on CS2’s worldwide Premier matchmaking ladder, sparking worries from across the Counter-Strike fandom.
Players were left baffled by chay’s punishment and pointed out that most gamers with other commitments will likely suffer the same fate. As the outcry hit new levels, many began calling for Valve to take action in same-day social media posts.
In particular, players are calling for far more leeway with CS2’s inactivity punishments, especially more varied lengths of time that ranked grinders can stop playing. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gave players a month before their rank was changed in any way, and it seems the community wants the old system back for the new engine.
Community members claimed it was “easy” to go eight days without queuing a Premier matchmaking game in CS2. Gaming isn’t the be-all and end-all for most players, and if you end up losing almost half your elo after a one-week break, fans won’t be happy.
Especially if you’ve toiled through 254 Premier matches to get there, like chay.
Depending on a variety of factors, your Elo reward and penalty can vary once a match ends. If we were to stick to the average 200 Elo increase per victory, chay would’ve lost roughly 75 games of progress from only eight days of inactivity.
While this fresh CS2 Premier system has been relatively pleasant for most gamers, a growing portion of fans called for changes months ago; players were losing thousands of Elo for getting kicked or being unable to re-join their match, and it seems like fans want Valve to fix Premier’s inactivity punishments next.
