Are we witnessing the rise of a new weapon meta?
The M4A1 rifle was once the go-to weapon for nearly every Counter-Terrorist - however, now it looks like no CS:GO pro wants to use the iconic weapon.
Since the recent release of Operation Riptide, Valve’s latest update on CS:GO, the Counter-Strike scene has been turned upside down. The update consisted of some major changes like a reworked Dust2, a nerf to the Deagle and the new grenade feature, where you can drop all your utility all over the map.
The game-changing update also meant that the M4A1_silencer, or just M4A1-S, was getting buffed, as the rifle received a significant increase in its body damage. Something, which has meant that the silenced weapon has gained heavy popularity among the CS:GO pros.
Too many M4A1-S (Sad smiley), when Krieg was OP only few played with it before meta started - SANJI on Twitter
In fact, M4A1-s has become one of the most used weapons after the release of Operation Riptide, after having been a bit of a niche weapon for a minor percentage of players in the Counter-Strike elite. If you compare the weapon stats from the last event before changes, BLAST Premier Fall Groups with IEM Fall, which is the first tournament after the much-debated update, it’s clear to see that the meta has made a shift.
(Stats from 1/10 2021)
The increase in damage added with the fact that the M4A1-S also is $200 cheaper than the M4A1, has meant that the silenced weapon has turned into a favourite among the CS:GO pros, where it only was used 2.5% of the time at BLAST Premier Fall Groups - a very small number in comparison with its usage at IEM Fall EU (18.9%).
M4A1 vs. M4A1-S | Stats
M4A1:
Price: $3100 / Kill award: $300
Damage per bullet: 33
Fire rate: 666.67
M4A1-S:
Price: $2900 / Kill award: $300
Damage per bullet: 38
Fire rate: 600.00
