CS:GO pros and experts offer their take on Bo5 matches
The likes of Moses, Semmler, launders and Bubzkji give their opinion on a much-disputed matter in CS:GO.
Best-of-five matches. Are they too long and boring? Or do they add to the excitement in bigger and more prestigious tournaments?
Looking in the competitive Counter-Strike world, Bo5 games are an aspect that seems to divide the community with some people loving a lengthy CS:GO match while others prefer a good old Bo3 series. One who just has experienced it by himself is Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen in yesterday's Grand Final at ESL Pro League Season 16.
Following the match, which dupreeh and Vitality won 3-2, he went on Twitter to ask his fellow CS:GO pros and experts what they think about Bo5 matches. Here are some of the answers.
Jason “Moses” O’Toole, caster and expert:
- It's far too long... imo ESL should reserve bo5's for cologne and katowice (championship events) to add additional prestige to winning those events. Also, it's simply impossible for fans (except for the most extremely hardcore) to carve 7+ hours out of their day.
Auguste "Semmler" Massonnat, caster and expert:
- Viewership peaks during the 3rd map, then starts to taper off from there. 7h long series are a big ask. I imagine that for ESL it's about maximizing viewer minutes for sponsors, so the longer the better.
- From a gameplay perspective, I think that bo3 delivers better play, as fatigue starts to set in going into the 4th and 5th maps and we start to see more errors. Some see this as a good thing, I see it as a bad thing. I want to see the best CS. bo3 delivers that.
Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, pro player:
- Every bo5 final this year has delivered, I think that says a lot already.
Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen, pro player:
- My critique of Bo5, is that players compete on a Bo3 Format in playoffs. Many have specialized in optimizing their routines and preparation for this format, but in the final they have to do it differently. Im pretty sure no teams can sit and go thru 5 maps before a game.
Mohan “launders” Govindasamy, caster and expert:
- extremely worth it 1/10 times.
Chris "chrisJ" de Jong, pro player:
- When I played Bo5 Finals I always liked them, it was like an added endurance test on top of the regular skills you usually need to win a CS match. It's rare for me to watch a whole Bo5 though, especially when it's one that took as long as the EPL Final yesterday.
Jonatan "Devilwalk" Lundberg, ex-pro player and coach:
- Its too long tbh, but every once in a while a final comes along that makes it worth it.
Full thread
You can find the entire Twitter thread by clicking on the Tweet down below.
