CS:GO’s meta is unbalanced right now. The SSG 553, a scoped-rifle available for the T-side that’s popularly known as the Krieg, has become the weapon of choice for many professional players.
The Krieg meta will likely continue for a few more months until Valve makes some changes to the gun. But the problem goes beyond the weapon—the economy is also unbalanced in its current state.
In the last tier-one tournament, StarSeries i-League season eight, the Krieg was bought more frequently than the AK-47 for the first time. Many pros have been complaining about the Krieg, even those who are extremely good with the weapon.
Nicolai “device” Reedtz, one of the best snipers in CS:GO, said last week that he had a hard time playing against the Krieg and isn’t sure if it’s worth it to keep buying the AWP, the most expensive weapon ($4,750) that’s used in the current meta. Robin “ropz” Kool, mousesports’ star, also said that he feels comfortable taking aim duels against AWPers when he’s using the Krieg.
But in terms of team economy, there are a ton of Krieg force buys when the T-side loses the pistol round but manages to secure the bomb plant. This happens because you earn $1,900 for losing the round, $800 for planting the bomb, plus an extra $300 for each player you kill. If a player bought armor in the first round, killed two CTs, lost the round but the bomb was planted, he’ll have $3,450—$50 more than what you earn for winning the round.
This allows the T-side to buy two or three Kriegs, while the CTs will likely play with two rifles and three SMGs. With the scope, the T-side can decimate SMG players in long-range fights. It’s too much of an advantage.
If Valve raises the Krieg’s current price from $2,750 to $3,150, it’ll make the T-side’s plans more difficult if they want to do a force buy in the second round. In the long term, not every CS:GO pro has mastered the Krieg enough to sacrifice $400 each round, which can buy two flashbangs—a must-have grenade.
This can’t guarantee that the players will use the Krieg less often, though. If the economy patch doesn’t make the meta more balanced, Valve should transform the Krieg into a semi-automatic gun. Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken from Team Liquid made some good points about his theory on Twitter.
“No semi-automatic gun in CS:GO yet, I think it should be the first,” Twistzz said. “In my mind this is the only way not to ruin the gun entirely. I like how we get to try new metas, but they last too long.”
By making the Krieg semi-automatic, Valve wouldn’t break the gun as much as it would if the rate of fire or accuracy were changed. It’d mess with muscle memory and completely make the CT’s scoped-rifle, the AUG, obsolete after its nerf in June. Teams wouldn’t play with more than two Kriegs if it became semi-automatic. They’ll likely have a dedicated Krieg player, just like most teams that play with a dedicated sniper.
But it isn’t guaranteed that Valve will follow what the pros are suggesting. The devs also care about the casual players, who aren’t complaining that much about the Krieg.
