Since the launch of VALORANT, the one aspect of the game that has been appreciated is its maps. This is due to the various mechanics in the game, from ziplines to teleporting pads that transport players from one end to another. It must be noted that currently, 11 maps are available for fans to play on. But within the competitive/ranked mode, only some of the maps are present in the map pool. In this article, let’s take a look at the current VALORANT competitive map pool during VALORANT Patch 9.04.
VALORANT Current Competitive Map Pool in the Rotation for Patch 9.04
Image Credits: Riot Games
Previously, in VALORANT, maps in the competitive map pool were present even in non-ranked game modes. Due to this, a form of map fatigue was built in among game fans. To reduce this fatigue, during VALORANT Patch 8.11, it was announced that all maps would be available in each non-competitive game mode. Players could test maps they can’t play on the ranked ladder with this. The latest map in VALORANT currently is Abyss.
Below is a list of all the maps that are currently present in the VALORANT Competitive map pool during Patch 9.04:
- Ascent
- Haven
- Bind
- Icebox
- Lotus
- Sunset
- Abyss
One might wonder why there is a competitive map pool within the game. The simple answer is familiarity with the esports match format. Most matches of VALORANT Esports occur in B03 and B05. Having seven maps within the map pool allows teams to ban specific maps. During the Grand Finals of a tournament like VALORANT Champions, teams who qualify from the upper bracket get an advantage during the map bans.
The other reason is due to map familiarity. This means that ranked players and professional teams can follow certain routines within a match. This can be through post-plant lineups or even site entry methods. Due to this, the team can decide which maps they are the best at and which they would ideally like to ban during matches.
It must be stated that during VALORANT Patch 9.08, Split and Pearl will return to the competitive map pool. Lotus and Icebox will be removed from the rotation.
