Lotus Map Changes
With the release of Episode 8, the map pool is changing and map modifications will be introduced. Haven will be leaving the map pool with Icebox coming in.
Both Lotus and Icebox will be receiving changes to them. This article will go over the changes to Lotus and how the agents and meta of the map can change based on the upcoming changes.
For all side-by-side changes, the picture on the left is the old version, and the picture on the right is the Episode 8 change.
A Main and Link Changes
The first change into A Main makes the entry into A Link much more difficult for attackers to take. In its previous state, a defender’s only escape route would be to try to get back into Link. Now there is cover to play around which will force attackers to clear the area with more utility.
The changes to A Link are very minimal as they have widened the area just a tad beyond the door. This gives more space to avoid damaging utility and can be used to place flank watching utility.
Impact on the Map
The map has devolved into fighting early for A Main control which the attackers have a significant advantage on. The change to A Main will definitely help lessen how attacker-friendly this area is. Crossfires can be played between the new cubby and stairs or doubling up behind the boxes and in the door to Link is possible now. Both these changes help Chamber out. If any other agent tries to play behind these new boxes they are most likely going to get traded out. Chamber can set up a Rendezvous to avoid this and the change gives him much more area and cover to play around with before he teleports out. The slight change to A Link also allows Chamber to place a Trademark on the side of the breakable door that cannot be shot from B Main.
A Site Changes
The lane in the middle of the site has been removed and is solid now. This has been replaced with a similar structure to Icebox’s B Site with a cutout space in the back of the area. This will force attackers to get deeper into the site to fully clear out this space.
Impact on the Map
This will help out the defenders once again by making back site more difficult to control for attackers. Attackers will have to get deeper into the site to clear a player out and expose themselves to Top Rope where another defender can be. It also makes a retake easier for defenders as they don’t have to clear inside the lane that used to be there. This also benefits Killjoy who can place her Lockdown in this cutout for a very strong retake ultimate if the attackers are playing postplant in Tree and A Main. Breach may also be an interesting choice on the map to address this area as his Fault Line can clear a good chunk of the site and Aftershock can clear this new cutout area.
B Site Changes
The entire site was widened to give the entry into a 50-50 angle. The boxes near the default plant are shifted into this new area. The planting does not include the extended area, but does take on where the two boxes used to be. This gives the spike planter a little more space to plant the spike
Impact on the Map
This continues the trend of defensive-sided changes. It is common to set up a Killjoy Alarm Bot and Viper Toxic Screen in this choke point. Attackers can more or less disrespect this utility because they never have to clear to their left. This change forces them to have to clear the left side area, and a defender can be here in a crossfire with A Link, Upper, or C Link. It also gives the Viper Toxic Screen ever more value as attackers are more likely to be punished crossing it and it helps protect a player in the new cubby in A-Main. This change also helps Chamber if a Rendezvous can reach from this extended area to Waterfall. Retake will be roughly the same and won’t have much impact. The boxes near default are still there which must be cleared, and the other areas remain the same.
C Site and Bend Changes
This area was cleaned up overall. There is no longer uneven geometry and the area was smoothed out for more consistent angles. The cutout column that could be planted in is now solid. This spot would be punished by an Odin at Waterfall or CT. The double box in the back of site is replaced with boxes similar to the B Site. The entire back area of the Site is no longer part of the plant area, but the ramp to Bend is now part of the plant area. Because of the height increase in this new plant area, a defender in Waterfall can spam kill an attacker planting.
The chokepoint into C is much wider now and offers a 50-50 angle as well as some boxes for defenders to play on. Bend is also wider as a result and now features a double box defenders can play behind. The ramp of Bend into the site now progressively rises giving a defender more heights to play around with.
Impact on the Map
This is the most significant of the changes as C Site got a massive overhaul. Another 50-50 is in the chokepoint which forces attackers to properly clear the area and they cannot disrespect a Viper orb that is commonly placed there. Killjoy typically pairs Nanoswarms in the water area leading to Bend and it looks like Nanoswarms can’t cover the entire width now. The width increase does help Chamber who can place a Rendezvous on the new boxes and push further into Mound. The double box in the back of the site will give one less spot retakers have to clear.
Between the increased width and double-wide box in Bend, there is so much more space for a defender to hold the site. In the old state, a single Raze grenade or Skye dog can doom a defender in this spot. The new box at the chokepoint can be used by an attacker to get an unexpected angle on a defender or defusor at Bend. This is good to know because there will be more plants on this ramp in Bend.
The old state had no safe plants for attackers as they’d be vulnerable to high penetration weapons near the column or plant in the front corner and were exposed to spam from CT. That will still be the case, and if anything it is more difficult now with the changes. There will still be plants in the front corner for a better post plant, but there will be a lot of plants in the ramp on Bend due to the difficulty of a spam kill in this spot. This plant on Bend will be an easier retake for defenders and offers an interesting choice for the attackers to plant in a risky spot for a better post plant or in a safer spot in Bend.
Impact on the Lotus Meta
Overall the changes are very defender-sided. This map desperately needed this because as of patch 7.12, the attackers have over a 53% win rate in lobbies Ascendent to Radiant ranked and a 55% win rate at VCT Champions. 50-50 angles were introduced to each site which helps defenders and forces attackers to use more utility to clear areas. Because of this change, I expect to see double Initiator compositions to have an uptick. Before Episode 8 the most common team composition would be a Jett/Raze, Viper, Omen/Astra, Skye, Killjoy. Between Skye nerfs and these changes there will most likely be a need for a second Initiator.
The big winner of this change is Chamber who got quite a few new places to play with Rendezvous from the extended areas of the map. Viper will also be even stronger here because all of the areas she typically places utility became a 50-50 angle. All the areas with a star are becoming 50-50 angles and will punish attackers more for pushing through her utility in these locations.
Some new agents that may be seen are Breach as B and C Sites work well with his flashes. Aftershock can clear out the new 50-50 angles and the new A Site cutout. Gekko saw a small amount of play on this map. Between his buffs and these changes, he may be seen more. He can clear out these new angles and Wingman can be used to plant on the C site which is very dangerous for a player to plant.
