If you’ve had a taste of CS:GO’s competitive scene, you know how the games would drag on forever with little reward in the end. Furthermore, the matches and competitive playstyle never match the skill level or difficulty. In CS2, Valve tried to solve many of these problems with Premier Rank mode. The Premier Rank mode can be compared to the Counter-Strike FACEIT servers and matches. What exactly is the new Premier mode in Counter-Strike 2?
CS2 aims to increase retention on in-game servers and gain players ground on the competitive stage through this new smooth and hard tactics-based game mode. So without wasting any more time, customize your CS2 performance settings and find out everything about Counter-Strike 2 Premier Mode in this article.
Unlock Premier Mode: How Do I Get a Placement Rating in CS2?
Before we explain what Premier Rank mode is, we need to understand how to unlock this mode in Counter-Strike 2. Unlike competitive skill groups, the Premier can be unlocked differently. To unlock Premier in CS2, there are a few rules you need to follow.
- Achieve Prime Status: Counter-Strike 2 is a free-to-play game. However, you can purchase a $14.99 subscription called Prime Status. To play in Premier mode, you must obtain Prime status. In addition to Premier mode, you get many additional weekly rewards in top status.
- Reach level 10: You become eligible for Premier once you purchase the Prime Status upgrade. Now play any game mode in the game to earn experience points. You must reach level 10 to unlock Premier Mode in Counter-Strike 2. Hovering your mouse over Premier Mode will show your progress.
What is Premier Rank Mode in Counter-Strike 2?
Premier mode (active pick ban) is the main competitive mode in CS2. It is designed as the beefed up version of Ranked Mode in Counter-Strike 2. The Premier Mode has a card selection ban similar to a draft mode or captains mode in Dota 2, along with a MR12 mode.
In addition, the forfeit is fair and there is a Premier CS2 leaderboard. The Premier rank system won’t be map specific either, which is a blessing. You will receive a rank after 10 matches played. If you do well, you can climb the rankings. This special ranked mode will determine how CS2 approaches esports in the future.
Game Time CS2 Premier Mode (MR12)
No copying other FPS game round style means MR12 maximum rounds 12. This has finally become the core style of CS2 after almost decades of longer format of ranked or competitive matches. In this system you play no more than 12 rounds in the first half.
As a quick example, the score can be 6-6,9-3 or 12-0 in the first half, but never more than 12. A standard CS2 Premier game ends when a team reaches 13 round wins.
CS2 Premier Lap Length and Overtime
The length of the CS2 Premier round is the same as the previous competition round length 1 minute 55 seconds per lap. However, there are some changes in the purchasing phase where you cannot move. Now you get another 5 seconds, which amounts to a total purchasing time of 20 seconds combined.
There are two types of timeouts in Counter-Strike 2 Premier Rank Mode: technical time-out and tactical time-out. If a player disconnects, the game will automatically pause for 2 minutes. However, this technical timeout will not be activated more than once for each team. Each team can use 4 timeouts of 30 seconds each during Premier games in Counter-Strike 2.
If there is a situation where both teams play twelve rounds each, overtime will be activated. The extensions in CS2 Premier mode are quite interesting. You get 3 rounds on each side of the map with a starting amount of 10,000 for equipment. Whoever wins the first 4 rounds in overtime play, the game wins overall. If both teams win three rounds each, the game ends in a draw.
CS2 Premier Cards: Explained
The most important element of Premier mode is the active duty card ban-pick phase in Counter-Strike 2. Yes, you heard us right. You can no longer wait in line all day at Mirage and Inferno. The cards available for drafting in Premier Mode in Counter-Strike 2 are:
- Old
- Anubis
- Inferno
- Mirage
- Nuclear weapon
- Viaduct
- Fear of heights
The cards are queued at the same time in Premier mode. Once you have a game, the ban picking phase begins. The first team starts with two card bans. Then the second team bans three cards. The first team gets the chance to choose the card from the remaining two cards. This pattern is followed in every game in Premier Mode in CS2.
You can still queue your favorite card in normal competitive mode. In normal competitive mode you get card-based abilities. So make sure you’ve mastered the maps you like before heading over to the Premier section to further develop your gameplay.
Counter-Strike 2 Premier Ranks and Ratings
In CS2 Premier Mode, you must first play 10 matches to receive a Premier Mode rank. Every win or loss updates your Premier Mode rankings in Counter-Strike 2. These ratings are not your competitive skill group and are called the CS rating in Counter-Strike 2. Each rating group is defined by different colors. The assessment starts from 0 elo and can go beyond 35,000 elo. That said, let’s take a look at the color groups of CS ratings:
- Gray: 0-4999
- Light blue: 5000-9999
- Blue: 10,000-14,999
- Purple: 15,000-19,999
- Pink: 20,000-24,999
- Red: 25,000-29,999
- Gold: 30,000-35,000+
These color groups will help you identify your ranking games easily. Make sure you keep an eye on the maximum rank threshold. Keep in mind that you will get a higher rating if you win against an opponent with a higher total rating. Keep an eye on your HUD when a match starts to understand how many points you will win or lose in the specific game in CS2 Premier mode.
Counter-Strike 2 Leaderboards
Counter-Strike 2 comes with the Leaderboard with Premier Mode. To get on the leaderboard you must have Prime status and the highest rating among the top 1,000 players. The rankings are regional and global. You can view both on the in-game leaderboards. You can also compare your CS ratings with those of your friends in those friends’ leaderboards in CS2.
Premier Mode unlocks the potential for the new esports ecosystem for Counter-Strike 2 in the future. Since many players used to play on third-party servers for tournament-level experience in CS:GO, they now have a new home in the game to improve their rank, skills and competitive abilities.
If you have any questions about CS2 Premier mode, ranking, ratings, or other Counter-Strike related topics, be sure to answer them below. Before you go, make sure you check the best CS2 console commands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CS2 Free Ranked?
Yes, Counter-Strike 2’s competitive rank mode is free. You can queue up in competitive mode at any time. If you want to improve your gameplay and compete with the toughest opponents, then you need Prime status to play CS2 Premier mode.
What are CS2 Premier Ranks for CS:GO Ranks?
Unfortunately, the CS:GO rank or skill groups are only available for a competitive rank. These skills are card specific. However, if we compare the skill group to the new Premier color groups, we can identify the equivalent ranks.
- Gray (Silver – Gold Nova)
- Light Blue (Gold Nova – MG)
- Blue (MG – LE)
- Purple (LEM – Supreme)
- Pink (Supreme – Global)
- Red (worldwide)
- Gold (worldwide)
