Anubis

Anubis stands as the dynamic, golden-hued Egyptian jewel of the modern Counter-Strike 2 Active Duty championship pool. Originally created as a community map by level designers Roald van der Scheur, Jonathan "Jakep" Penner, and Michael "Jerk" Bayly for the 2019 Mapcore competition, Anubis achieved legendary acclaim for its aesthetic brilliance and refreshing tactical layout. Recognizing its extraordinary competitive potential, Valve officially purchased the intellectual property and integrated Anubis directly into the official Active Duty tournament circuit in November 2022—making it the first community-crafted map since Cache to ascend into the prestigious Major championship pool. In Counter-Strike 2, Anubis was completely rebuilt with Source 2 water physics, golden sandstorm illumination, and stunning architectural fidelity across its ancient temples, stone obelisks, and subterranean waterways.

From a structural and flow perspective, Anubis departs dramatically from standard defensive-favored map tropes. The layout is set along the banks of the River Nile, featuring a sunken central canal waterway ("Canal" or "Water") that wraps beneath towering stone arches, connecting directly to both the A-bombsite and B-bombsite. To the east lies the elevated temple platform of Bombsite A, framed by the open courtyards of "A-Main" and "Walkway." To the west lies the intricately structured B-bombsite, enclosed within an ancient burial complex accessible through the narrow corridors of "B-Long," "Canal Bridge," and "Connector."

The strategic identity of Anubis is defined by its rapid, fluid rotation timings and aggressive attacking pacing. Unlike traditional maps where Counter-Terrorists arrive at defensive positions well in advance of attackers, Anubis grants Terrorists lightning-fast access to key map arteries. Terrorist squads can flood Middle and contest the Canal waterway in under four seconds, creating an immediate, high-pressure threat across multiple fronts simultaneously. The central wooden bridge spanning the canal provides an elevated perch where snipers and riflers trade opening blows, while players wading through the shallow water below can execute unexpected underpass flanks.

Statistical telemetry compiled across more than 8,500 professional LAN matches establishes Anubis as the most heavily Terrorist-sided map in the modern competitive circuit. Averaging an eye-opening 54.8 percent Terrorist win rate against a 45.2 percent Counter-Terrorist defensive hold rate, Anubis completely flips conventional Counter-Strike wisdom on its head. In professional MR12 matches, securing six or seven rounds on the CT side is widely celebrated by analysts as a massive victory, while attacking squads utilize their spatial mobility, fast rotation routes, and devastating AK-47 entry frags to mount overwhelming offensive halves.

The A-bombsite on Anubis presents unique vertical challenges for defenders. Attackers can strike A from two distinct elevation levels simultaneously: flooding through the ground-level gateway of A-Main while support players peek from the elevated stone Walkway above. Counter-Terrorist anchors holding from "Heaven" or "Fountain" must balance crosshair placement across both vertical planes, leaving them acutely vulnerable to synchronized utility executes. On the B-site, defensive anchors rely on the central stone pillar and complex geometry to break up oncoming rushes, though falling back to CT-Spawn for retakes is notoriously difficult due to narrow choke points.

Esports history on Anubis has produced some of the most exhilarating grand final deciders of recent years. International powerhouses like Team Vitality, Team Spirit, and FaZe Clan adopted Anubis as their signature battleground during the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 and PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. Phenoms like Danil "donk" Kryshkovets and Shahar "flameZ" Shushan have electrified arenas with forward-moving multi-kill entries down Mid, demonstrating that Anubis rewards fearless aggression and rapid mid-round adaptation.

With its sun-drenched Egyptian archaeological splendor, revolutionary water acoustics, and thrilling T-sided tactical dynamics, Anubis represents the vanguard of modern competitive Counter-Strike 2.