The CT meta got a good shakeup in CS2 Season 3, but is the MP9 nerf enough to give other SMGs the spotlight?
Valve has done a great job of shaking up the Counter-Strike 2 meta with each new season of Premier. In the case of Season 3, the developer swapped the less-popular Anubis out in favor of Overpass. In addition, the devs made some key changes to the CT side in an attempt to balance both weapon options and the economy. The MP9 is the only nerfed option in the patch, which it solidly deserved after tearing up competitive play for years. However, were the nerfs really enough to knock it out of its niche?
How bad were the MP9 nerfs in CS2 Season 3?
The MP9 nerfs targeted its recoil pattern and jumping accuracy, but it’s still a good option for sneak attacks.
The most notable change is to the gun’s recoil. The MP9’s spray pattern is now more akin to a rifle. This makes it even more difficult to contest approaching Ts from medium range. A sudden firefight from the entrances of A main on Dust 2 has gone from feasible to highly impractical. However, players who purchase the MP9 are usually looking to ambush from around a corner, so the nerfed recoil doesn’t really affect its viability in that department. If an MP9 user ever needs to rotate, they’d be better off looking for a dropped gun first.
However, the jumping accuracy is the real change. The MP9 was infamously accurate while the user was airborne, making it the perfect weapon for shocking opponents while jumping around a corner. Dust 2 catwalk and Mirage apartments were spooky even against an eco thanks to the threat of a flying CT gunning down a fully-equipped attacker. Now, the gun’s recoil is extremely wide in the air, making predictable headshots a thing of the past. It’s now much more practical to stay on the ground and hope to get lucky.
Finally, Valve has hit the MP9 with a third indirect nerf that may be the true difference-maker. CTs now get bonus money for T kill, with one kill worth $50 to each CT regardless of participation. For example, if three Ts bite the dust, each CT will get $150 for a team total of $750. This bonus applies regardless of which team wins the round. One of the MP9’s biggest draws was its $600 kill reward, but with access to more money, the defending team is further incentivized to either opt for a full save or spring for a force buy knowing that a close loss can still be an economic win.
All of these factors combined add up to a solidly nerfed MP9, but its identity is now even stronger. It’s now solely meant for ambushing unsuspecting Ts as they cross a threshold. Stronger recoil encourages bodyshots, and reduced jumping accuracy rewards lying in wait over a surprise swing. As long as it remains the cheapest CT SMG, the MP9 will always be a good option for hiding behind sandbags on Inferno or waiting on top of boxes in Dust 2’s B site.