The Major's format isn't just a bracket—it's a contract players dissect weeks in advance. From map pool order to Ban/Pick sequencing, BO5 stamina curves, and the final 72 hours of prep, here's how teams really get ready.
The Map Pool Isn't Seven Maps—It's a Sequencing Contract
Most fans look at the map pool and only ask which map was removed or added. But in practice, the real debate is about Ban/Pick order.
Take a BO3. The team that bans first often removes the opponent's best map—the one they don't practice—to shift pressure. The team banning second must decide: do we ban our own weak map, or leave a "looks playable" map as bait? The key isn't the map itself, but the practice hours behind it.
If a map has only been played three times in scrims over the past two weeks, it's not an option—it's a risk. The most common question in pre-match meetings is: "When was the last time we played this map to 30 rounds?" If the answer is "last week but it was ugly," coaches usually put it in a gray zone: ban-worthy but not banned yet—to bait the opponent's ban, not to actually play it.
Another variable is order. Which map goes first, which goes second, directly affects player feel and mentality. Many teams put their most stable map first to secure a point and build rhythm; others intentionally put their least stable map first, gambling on an opening surge. This isn't mysticism—it's an extension of scrim data: which map has a high opening pistol win rate, which map's CT economy snowballs easier, all get written into prep notes.
BO5 Stamina Curve: The Fifth Map Isn't the Seventh
In the Major playoffs, BO5 is unavoidable. Many viewers think BO5 is just "BO3 plus two maps," but players feel it completely differently.
BO3 stamina is usually "full force first two maps, willpower on the third." BO5 shows a clear "attention gap" on map four: the first 15 rounds can be held by muscle memory, but mid-map four, reaction speed, utility timing, even callout clarity drop. It's no longer about who aims better, but whose "default actions" are more brain-efficient.
Default actions are positions and utility you can execute without thinking. For example, on Inferno's Banana, whether a player can still hit that counter-flash on map four often depends on how many times they've practiced throwing it without looking at the minimap. Prep notes specifically mark which utility are "low-cost actions" and which are "high-cost." In the latter half of a BO5, coaches try to compress high-cost actions into key rounds, not every default round.
Another overlooked point is timeout usage. BO5 timeouts aren't for yelling—they're for resetting rhythm. After conceding three straight on map four, a 30-second timeout lets players reconfirm: what default are we running? What's the opponent's economy? Force buy or eco next? This information is easily lost when stamina drops; a timeout picks it back up.
The Final 72 Hours: Scrims, VODs, and "Feel Anchors"
In the last 72 hours before the Major, most teams stop high-intensity scrims and shift to light matches plus VOD review. This isn't laziness—it's to keep feel and information digestible.
Scrims at this stage aren't about winning—they're about confirming. Confirming that new utility won't be disrupted by a single counter-flash; confirming a player's positioning habits under pressure haven't warped; confirming whether that gray-zone map can actually be played on stage.
VOD review focuses on the opponent's first 30 seconds. Many teams' default openings reveal intent within 30 seconds: mid control, map control, or direct execute. Prep notes detail: when the opponent starts throwing utility, which player likes to lurk, which player's hold habit is "check minimap then peek." These details aren't in the rulebook, but they become a 0.5-second pre-aim in the match.
Finally, "feel anchors." Every player has a fixed warm-up routine: some deathmatch for 10 minutes, some only Aim Botz, some must check their favorite skin on C5GAME before entering the game. This anchor isn't for improving aim—it's to tell the body "the match is about to start." It has nothing to do with map pool or format, but it's the most personal and indispensable page in the prep notes.
The Major's format is the visible rule; prep notes are the hidden game. Map pool Ban/Pick order, BO5 stamina allocation, the final 72-hour training rhythm—these never appear on stream, yet they determine how many cards a player holds before pressing start.