CS2 map veto on FACEIT: how to ban smart (not just your least favourite map)
How the FACEIT veto works, why banning your own worst map isn't always right, and a simple method to pick bans with real data.
In a FACEIT 5v5 match, the two team captains take turns banning maps until only one is left. Most players ban the map they hate. Smart teams ban the map that gives the other team its biggest edge.
How the FACEIT veto works
- The map pool is the current Active Duty maps, for example Dust2, Mirage, Nuke, Ancient, Inferno, Anubis and Cache, plus any extended-pool maps your queue allows.
- Captains alternate bans on a short timer.
- The last remaining map is played.
Because each team gets several bans, the order matters. Your first ban should remove the map with the worst matchup for your team versus theirs.
Ban by edge, not by feeling
Each map has two numbers that matter: your team’s win rate on it, and the enemy team’s win rate on it. The edge is the difference between them.
| Map | Your team | Their team | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirage | 58% | 52% | +6 |
| Anubis | 57% | 53% | +4 |
| Ancient | 57% | 57% | 0 |
| Nuke | 56% | 60% | −4 |
| Inferno | 48% | 59% | −11 |
Here, Inferno is the clear first ban. It isn’t your worst map by much, but it’s where the enemy is strongest relative to you. Nuke comes next. Your best outcome is Mirage.
The data problem
Nobody can work this out from memory for ten strangers in 30 seconds. You’d need every player’s lifetime record on every map, averaged per team. That’s exactly what a veto tool should do for you.
How Prefire does it automatically
Prefire adds the numbers to every row of FACEIT’s own veto list:
- Each team’s win rate on that map, averaged across all five players.
- Games played by each side, so you can see who actually plays the map.
- The edge, coloured green or red.
- Ban autopilot: when it’s your team’s turn, the map you should ban next lights up in red. Nothing is highlighted on the enemy’s turn.
After the veto, a map matchup panel shows your team’s win chance on every map, including the one that was picked.
Common veto mistakes
- Banning on comfort alone. If the enemy is weak on your worst map, keeping it can still be the right call.
- Ignoring sample size. A 70% win rate over 10 games means much less than 55% over 400. Look at games played.
- Forgetting your party’s pool. Queue with the maps your party actually wins. Prefire’s lobby badges mark them keep and drop.
Smarter bans are the cheapest win rate you’ll ever find. Try Prefire free.