What is the importance of good maps for ranked matches?

Since ranked matches in Siege have a map ban phase, it is important to know which maps will give you the best experience, especially since you’ll know if your team is starting out as the defending or the attacking team first. Even though most maps in Siege are good, some of them favor the other side more, so if you’re starting out as a defending team for example, it will be good to ban the map that favors the attacker first and vice versa.

And while it might be a good idea to play in a map that favors the attackers more if you’re starting out as the attacking team for example, it is generally better to aim for maps that are more balanced since your team could be screwed when the team roles switch after three rounds. Another important reason to aim for good and balanced maps is that it will give you the most enjoyable experience in Siege since the more balanced maps will encourage you to be more tactical and apply more teamwork in order to win.

10. Favela 

https://youtu.be/2a0yH3HboSU?t=86

Favela, in the old Siege days, used to be one of the most hated maps because it was one of the most, if not the most imbalanced maps in the game. That changed a lot, and for the better, when Siege devs reworked the map. Now, it probably isn’t really the map that will pop in a Siege player’s mind if you ask them about the most balanced map in the game, however, if you think about it more deeply, Favela is a really good map for ranked and it encourages a lot of teamwork and tactical gameplay, and all roles in the game can be played well in this map. 

That means if you want to anchor the objective spot, focus on gathering intel, or go roaming, you'll be able to contribute well to your team since the map is big enough and has enough rooms and pathways which allows all kinds of gameplay. It’s very different from other maps like the Consulate for example, wherein roamers, especially Caveira, do not perform very well in ranked games, because the map is quite small and so it’ll be much harder to roam and perform her interrogation ability since most of the time, the attacking team will be together, or at the very least, it will be very rare to catch them alone.

Why Favela  is Great for Ranked:

• The map is big enough that all operator roles will have a chance to excel, even roamers like Caveira.
• The map promotes a lot of team play because if the team is serious in winning, their members will pick the essential roles
• It's the only night map remaining in the game so it provides a different vibe from most of the maps and makes it a lot of fun to play in
• It has a lot of floors, rooms, and entryways so there's a lot of options for players when choosing their path of attack

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/favela

9. Emerald Plains 

https://youtu.be/JhoCga3VvlE?t=84

Emerald Plains is one of the newest maps in Siege and a lot of players in the community were skeptical about it at first, suspecting that it won't be a good map, but it turned out really well. For the defenders, the objective spots that they will need to defend are challenging, but the map is so well-balanced that it doesn't really favor the attackers. It's very fun to defend in this map because there are a lot of corners and angles that you can take advantage of, and when you're roaming, the map is pretty big and has a lot of rooms and pathways, so you'll have a lot of avenues of attack.

Attacking in this map is also both fun and challenging because you can have a lot of cover to avoid spawn peeks but you'll still have to be careful of it. There are also many doors, windows, and walls that lead to the outside that you can capitalize on and use as a path of attack. Like most of the good maps in this list, this map encourages team play because as the attacking team, most of the time, you'll have to bring a hard breacher and hard breach enabler if you're serious about winning. And as mentioned before, the map is big enough that it'll be challenging, but not improbable to hunt roamers, and you can take advantage of the map's size and pathways for flanking.

Why Emerald Plains is Great for Ranked:

• Emerald Plains' size and large rooms promotes a lot of strategic thinking for both teams
• It's one of the most balanced maps in the game so neither team will really have the advantage over the other
• A lot of its pathways and rooms are wide so it's one of the maps where marksman rifles and other long-range guns will excel
• All of the choices for objective spots are very viable, so regardless of which site they pick, defenders will have a good chance of defending it

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/emer...

8. Outback

https://youtu.be/EjADXcaRrOY?t=447

While I do miss the original outback, there is no denying that the rework they did on this map is amazing and has made it a lot more balanced. The new outback is very fun to play in whether you're an attacker or a defender because for both sides, it will be challenging, yet neither side will be at an advantage or disadvantage in this map. The map is sizable so it presents the players with a lot of paths of attack when it comes to how they will approach their enemies. That means that roamers and flankers will do well in this map too.

But the map size and several ways to go up or down a floor doesn't really give roamers or flankers an advantage since the opposing side can actually use it to counter them. When it comes to defending, the second floor areas can be breached from the outside so your team should have a hard breach preventing operator, and of course, when you're attacking, it would be best to bring hard breachers and a hard breach enabler, especially since there's a high likelihood that the defenders will choose the second floor areas for the first rounds.  

Why Outback is Great for Ranked:

• This map highly encourages teamplay especially for defenders, because if the team's approach isn't strategic, it'll be easy for them to lose
• The map is sizable enough that roamers and flankers will have a great time executing their role as well
• This map provides a lot of options to both teams when it comes to choosing their path of attack or their way of defending
• Has a good balance of wide and tight angles so all guns, even long-range ones, will excel at this map

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/outback

7. Skyscraper 

https://youtu.be/CnhNmTGSuJk?t=162

The original version of Skyscraper was one of the most imbalanced maps in the game, though it was very fun to play in due to its aesthetics, so I'm a big fan of the rework that they did to make this map a lot more balanced and interesting. For the defenders, the two spots that you can defend are on the second floor and the two objective spots on the second floor have a lot of solid angles for them to take advantage of. There are also three pathways for going up or down a story, so roamers will not be limited when it comes to paths of attack and won't be at a disadvantage even when the attackers are sticking together.

For the attackers, there are windows that lead to the objective spots that they can take advantage of when it comes to peeking enemies inside. A lot of floors in the map are also made of wood and attackers can take advantage of that by performing vertical plays. And as mentioned before, there are three stairs in the map and it has a lot of windows, so flankers from the attacking team will have a lot of options for infiltrating the mission building and attacking the objective spot. And of course, when attacking the objective spots on the second floor, it'll be best to bring hard breachers and hard breach enablers to keep the defenders inside occupied while the flankers attack from other sides.

Why Skyscraper is Great for Ranked:

• This is one of the maps where rappelling by a window and peeking enemies through it is still a great strategy
• It's sizable enough that all roles will have a chance to excel, even roamers, who are generally limited in their actions when it comes to small maps
• Encourages a lot of team play and strategic thinking because if the essential roles aren't present in the team, it could be hard to survive in this map
• Presents players on both teams a lot of options to approach the match. Attackers especially will have so many ways of penetrating the mission building

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/skys...

6. Clubhouse 

https://youtu.be/MMdnWJ97HL4?t=274

Clubhouse is one of the most popular maps in ranked games. While it's not the most balanced map in this list alone, and would generally favor attackers when the objective spot is on the second-floor, if the defenders chooses the correct operators - meaning there's going to be a hard breach preventing operator in the team and they will be supported by an anti grenade operator, defenders will have a really good chance of winning the round. That's why despite the advantages that attackers have when the objective spot on the second floor, the cashroom/cctv and the bedroom/gym are usually the first picks of defenders in this map.

As for the attackers, this is one of the most fun maps. That's because there's so many avenues of attack that they can use and it allows them to get creative, especially when the defenders know what they're doing and actually know how to defend the objective spots. Hard breachers are always important, but more so for this map, and other roles are very important as well, especially operators that can perform vertical plays. Even when the objective spot is on the second floor, there's a way to attack vertically since the cashroom's floor is made of wood. Attackers can capitalize on that and harass the defenders in the cashroom by destroying the floor from below. There are also three stairs in this map so each side can always switch up their approach if they feel like a particular path of attack won't work.

Why Clubhouse is Great for Ranked:

• It's one of the best maps for players to learn how to take advantage of Siege's verticality
• Presents attackers with so many avenues of attack for them to use to their advantage and avoid being picked off early
• Promotes team play because especially in the higher ranks, it will be very hard to win in this map if your team doesn't have the right balance of roles
• All roles can excel in this map. Roamers have plenty of room for moving around, and snipers can take advantage of the many wide and long angles

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/club...

5. Kafe Dostoyevsky 

https://youtu.be/-4AGXhwTrw0?t=369

Kafe Dostoyevsky is one of the narrowest maps in the game, but is still one of the biggest because it has three floors. So even though it's quite narrow, if you're a roamer, you could still excel because you can take advantage of being on the other floors and picking off enemies one by one from there. At first glance the objective spot at the third floor presents a lot of advantages to the attackers, but it is actually the first pick of defenders most of the time, because it's the easiest to defend. It's a lot of fun too. One thing's for sure though, if you're defending in this map, especially on the third floor, anti-grenade operators are a must.

On the other hand, attackers will find it really fun to attack in this map because as mentioned before, it has three stories, and any one of them can be used as the first path of attack when infiltrating the mission building in order to avoid getting picked off early. This is one of those maps where objective spots won't have a wall leading to the outside of the mission building, but it's still generally good to bring a hard breacher, especially Ace or Hibana. That's because it would still be good for the attacking team to have hard breaching capabilities, especially when the objective spots are on the lower floors.

Why Kafe Dostoyevsky is Great for Ranked:

• One of the biggest maps in the game due to it being a three story building, so there's plenty of paths of attack to choose from
• All roles have a chance to excel at this map because of how big it is. Even operators with marksman rifles can take advantage of the long angles in the map
• This map is very fun to play in especially because of its verticality. Attackers can even rappel and attack through the rooftop
• It's a well-balanced map that favors neither the defending side or the attacking side

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/kafe...

4. Kanal 

https://youtu.be/XMHEDB9VkeI?t=397

Kanal gets a lot of undue hate but it's definitely one of the best maps in ranked right now. Its rework really introduced a lot more balance to the map and neither the attackers or defenders will really have an advantage over the other when playing here. Like many other great maps, it features a lot of avenues for attacking and defending. It encourages players to get creative and do more team plays, and that's what really makes a good map. When it comes to defending, for both of its most popular picks for objective spots; the second floor and the basement, defenders will have to have the right balance of roles if they're serious about winning.

That means they would need hard breach-preventing operators, especially Kaid. With Kaid, he can prevent the renovation area in the second floor from being breached, and he could do the same for the hatch when you're defending the basement. As for the attackers, due to the size of the map, they could choose a starting point that is far from the objective spot, that way, they can avoid getting picked off early in the round, and they can approach the objective spot with more caution while doing their due diligence i.e. droning and destroying cameras. 

Why Kanal is Great for Ranked:

• It's one of the biggest maps in the game because it's essentially two mini-maps connected together by two bridges
• It presents a lot of strategic possibilities for both teams because of its many rooms, angles, and its overall size
• It promotes team coordination because in the higher ranks, if one doesn't perform a certain role, it'll be easy to lose
• Provides a lot of options for attacking and defending and some areas are more suitable for more conventional ways while some spots are better tackled in more creative means

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/kanal

3. Villa 

https://youtu.be/58u51KPReRw?t=60

Villa is far from a perfect map if you analyze it in a deeper and more technically. That's because for ranked games at least, a lot of its areas are almost unutilized, especially the basement area, which is a shame. However, there's no denying that it's one of the most popular maps in ranked and is also one of the best. That's because as far as the usual picks for objective spots are concerned, they're very well balanced and forces players to shake up their usual approach, apply a more tactical gameplay, and do their due diligence before pushing.

For example, when defenders pick the aviator and games room as their objective spot to defend, it'll be best for them to have a Mira so that the attackers will find it very hard to attack through the study area. This is also one of the few objective spots where I find running with the proximity alarms on Mira is more useful than having the nitro cell. That's because with the proximity alarm, Mira can know when someone is attacking from the top of red stairs. As for the attackers, smart teams will ban Mira if they're starting out the match as attackers. And that's what I mean when I say that this is one of the maps that really encourages more strategic thinking.

Why Villa is Great for Ranked:

• Its two most popular picks for objective spots promotes a lot of strategic thinking for both teams
• Also one of the biggest maps in the game so both attackers and defenders have a huge sandbox to play with when it comes to implementing their strategies
• Has a good balance between tight, long, and wide angles, so all weapons, including long-range ones, can excel in this map
• Also has a lot of verticality so it opens up more options when it comes to attacking and defending since both sides can use vertical plays to their advantage

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/villa

2. Theme Park 

https://youtu.be/zcsSaIY12xo?t=103

Theme park is one of the most fun maps to play in because its size is just right and almost all of its rooms and areas can be utilized by each team to their advantage. And since it's neither too big or too small despite having only two floors, it means that in this map, chances of early engagements with the enemy are more prevalent, and that makes up for more exciting matches. Defenders will have to really think fast and set up their reinforcements and gadgets early because they know that attackers can come in fast, especially in this map.

But that doesn't mean that attackers have an advantage in this map. That's because there are a lot of spots in this map where defenders can make rotation holes, and that can really make it very interesting when it comes to roamers. For the attackers, there are really no objective spots that have a wall that leads to the outside, but it's still encouraged to bring at least one hard breacher because being able to breach, even one wall or hatch on the objective spot will always make attacking easier. And the objective spots in this map can be attacked in many ways, so having operators that can open more paths of attack is always good to have.

Why Theme Park is Great for Ranked:

• Probably the smallest map in this list but its size is just big enough for roamers to still be viable, and its size promotes faster engagements between the teams
• It has a lot of soft walls that can be used for rotation holes in order to flank enemies, encouraging players to get creative in their plays
• It is one of the most balanced maps in the game so it's good for ranked matches since it doesn't favor either the defending team or the attacking team
• All objective spot choices in this map are viable and defensible so players can really mix up their choices

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/them...

1. Oregon 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRmxKizTaN4

Oregon has the highest rank in this list because when it comes to balance and fun, it's the best. In order to win a match in Oregon, whether you're defending or attacking, and especially in the higher ranks, you'll really need a good balance of roles in your team, and again, that applies to both sides. For attackers, it could be very hard to attack the basement through the blue bunker if there's a Mira and especially if the defenders made a rotation hole between it and the supply area. However, if you have the right operators, you can block Mira's view and push through either or both sides.

And that's just one of the reasons why this map is great. It really encourages players to rethink their strategy, not just after a round, but also within the round. It's also good that for the defenders, the best picks for the objective spots that they're going to defend, i.e. the second floor and the basement area, doesn't have wooden floors above it. That way, they can't keep being harassed from above, and the attackers will have to attack in a more conventional way. This doesn't mean that defenders have the advantage here, because this map provides a lot of options for the attackers when it comes to penetrating the objective spot.

Why Oregon is Great for Ranked:

• The most popular choices for objective spots doesn't have wooden floors above them, so it's one of the few maps where you'll experience a more conventional gameplay
• This is neither an attacker map or a defender map because it's one of the most balanced maps in the game and doesn't favor either side
• Almost all of its objective spot choices are viable, so players can really be creative when it comes to their strategy
• It has enough wide and long angles for operators that specializes in long-range to excel in and the map is big enough for roamers to be effective as well

Map Details:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/rainbow-six/siege/game-info/maps/oregon

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