There's always a buzz at the beginning of a seasonal, and which template is gonna be played (some negative and some positive), but one thing stands true towards the end of every seasonal : whatever template always turns into a boring grind at the end. Playing 20 straight games on any template is annoying at the least, and while the idea of rotating templates every season is nice, it quickly loses any glamour as the season progresses.

What I suggest is rather than having one template played across a season, we have 4, with each being 5 games a piece. This also replaces the need for voting as a panel can just choose 4 good templates, and most people won't be fighting as it's more likely everyone gets to play at least one template they like.

Idea came in a game with AG - https://www.warzone.com/MultiPlayer?GameID=16152133

This wouldn't be my preferred solution, as the MDL and AWP Tour already offer multiple templates, but I agree that it is an improvement on the status quo.

In my view, Biomes was not a grind (I'm playing Biomes on the AWP Tour and am still not bored of it), but INSS templates are unusual because they offer so much diversity dependent on the character of the board. Nor would 20 games on a completely unfamiliar template with novel features be a grind, as long as it is reasonably well designed. But I agree that it would be a grind to play 20 games on any well established non-INSS template.

For me, the solution is to reserve the seasonal ladder for new templates which offer novel features, as was the case in the first two seasonals that I played. We lose nothing by this because there are more than enough other opportunities to play established templates competitively (1v1 ladder, 2v2 ladder, 3v3 ladder, MDL, AWP Tour, CL, P/R League....). If the process was kept as it is, except that the panel made it clear that they would reject any template that they regarded as established, the problem would be instantly solved in my view.

If, however, the view of the community is that they want to play established templates on the seasonal ladder, then playing four different templates would be better than playing one.

..but one thing stands true towards the end of every seasonal : whatever template always turns into a boring grind at the end. Playing 20 straight games on any template is annoying at the least, and while the idea of rotating templates every season is nice, it quickly loses any glamour as the season progresses. by Cowboy

No, 20 games is not boring grind, its just you.

I agree with Kicorse on novel features, I do not understand what new seasonal winner - Volcano Island - has to offer in that sense. Pretty much 1v1 ladder template on different map? But it was community favorite by current voting procedure. Rejecting standard templates has my support.

But, playing 4-5 different templates on seasonal would be problematic (at least for me). I would not put that much time to investigate, study and play 4-5 different settings. I would quite then. Playing 1 template 20 times is not that much, its just perfect. Few plays to get the basics and rest games to master. Neither seasonal should be lesser version of MDL.