The SG 553, popularly known as the Krieg, has seen increased usage by CS:GO pros since the end of 2018 when the scoped gun became cheaper. At first, only a few pros tried to master it, like Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski and Emil “Magisk” Reif, because of the different spray pattern that isn’t similar to the AK-47—the most used gun on the T-side.
But now, the Krieg has become the third-most purchased weapon, according to CS:GO statistics website Stay in Pit. The Krieg is even starting to catch up with the AK-47, according to Stay in Pit’s statistics about ESL One New York in September. And several pros think that the Krieg is ruining the game.
Richard “shox” Papillon, a pro who’s played since CS 1.6, asked Valve when a Krieg nerf is coming. “Can we [get] back to CS’ identity please?” shox tweeted, maybe hinting that the scope belongs in other titles like Call of Duty.
Damian “daps” Steele, Cloud9’s captain, went into more details than shox about his issues with the Krieg.
“As much as I love using the SG 553 (Krieg) it’s honestly ruining the game to some degree,” Daps said. “It costs $50 more than an AK and shoots faster, has a scope and is easier to spray. Either buff the AUG again or nerf the gun.”
Robin “ropz” Kool, one of mousesports’ stars, also shared this point of view. He said the Krieg is just overpowered in aim duels, which makes him even play like a sniper sometimes.
Pros have complained about weapons before, like the AUG. Valve first raised its price to $3,300, but it didn’t help diminish the gun’s popularity since everyone knew how powerful it was. The AUG became obsolete after Valve slightly reduced its rate of fire and accuracy in June.
Valve can try to do the same thing with the Krieg, but it’ll probably bring the old meta back where pros mostly use the AK-47, M4A4, and AWP.
