CS:GO major update reintroduces the MP5-SD

Out of nowhere, Valve announced the return of the MP5-SD to Counter Strike by releasing a surprise update to CS:GO.

The new MP5-SD has been confirmed to be a silenced alternative to the MP7 and it’ll remain on casual servers for testing purposes. The gun will most likely move to competitive play soon. We’d assume that it’d make sense for Valve to make the push after the Major in September.

So what is there to know about the legendary MP5? How does it stack up against other SMGs? We’ve gone into CS:GO after the latest update to find out.

The new MP5-SD in CS:GO – Stats and Comparison

The MP5-SD is the very first silenced SMG in CS:GO. With the silencer attached, the MP5-SD has a far smaller audible range. (The same range as the USP-S and M4A1-S.)

The MP5-SD also does not have tracer rounds, which means you can spray through smoke and players will have a difficult time with trying to guess where you are standing.

In terms of weapon performance, the MP5-SD is very similar to the MP7, with a few notable differences.

Firstly, you’ll move faster with the MP5-SD, making it a more notable option for when you need to be slightly more mobile. The reload time is somewhat faster too. On the flip side, the damage is slightly less at 27 base damage versus 29 from the MP7.

The accuracy is also worse, which contradicts the fact that the weapon has faster movement speed. Finally, the MP5-SD shares the same recoil pattern as the MP7.

New MP5-SD – Does it have competitive potential?

We’ve seen SMGs being used far more often in competitive play now, but how will the MP5-SD stack up against other SMG choices? Will it have a spot in competitive play?

With the MP5-SD essentially being a silenced MP7, I don’t see it being picked up particularly often when the cheaper MP9 and UMP are available.
With the MP7 getting little use in competitive play already, the MP5-SD may be left in the dust.

There is one exception to this, however. The MP5 is available on the terrorist side, which means terrorists have their first shot at a silenced weapon. With the USP and M4A1S exclusive to the CT side, this could potentially open up some opportunities for taking advantage of that silencer.

We’ll have to see how the gun gets utilized once it goes live in competitive mode. Competitive clients like ESEA may introduce the weapon sooner than Valve does, which means we may get to see a pro match with the MP5-SD sooner than expected.

Finally, a note on the weapon model. The new MP5-SD looks very reminiscent of the original MP5 in CS 1.6.

Unfortunately, the MP5-SD does not have any skins yet, so we’ll have to wait for the next weapon case before we see some.

Other Patch Changes

The rest of the recent patch is pretty lackluster. The full patch notes mention some Panorama fixes and other small miscellaneous changes.

What are your thoughts on the latest CS:GO update? Are you happy to see the return of an old classic?