Insider's Guide to Incredibly Fun Warcraft 2 Maps Before You Just Get Lost in GOW and CHOP
I'll start off with saying that I've greatly enjoyed playing the most-played GOW and second-most played CHOP maps in times past, and don't mind playing them still. The reasons for their appeal are pretty well known and I will say that while I believe GOW was an accidental success made by an unknown newbie (as evidenced by where the halls on the map are placed and by the map's general total lack of balance) randomly drawing squiggles around the screen for a paycheck, CHOP was actually the work of a uniquely creative mind. So yes, GOW and CHOP are playable maps in their own right, but playing any same map endlessly on repeat gets stale over time and limits a player to being more of a 1-pudder than a full-fledged player who has stretched out his wings to the limitless domain of the sky.
Playing map variety adds a great deal of freshness and excitement to the game, much like eating different foods or watching different shows. Variety is the spice of life, and likewise, map variety is a much fuller experience of the game than playing the same map or two on repeat for decades.
I'll start adding Warcraft 2 maps that I think are fantastic and highly playable little by little and explain some reasons why the map is fun.
Shadowvine Forest, made by Swedish mapmaker Moriouce, if I recall correctly as the old site with its data is closed, this map was the winning map in 2020...maaaybe 2021, but I think 2020, and has proved itself over the last few years to be highly playable and very fun.
It's appealing to have maps that you can play a number of ways. The more likely it is to see all kinds of units on the map including magic, sappers, air, and different strategies possible, like neighbor warring, rushing, dualing, powering, trying to wall of big sections of the map and defend those points while you get very big, the higher I consider the playability to be.
This map has been fun for 1s and for 4s, so any number of players can use it.
Also as you go into late game, gaps in trees open up more areas to traffic, so map changes over the course of longer games also add to the map's appeal. Some people (like Lost~One) like to go into the middle of the map, from where you can access a number of other start spots over the trees, so it's good to keep an eye on the middle from early on to prevent being blindsided by sudden blizzard all over your lovely town.
As many gorgeous and creative maps as Moriouce has made, this is one that stands out as an absolute masterpiece of beauty and playability.