CS: GO's Operation Hydra rotates to Weapons Expert

Operation Hydra in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive [official site] has again rotated its special event mode, bringing in Weapons Expert. This mode, which is available free to all Counter-Strikers, lets players buy each weapon only once per match. It's an interesting-sounding twist on modes like Gun Game, rewarding players for being skilled with all weapons rather than just a few favourites.

Weapons Expert is a 5v5 mode with regulation-length best-of-30 matches. Buy any given weapon once, and that's it for the whole match. Kill an enemy and you'll force them to a new gun, grinding down their possibilities and making them rely on worse weapons.

Modes like this can be tricky in theory, as winners get an advantage which grows and grows but actually losing can take ages and be miserable. How does Weapons Expert mode work out in practise? I haven't had a go yet myself, because it requires playing through lobbies and I'm so bad at CS these days that it felt wrong to punish a random team with my presence (as if I were ever any good!). You're welcome, Internet.

Weapons Expert arrived last night as part of Operation Hydra, an ongoing event which introduced a weekly rotation of several new modes. Weapons Expert is replacing the 2v2 action of Wingman, which itself followed the grab bag of somewhat silly minimodes that is War Games. I quite liked War Games.

What are you making of Operation Hydra so far, gang? I've not touched the paid co-op campaign yet either. Look, Plunkbat is a way of life.