Highly ambitious twist to the Territory Control gamemode that's easier said than done. CTF beautifully compliments TC's short diverse rounds, inside iconic and evocative arenas. Each arena keeps the flag inside a small room with plenty of strategic choices to make around each one without Sentries at every chokepoint.
I believe Meridian has not been accepted officially from its own ambition. The art style seems overly cartoony in places, and perhaps the final base defenses deviate from what Valve considers optimal (without setup time?). Given how old this map is, and the sheer dedication just mapping for the gamemode takes, it may even be a victim of being a pioneer much like other early TF2 maps.
There's so much untapped potential in TC, and I feel like Meridian was a lifeline to challenge ideas like CTF being not viable or TC being stalemate hell. And I think I look up to this map because of that.
