this is pure speculation but:
I want to baselessly believe the patches are deliberately uneven. In that this one will be small, the next one might be similar sized, but then after that we'll get maybe a new map, and the other patches will unlock sections of the map that culminate in the ending or lead-in to EoD. It's pretty unlikely though given they said they were aiming for that S1 feel. But I also think the whole dynamic of fire vs ice doesn't work in any of the maps the game currently has, unless they actually revamp one to have destroyers in it, which I guess thematically gives incentive?
Though this makes the countdown seem unnecessarily confusing and bizzare given it literally lad to nothing. They should've just made it longer, or limitless, with maybe some bonuses for how quickly you reach it or something to that effect.