@Cedar_Z, this map was down there with Castleween and Conveyor Belt for me, and I always disliked playing it. Recently, however, I've started to enjoy it more. I think it's because I (finally) learned that I need to adjust my play style slightly based on the maps I'm playing. I'm sure many don't have to adjust the way they play, and are just naturally good at most/all maps. I'm not one of those people, unfortunately.
I used to play Winter is Coming very much like Ichiban, where I'd just run headlong into as many fights as possible, and try and beat the cr*p out of everyone. I wouldn't pay attention to where I was on the map or even whether it was day or night. This meant I often died quickly, and as a result I disliked the map more than it deserved.
Recently though, I've adjusted the way I play. Now I pay close attention to the day-night cycle, and when it's day I'll treat the map very much like Ichiban and throw myself around and just attack all of my opponents any place on the map. However, when it's dark - especially when the wind starts blowing and it's snowing - I'll become a lot more cautious. I fight a lot less, and when I do fight, I do it as far from the lake as possible and always as close to the campfires as I can.
It's so much riskier if you die near the lake at night when it's windy and snowing. You'll freeze very quickly if someone throws you onto it. It's much safer far from the lake, as even if someone hits you and throws you, there's a bit more chance you'll just end up sliding towards the campfires and thawing out. You can't always stay away from the lake, especially when the far campfires have gone out, but it's a tactic that I've found helped me immensely and made it feel less "random". It's not random, it's just that I hadn't spotted the important stuff.
The tips from @komikoza are spot-on. Try adjusting your play style based on the map and see how you get on. I still need to figure out how to do this on some maps (e.g. Conveyor Belt). Someone called me an "unskilled f*cker" recently due to a terrible performance on that. They weren't wrong - I was completely outclassed - although the crassness of their comment and their gloating on the podium did make me hate them a lot. Stuff like that makes me want to get a headset plugged in. Anyway, I digress.
Let us know how you get on with the tips here and whether you start liking it more.