What is a default? Why do teams have them? What purpose do they serve? How do I set one up? All of these are important questions in order to understand how to IGL, especially in the context of mid round, on the fly calls.

A default is a set of positions that you place your players in to take map control (a topic I will be covering in a video soon), and wait to search for picks. Generally I find it best to place 1 or 2 on each site watching a choke-point passively, and then my AWPer mid, if there is one on the map. This isn’t an absolute rule however. Frequently on Train, I put one player Ivy and a rifler with my AWPer A main, so the rifler can back the AWPer up if they get pushed.

Defaults, in my mind at least, serve 2 main purposes. They allow the IGL time to think, and they allow the players to look for aggression from the other team and punish. It also allows the IGL to feel out their opponent, and see if their player see or hear any opposition, which can help the IGL to make mid round calls. The default is something the Ts should usually be in for no more than half the round, as you want to rotate your players to whichever site you’re executing on to keep your numbers advantage. Defaults are similar in concept to something called “the neutral”, which is a basic fighting game concept. Essentially it means neither side has an advantage, and both sides are poking, looking for a weakness to exploit.

Another important thing to consider about your default is the strengths and weaknesses of your team, along with the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. For instance, if your team has a fantastic AWPer, its good to put them in positions to peek for aggressive picks. It’s also important to put them wherever they feel most comfortable. If they prefer peeking van from B Apts on Mirage, that’s where you should put them. However, if the other team has strong B players but a weaker AWPer who usually plays mid, it might be a better idea to put your AWPer on mid, maybe even with a rifle player to take more agressive control. While it’s important to have a clearly defined default that your team knows, it’s also important to be able to adapt said default to match and counter what your opponent is doing. CS:GO isn’t a game where you can simply play how you want. It’s a game where you have to adapt to what the other team is doing, and play organically off of them, adapting and changing round to round just like they will do to you.