The small details matter

One of the critical aspects of the game is communication, a simple flashbang and footsteps can indicate an imminent rush to the site which can quickly overcome the Counter-Terrorist defence. However it could be a fake rush to the site and catch Counter Terrorist out of position rotating. The defenders who hold the site need to ascertain quickly what the situation is and advise team mates. This is why in high level CSGO you often see players make aggressive pushes to try and gather information as to where the Terrorist could be. This could potentially create a significant advantage as it will allow teammates to react to enemies positioning and force the Terrorist to take a risk.

However the downside of this strategy is if the Terrorist manage to punish the person making the aggressive information play. When this happens the momentum is instantly swung to the Terrorist side and this typically forces the Counter-Terrorist to make an aggressive play to turn the round in a 4 v 4 or at the very minimum they will need to stretch their defences leaving areas which cannot be effectively guarded. Next time you play, think about the wider situation and try and ask yourself what is the most logical action an opposition team would take?

Game Sense

This is where building your game sense will greatly assist you as a player regardless of which side you play. Understanding the enemy’s movements and predicting what your enemy will do is what makes top level Counter Strike players deadly. There is no magic shortcut to this and it will build over time, however using extra resources will assist in developing this skill more efficiently.

For example using the above picture having mid control of Cache provides either team options that can provide you the edge to win the round. Picture the scenario where the Terrorist have managed to eliminate the person defending middle thus putting pressure on both bomb sites of the map and provides the Terrorist with a number of options to engage. A simple smoke can block of vision and allow the Terrorist to take a site from multiple angles which is extremely difficult to defend. To make matters worse a player often playing a ‘lurker’ role can position himself to catch Counter-Terrorist rotating to the site. A ‘lurker’ is typically a player on the Terrorist side who operates separately from the main group of team who uses map knowledge, positioning and sound to catch Counter-Terrorist off guard and to create fake attacks on certain bombsites.

To try and alleviate some of the pressure a Counter-Terrorist will often have to leave their current bomb site (in this example we will assume two people are playing on each site) and try and keep some pressure on the middle of the map. Whilst this sounds simple theoretically speaking, in practice there are a significant number of variables that come into play that will impact the outcome of the round.

The Big Picture

This is a concept which relates to ‘Game Sense’ but the better you can understand what position the enemy is the easier it will be for you to improve in the game. A critical aspect of CSGO is the economy, there are no hard and fast rules about this but you can have a good understanding of what the enemy is likely to do based upon their economy.

For example a team which has lost multiple rounds in a row, proceeds to win a round and then loses the subsequent round will most likely be reset and will have minimal cash to invest in good weapons. Therefore you may predict that enemy will most likely have pistols which is best for you to engage at a distance, least a $250 P250 one taps you in the head. All of a sudden your rifle can be in the hands of the enemy who could punish your team for your death.

Putting all the above into practice

There is no easy answer to put all this together but spectating professional matches will provide valuable insight as to how professional teams react to events in the game based on their economy, utility available and where often the first death occurs. Pay attention to how both sides react to the death and the positioning of teams. Additionally learn the CSGO economy, you do not have to be an expert but if you can have a general understanding of the loss/win bonus this will make predicting buys from the enemy easier.

Even if the worst happens and you die there is still valuable information you can provide your team, take the time out and think about your and their economy and certain tendencies of enemy players. Use the time to develop a plan and lead your team to victory.

Happy fragging!

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