Background Information

Just to introduce myself, I’ve been playing CS for around 4 years competitively and in that time I have captained for over a dozen different teams. I’ve always been interested in the theory of Counter-Strike and the concept which separates it most from other games, the economy.





What Is an Eco Round?

An eco round is loosely defined as any round in which a team purchases nothing bar a few pistols and the occasional set of armor, with the intention of saving up money for a buy in the subsequent round. These rounds are obviously biased towards the team carrying the heavier guns, but in some situations a mishap or an overly aggressive play can turn the round on its head, giving an unnecessary opportunity for the ecoing enemies. This article is aiming to train you to stop making these mistakes and teach you the three simplest steps to winning every anti-eco, regardless if you’re in solo queue or in a full on match.





The Right Equipment

The first and most debatable step for surviving versus an all-pistol buy is the equipment and weaponry you bring into it. In professional games, you’ll often see one of three set-ups. Some teams will decide to buy up 4-5 SMGs in order to build up money into subsequent rounds, others will buy a plethora of rifles such as the AK and Galil to virtually assure that they can overpower the enemy team in one on one duels. The third, and most common, is to buy a combination, often two Mac-10s/MP9s, one UMP-45, and two rifles. This style is the broadest option, as it allows for two players to act as scouts, sniffing out any stacks, and gathering up that sweet, sweet cash.

An all-AK buy opens up the opportunity for a player to be overwhelmed and for an incredibly powerful rifle to fall into the hands of the enemy team, which in turn emphasizes playing close together, a skill very difficult to accomplish in an MM team. A more SMG-heavy setup can often lead the team towards more fast-paced, aggressive rounds, which far too often devolve into uncontrollable chaos. This train of thought leads me to recommending a more balanced buy, which will allow the team to seek out any stacks and make a more informed decision, but still be able to set up strong afterplant positions and use range to your advantage.





Gathering information

The second step of any anti-eco is in the beginning of the round, generally before the first minute has passed. This period is set up to allow for your SMGs to gather information on any possible stacks, as well as identify whether the round is a force or an eco, which is then information which allows for the team to make an informed decision on a site.

This search for information has two important rules. The first is that a player should never push into a bombsite without the rest of his team with him. The second is that the player would never take enemy map control alone. That’s what leads to enemy players picking up rifles and subsequently lost rounds. Players should always work together in order to stay safe. Once information is gathered, we move into the third and final step.





Grouping Up

This step describes the finale of the round, the point where you group up as a team of hopefully five players and push onto either of the two sites. The rules to this step are rather straightforward.

- Don't use too many smokes

Smokes are incredibly easy to play around as a CT sitting on a site, and it can’t be good for your bomb-planters heart when they see the signature CT-knife sitting two inches from their eyes.

- Don’t go in one by one

Play to the pack advantage. If you successfully riddled out the stack in the last step, you shouldn’t be walking into too many defenders and, as a result, overwhelming them should be pretty easy, unless you’re facing someone like Niko.

- Use your utility, play to your money advantage

The use of molotovs and flashbangs is underplayed in anti-ecos, where they can often shut down a player completely from a great position and allow you to continue plowing your way onto the site.

- Don’t be scared.

Being terrified of pushing onto a site will often allow for the CTs to rotate over to your site, making it increasingly difficult to push the site.





Conclusion

In conclusion, the three steps to winning every anti-eco round boil down to three basic skills, economy management, teamwork, and restraint. If you can follow the three rules outlined here, you’re most of the way towards never losing an anti-eco round.

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