Exercises: The Secret to 1000+ Point Deathmatches (Area of Potential Hostility)

The secret to my 1000+ point deathmatch scores, and my ability to predict enemy activity and peeks, has originated from my INTUITION SPOTTING. Looking at the map, and seeing where teammates are, and are not around, will help your intuition immensely. If you are in DUST 2, and your teammates are spawning outside of B tunnels, in B tunnels, and in B site, then that means that the enemy team are everywhere your teammates are not: in cat, long, and A site (maybe T spawn, and mid). If you and your team are taking control of an area, then the enemy team cannot control it without contesting, which is something that your team and you will be able to see. The enemy team is automatically in control of any area your team is not controlling or viewing, an area that I like to refer to as AREA OF POTENTIAL HOSTILITY, and this can be used to help you spot out where the enemy are, or might be, and will help you gain an advantage. AREA OF POTENTIAL HOSTILITY (AoPH or AoH) is basically the “area where the enemy might be”. This helped my intuition like no other, and also helped me spot weaknesses in my team that the enemy could take advantage of, if not addressed. It also helped me find loopholes in the enemy team and helps with strategy calling and tactics.Here is an example:In the GIF shown above, my team and I are playing Season. Shortly after the round starts, we do the obvious thing and try to push as far as we can to gain as much map control and also gain defensive positions. Once we have gained defensive positions, we use our sound (marked by blue circle) and vision (marked by green cone) to stop the AREA OF POTENTIAL HOSTILITY from spreading to our side of the map. Now that we are covering positions, we look at the map and imagine the AoPH, which makes it easier to see where the enemy might be. This, in addition to my experience, aids me in guessing that there might be at least one guy on the left side of the map (on stairs near me) and one near my teammate in B. 2 down, 3 enemies left to guess. From here, I guess that in mid there are 3, or 2 with the last remaining enemy helping out one of the enemies near A and B. After the game ended, I checked if my guess was right, and the result didn’t surprise me as I guessed right, which ultimately helped us win the round.The important thing to notice is that this Area of Potential Hostility is always changing. When your teammate dies or moves (as well as your enemies), when the enemy team smokes or flashes (or your team), no matter the action, every single event will somehow affect this area. Sometimes it will decrease as your team pushes, or it will grow as your team retreats and lets the enemy take map control. In the end it is all an educated guess, but guessing to help you prepare yourself, mentally and physically (if something does happen), is better than being caught by surprise and dying.Deathmatching, and using intuition, is a great way to practice and get accustomed to this gamesense. Just look at the map, guess where the enemies might be, prepare yourself for them to come (or push to catch them off guard) and you will perfect your INTUITION SPOTTING and easily gain 1000+ deathmatches if you’re aim is good enough.If you want to learn more about INTUITION in competitive play, you can check out my previous guide to learn more.