After pistol rounds are accounted for there are a number of different options available to the Counter Terrorist team; and this is part of what makes Overpass such as compelling map to play and watch. There are multiple factors that dictate the ideal setup: team composition, economy, past setups, enemy economy, enemy expected guns and enemy tendencies to name a few. Thus it would be impracticable if not impossible to go through all the possible variations here. However, I will provide some setups that in my experience have proven successful through Matchmaking to Global Elite and reaching level 10 on FaceIT.

With a proficient AWP player transferring the pistol setup to gun rounds can be effective. The ability to reach the balloons area at the same time the Terrorists run out towards fountain leads to the opportunity for a quick and decisive kill, and if the retreat is fast enough there is little the Terrorists can do to trade. The balloons-fountain battleground is, for the most part, the area within which the first action of the round will take place. Because of this, novel and quirky strategies can be used when a default cannot be executed. For example, on a round where only one weapon was saved, Dupreeh boosts Device to change the angle of attack and attempt to find the opening pick.

Because of the composition of the map and the current meta it is generally accepted that the A site will be weaker, with usually only one or two defenders. With this in mind, it can be useful to flip this dynamic by taking control of B and holding it with only one or two players. This can be achieved by taking the B short area with a well rehearsed grenade set smoking off the tunnel and flashing any aggression from the terrorist side. With this achieved, one defender can be left to cover both B short, Monster and the connector door if utilised in a rotation attempt. Three or even four players can now be shifted to the A site silently. With the preconception that the A site is usually less defended this can lead to favorable fights wherein the Terrorist side must take on large numbers or rotate around the map and past the early warning system of the solo man in B water.

This is especially useful in situations with a lack of utility or a weak economy, as having a large force of Counter Terrorists within already established crossfires within the A site can overcome the firepower gap.

Short B positions give control over large swathes of the map.

Couple this with the maps open sky box, allowing smokes to monster and B short tunnel from straight after spawning, and aggressive B short takes are an efficient and safe investment of utility. This allows, for example, A players to smoke up the entrances to B site without stepping foot on the lower levels of the map, focusing Terrorist attention on the fountain where a stacked CT team awaits.

A smoke is often used to provide cover, create a partial one-way and allow a safer retreat.

We have discussed how the meta has established that the Fountain-Balloons area is the most pivotal battleground for control over the upper section of the map. This fact can be exploited through toilet stacks and intricate double setups within the toilets or long, where, because of the investment in utility and the extra caution needed to fend off AWPer challenges at balloons, less experienced teams are likely to not use their full capacity to clear the multiple angles on the long journey to the A site. Stacking toilets on eco rounds often yields rewards, with unsuspecting enemies overlooking multiple spots where a CZ or tazer can thrive.

The connector position adds a further interesting dynamic to the map. The multiple dark spots, long rang corridor paired with the extremely short range stairway leads to very random feeling duels. Shotguns, pistols and SMG’s often triumph over full buys, making it a high risk-high reward area. Couple that with the fact that it is directly in the line of sight of Terrorists pushing fountain and it is a position within which it is very easy to be encircled and flushed out. To know when to play in connector and when to leave it is a decision that must be made on a round-by-round basis, weighing up the risk and reward of the position. The advantages that are gained can be great; a view of balloons and B short shuts off the middle of the map from rotation and allows only the extremities to be utilised to the advancing terrorists without being seen or heard.

With all of this considered, Overpass shines as a map with the most creativity afforded in terms of CT setups, which, in turn leads to the greatest variety of play — a great thing for both players and viewers.

To read more of my work on Counter Strike, go to www.csgointel.com