In this guide I will teach you how and what to buy depending on the Round 2 situation you are facing. Before we get into more complex matter, let's start with why you should always save if losing the opening pistol round.

When calculating costs, there are averages based on no kills. When determining team economy, it is smartest to always assume worst case scenerio (no kills) to accurately depict how bad your economy can be if you decide to force a buy in the early game. If you lost the pistol round, whether CT or T, save the next round for a potential Round 3 buy. Here is the math to go along with it. Let's say you buy armor for $650. So, without any kills you are looking at $1550 for Round 2. Buying armor again would leave you at $900. Buying a pistol on top of that for $300 then leaves you with $600 assuming you do not buy grenades. If you lose that round, the bonus is only $1900. Therefore, in worst case scenerio you will have only $2800 going into Round 3. For a CT, this would be a pointless buy and would be forced to save against terrorists who will have guns. As a T, you could get away with a Galil for $2000 and armor but you will not be able to afford head armor or grenades, therefore forcing the T to save as well.

The importance of full saving (not buying a single item to maximize future funds) after losing the opening pistol round is to be able to full buy Round 3 or 4 instead of a force buy followed by two save rounds anyway. If you forced Round 2 and lost it, causing you to save the next two rounds, you essentially lost 4 rounds that you could have won at least 1 of those rounds. In tight games, every round matters. Saving Round 2 mathmatically looks like this; Buying armor for $650 then losing leaves you with $1550. In worst case scenerio, your Round 3 is going to have at least $3450. This even gives you the option of buying a P250 Round 3 and worst case scenerio having $5550 Round 4. That within itself can constitute a full buy. Not having worst case scenerio would leave you with more money than that to use in future rounds. Mathmatically and logically it is always smarter to full save Round 2 if you lost pistol round. Only exception would be on T side with the Tech-9. Due to the current Meta, you can buy a Tech-9 with no armor and still get kills.

So, buying one Round 2 and still having $1050 plus the increased chance of getting a kill some argue will not put you behind the economic curve too much in a worst case scenerio. This is still a debated topic in the community, however.

Now for the scenerio when you win the opening pistol round. CT and T are going to have different situations concering Round 2 buys, so let's break it down by side and gun. In order to leave money for buying grenades that will be crucial when executing a bomb site, buy an SMG. The specific SMG depends on your playstyle and the situation.

Before I get to what specific SMGs you should use, I'm going to cover why the P90 is not a smart buy. The first part about it is how expensive it is. Sitting at $2350, this gun is essentially worth a rifle. Granted its high fire rate and accuracy make it an attractive option for low level players, its ecnomic cost for eco-round situations is its biggest downfall. The kill reward isn't high plus rifles (assuming the player has good aim) will be able to outplay you at medium/long ranges. If you are trying to take a position like Long on Dust II but cannot push up to site for the P90 kill, you become a free kill for players on A site. Instead, you could buy a Galil or FAMAS that deal more damage and save you money. With an extra $350 on T side thats a flash or smoke grenades worth of money.

With that in mind, what situations are going to change the SMG buy? The easiest way to comprehend it is by breaking it down gun by gun.

The situations are drastically different from CT or T, so let's start with CT SMGs. On the CT side you have the MP9, MP7 and UMP. The MP9 has a high fire rate making it ideal for close range scenerios. Such as, covering B Tunnels on Dust II, or supporting an aggressive push into A Ramp in Mirage. Keep in mind it will take you 7 shots to get a kill on an armored opponent, so don't engage in long range battles. For opponents with no armor, this gun is highly efficient in killing them. For the MP7, its a great and versatille "all around" weapon. With its accuracy and fire rate, it can dominate the short range. One of the current metas with the MP7, which I love, is to play aggressive Middle (any map) for Mid control second round. This is key because you can either get easy frags from unarmored opponents or be able to grab information without the huge risk of being fragged by a group of players.

The MP7s clip size can mow down multiple enemies while maintaing a good accuracy. The UMP is played best described as a mid to short range rifle. Its high damage makes it ideal for places like Long in Dust II, Banana in Inferno, both sites in Season and any position that forces close range combat. The extra bonus to this weapon is its cost. The ability to buy grenades, armor and this gun 2nd round can give you a greater chance of stopping site rushes and winning the round.

As for T side, you have the MAC10, MP7 and UMP. The MAC10 is similar to the CT's MP9, plus a high kill reward. Dominating the close range, the MAC10's best positions are when the CT does not have enough time to fall back from the high rate of fire from the MAC10. One of the best rushes with the MAC10 I do regularly is the Lower Tunnel rush from T-Spawn. If Lower is clear, you now have the possibility to flank the AWPer or Mid player quick if you get to Lower fast enough. Control over Lower/Catwalk with the MAC10 leaves you with two different site entries you can use to eiher fake out the CTs or organize a push for a certain site. The MP7 is going to be your Middle control weapon on T side as well, having that control with a gun like the MP7 makes it a lot harder and slower for CT's to rotate bomb sites. If you gain middle control, have that player lurk there while the team pushes a site, unsuspecting rotators become easy kills. As for the UMP on T-Side, use it sparingly. The UMP is great at covering positions and if you lose it to a CT, that can cost you that round and maybe the next one if you are forced to save. Dropping a MAC10 is a lot less risky considering its damage against armored opponents is relatively low. The UMP is probably the best for site pushes and takes, but also holds the most risk if you were to lose it to a CT. Usually one player only should weild this SMG and he should be the bomb carrier, since the bomb carrier shouldn't do any solo pushes onto positions.

SMGs are being increasingly used in CSGO so its a great idea to learn how to use them. Some of you may notice I did not talk about the PP-Bizon. This is because although it has a very high clip, its damage makes it a less viable option then the MP9/MP7 counterparts. THe PP-Bizon is ONLY effective against non-armored opponents. There are maps out there that can help you with controlling recoil, but the best way to improve on SMG use is experience and recognizing how to play certain positions with that gun. Headshots are almost a neccessity against armored opponents so the more you can master your aim with them, the better off you'll be.