Introduction

Have you ever had issues on de_cache where the opposing terrorist team would bully you out of mid? Then when you would stack more teammates in middle, they push A main and stacking mid becomes pointless? If so, this blog is for you. I’m going to break down proper rotations and ways of holding mid without compromising control of the bombsites. With all that being said, one of the issues with this map is to not let the terrorist team force you into long rotations; controlling middle gives that to them. That’s what makes middle in this map extremely essential for the counter-terrorist to control.

Basic static setup and default

This map shows the setup that my former teams and I - and most pugs I play with - have. I like to stick two players in mid at the beginning of the round. Then the player that sits spool will rotate to A and hold, unless information you have gathered from the first 30 to 40 seconds of the round dictates that you should keep at least 2 teammates mid. This is what the setup should look like. Scouting for information in this setup can be key to get information and adjust your static setup as necessary. For example, rotate a B player to A so you can have a good crossfire if you spot that none have entered B halls or toxic.

Default A stack

This setup is particularly strong with two awpers. Having a awper at mid and b while the remaining rifles hold the A site passively. Consistently smoking off A and mid will be a factor here the goal is to delay as long as possible. The key in setups like this is to recognize when the attacking team sees the stack and rotates. Your communication will have to be on point to be able to rotate to B in a timely manner. Another option would be for your awper at B to just play for the retake but it can be a gamble. As for the B site is hard to retake.

Pistol round aggressive middle stack

On pistol rounds I like to stack mid with 3 players and play the sites passive. When playing a site in this setup, you want to play for the retake. Make sure you don’t overcommit and you can still rotate out while waiting for teammates. With this setup you always want to make sure someone on the team has a kit, just in case you are put in such a scenario. Armor is also recommended for the 3 players stacking middle, although you can always switch it up and go for a nade stack. Here’s an example of what the setup should look like.

Alternative middle setups

Another way to hold middle is to smoke off the B site and boost a player from checkers into vents, while someone holds spools or sandbags. This can add a different dynamic and variety to your middle control, and keep the terrorist guessing as to where your team will be playing from next. Also, sticking your awper at B can be an option and having him play the site alone, while you can have 3 players playing mid or A aggressive to gather information. All of this is kind of reactionary and takes a decent level of game sense as an in-game leader to read the other team. With a little bit of coordination and practice, these setups can become second nature with the in-game leader alternating between them as he sees fit.

Eco rounds

Eco rounds on this map really depend on the style of play that the opposing team has been utilizing. For example, if they keep aggressively taking mid or boosting into mid a grenade stack, standard armor and pistol eco round should do the trick. If they tend to sit A main, push some teammates through middle connector and set up a flank. It’s really just a guessing game, as it always is with these kind of rounds. Just pay attention to your opponents’ tendencies, especially if you're calling for the team. Here’s an example of how you should play a eco round flanking A from mid. Note that this can be adjusted for either bombsite.

So what have we learned?

These setups are geared towards stopping terrorist aggression in mid. This is super important: if the terrorist team can gain mid control with ease, they can split up the counter-terrorist defense and poke at each site until they find a weak point or a pick. It can be a frustrating thing to try and play against. If you are winning the duels in middle and they are having trouble gaining control, they might try to hard execute on sites. Then you will just want to hold mid with one person, preferably an awper, and they will continue having a hard time. I hope this guide will shed some light on how to counter some common defaults on this map.

Happy fragging :D

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