Using set executes is especially easy on Mirage. Once you established a strong default that shows the CTs that you aren't a pushover on any side of the Map, they'll have to think twice about pushing through when they think they see an opening. This allows for you to quickly and, in most cases, safely set up your execute to the fullest, either at the start or later in the round after baiting out the utility. However, just because it is easy to set up, it isn't necessarily easy to execute effectively, which is why we're here in the first place.

In this article, you will be shown graphics that illustrate relevant aspects of executing on B, examples of smoke and molotov usage in example executes, explanations of what the graphics mean/show, and even videos with the relevant grenade line-ups if you want to use one of the execute examples as a basic tactical layout to go off of with your own ideas and adjustments.

The Bigger Picture

In order to know how to execute on A, we need to know when to try said execute and what characteristics A has in order to reverse-engineer how our execute should look for it to be successful.

Compared to B, the first thing people tend to notice is how much more open and wide A is when looking at the path you need to take to get on the actual Bombsite, giving the CTs both, more room to manoeuvre and more room to position themselves according to how you played up until that point, making it possible to catch you off-guard with a number of possible crossfires and more possibilities to prevent you from planting.

This means that we either need to make A smaller essentially or cover your path with smokes and in both cases, we should remove positions with molotovs and eliminate the last possibility of a CT bothering us with flashes.

(Graphic created on gametactic.org/csgo)

I've created a graphic to show you where the CTs can hide, also grouping them together in order to show that it is unlikely that, once you've killed a CT hiding in a position that is in a group, you need to worry about another one hiding in a position in the same group in about nine out of ten times.

However, this is where we just start to get to the problem of executing on A. Once you've taken the site, CTs like to bunch up and use the utility that they still had on B or Mid to shut you out of the round and defuse the bomb, normally being able to deduce where you went in the afterplant due to the position of the bombplant. To counter this, we should ideally plant for multiple positions in order to get the CTs to have to guess where you are.

Now onto the macro part of executing A, which is much more simple than executing on B: When do I go A?

As always, the question is easier to ask than to answer because every game of CS is very different and there are many tiny factors that can completely throw you off your plan, which won't stop us from trying to answer this question, though.

Basically, to execute on A is easier than B unless you know that the CTs won't rotate fast and don't use utility early, since often the preferred B go is a fast one. This is due to the fact how A is built: You can basically always find a way to shut out a majority of the positions preferred by your current enemies and cut off their early rotation by smoking of Jungle and CT, stalling the retake for a good ten seconds already. This is not the case with B, where the Window player can instantly jump out of Window and walk up behind you in Apps and the Jungle player from A will go through Mid to Short to help with the fast retake, not leaving you with enough utility to keep them out for long enough as easily on B as on A.



How to Execute on A

Now onto the meat of the article, the part we're all here for. How to Execute on A. To show this, I'll show you a few example executes and will explain why they work. Let's take a look at another graphic:



(Graphic created on gametactic.org/csgo)

We'll dive right into our first example execute, a pretty standard one with three smokes, up to three mollies, and just a handful of flashes, if at all more than one. In this one, you should throw the smokes first, then molotov under Wood and as you get popflashed out of A-Main, throw the molotov onto the bench in front of Jungle. One player, maybe the third or fourth out of A-Main, should throw the molotov behind Triple, just as the other players are storming out of A-Main and swarming the site.

You can basically focus all of your attention to onspot A and a handful of other positions with above Wood and the one close at A-Main, leaving the CTs no choice but to either stay behind the smokes and wait for the retake or most likely feed you kills as they desperately try to dodge your line of sight and molotovs hidden behind smokes.

(Graphic created on gametactic.org/csgo)

As you can see in the graphic above, you basically cut off the entry points of the entire part of the map that the CTs are likely to control, not giving them access to the A-Site during your Bombsite take and not allowing them to try and support their teammates that may remain on the site without a high risk of running into their death. That is the strength of this execute: You successfully make it very likely that you can overwhelm the CT forces that stay on A by focusing your fire-power on a smaller number of viable positions.

If you successfully pull off this, or a similar, execute, you will most likely force the CTs into a retake situation with a handicap: Them with maybe four or three against your five or four with time on your site. Given that you've planted ambiguously, you can now send the player closest to A-Main to and flank through Mid to Connector in order to back-stab them while they try to fight your A-Main, Tetris and Palace players.

A-Split

Since essentially all you have to do to get successfully into Connector is to come out of Underpass and smoke off Short , pulling of an A-Split is rather easy, at least compared to splitting B, where player can hide inside Ladder, can spray you down through Window and Connector and could wait for you in Edward. This is the reason I choose to show you an easy A-Split:



(Graphic created on gametactic.org/csgo)

For this execute you'll need four smokes, two molotovs and a rather crucial flash that will be shown in the video below. Basically, what you'll do is smoke off Jungle deep, cut the Bombsite in half and you come out of A-Main, Palace and Connector in slightly delayed timings between the peeks in order to pinch the players trying to wrap around the first box on A and the ones hiding at stairs and in Connector.

In this one, you will start off by throwing the four smokes around A and on Short, then popflash Stairs so Palace can peek him and hold the angle while A-Main pushes out (And mollies Sandwich) after Palace has mollied off under Wood. Meanwhile this is happening, the player for Connector gets in position below Window and will briefly watch Short and Window before advancing into Connector just as the team will come around the corner towards Stairs. The Palace player will, if possible, stay in Palace as long as the take is going on and watch out for anyone playing behind the smokes. After you've cleared the Connector side of A, you can plant for Connector/Short while your teammates watch the smokes as you then fall back and get into position.



(Graphic created on gametactic.org/csgo)

You can position yourself somewhat like this. Since you planted ambiguously, the CTs will already waste a lot of time just trying to find out where you are while you will cover all possible ways of entry into the Bombsite and their pathways to the bomb. Half of the positions, like Tetris, A-Main, and the two guys in Connector can quickly adapt their position to waste more time and have a CT hunt them instead of facing, ultimately sealing the fate of the CTs in this round and not giving them much to work with, while the other half, namely the guy in Connector watching Jungle and CT, and the Sandwich players, are there to catch the enemies off-guard and teach them a lesson about clearing positions properly.

Conclusion

Executing on A isn't difficult - but planning it correctly can make your brain be busy for a while. To make it work, you need to make the team work together first and everyone needs to know what to throw, where to go and what to do in their afterplant, only then, when you focus all of your attention on a small number of variables will you see consistent success with your executes.

Do you want to talk about this execute and spread your own ideas? Feel free to head over to our #Digscord and meet our helpful community!

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