Cobblestone, one of the most unorthodox maps there is. Long rotations on both sides, small choke points with multiple potential points of contact, and fallback possibilities for CTs. The map was originally known for its T-sided play, since Drop was nearly impossible to hold on earlier iterations of this map, as well as even today's struggle with holding Drop.

To play this map out to its maximum potential, we need to take a long look at how this map plays out, as well as the CTs' strengths and weaknesses here. If you want to know how to play Cache, just like I wrote about Cobblestone here, head over here for CT-side, and over here for T-side.

The content of this article will be:

Set-Ups

Holding B (Holding Drop)

Holding A

Stacks

CT Aggression

3 Boosts

Rotations

Most useful Grenades

Without wasting any more words, let's get right into the nitty-gritty of how to play Cobblestone!

Let's start with the simple stuff: The Set-Ups. For this we will need to look at the layout and initial control of the map.

This graphic shows you the initial control that the map gives you due to timing or other balance reasons. Blue shows for (under standard circumstances) CT controlled, yellow shows the most contested areas and red shows for T controlled. I choose to represent Mid as initially given to the CTs (due to timing), yet chose to also mark it yellow as this part of the map is often given up by the CTs since it is hard to hold and not really worth it if you have a firm grip on the CT end of A-Long. Also, depending on spawns, Ts like to abuse the timing on B-Long to get there before you, which is rather rare though.

The first thing you should notice is how much breathing room the Ts initially have. There is no real way to cut off a big part of the map that would limit the Ts in their movement or executes. Rather than that, you have a lot of fallback space at A, leaving you with a choice to face the fight or move back and let back up arrive. On B, however, you are pretty limited to holding your positions in most cases, like Onspot, Drop and B-Long. Compared to other maps, there is also no Mid that is actually in between the bombsites to provide the Terrorists with alternative routes to both A and B, since the Mid on Cobble only allows you to B through Connector, the CTs only way to B, compared to Highway or Vent on Cache Mid to A and B.

This also means that there is no real all-rounds protocol that would be fulfilled at the start by taking Mid and working from there as Ts, which leaves the CTs with one less thing to worry about. However, Drop is incredibly hard to hold and once the Ts have a firm grip of the bombsites, there is no real chance of retake due there only being one way into bombsites (Connector) unless you have sent a CT on the fast flank, which is both dangerous and in most cases only possible with a pre-execute read from you.



Set-Ups

Before we can talk about the positions used to defend A or B, we first need to take a look at how people normally play their set-ups on CT-Side. Keep in mind that all of these set-ups have different strengths and weaknesses, and that no set-up can be the cure-all for every kind of T-Side play you will face.

1-4

Due to the lack of a standard Mid, you can actually leave A with only one player to defend and station four people on B. This was the absolute meta when Drop was harder to hold, since you basically lost the round once Drop and B-Long were lost.

You can see here that there is a lot of room for the CT playing on A to move through, yet that player should always keep his task in the back of his mind, which is to fall back once he has encountered a T and allow the CTs from B to rotate and help defend A. On the other site, you should ensure that you do not give up Drop without a fierce fight or favourable trade, unless you have already tried this multiple times and failed, in which case this set-up also allows you to cover both exits of Drop, leaving them trapped once they have dropped down (unless they boost back up, which should make noise and take a few seconds). Also, be sure to evaluate retaking Drop with a well placed flash to kill one or two idling Ts who are waiting for an opening when you fall behind in numbers and are forced to give up Drop.

The B-Long players can play in a crossfire between the player playing Cube or Onspot and the one playing at the (in this radar picture absent) Stairs. Alternatively, the CTs can take more passive positions, for example behind Statue on the bombsite, or at Chicken Coop, in case you can't deal properly with the initial aggression of the Ts.

On the one hand, you can be sure that you won't lose B without a fighting chance to shut down the take from the Ts, but on the other you leave A pretty weak and prone to being overrun. Once the Ts catch onto this, as they will throw light fakes and show presence at B before three or four people hunt down the A player, not allowing the B players to instantly rotate.

1.5-3.5

This set-up is more suitable for neutral play, as it is not as biased towards a fast B or slow A-take. In this set-up, one player will play A dedicated as an Anchor (read more about anchoring in this CT-side Cache guide) and a second player, initially playing in the Connector door towards A, will support the Anchor.

Most of the time the Rotator will be aiming down Mid and watch for a T crossing through the crack between Mid door and the wall of Mid, visible from the very edge of the door he's standing in. In case the Ts play a fast A, he can react by throwing utility and picking off players who are trying to peek out of Mid and walk up Slope. This rotator position is especially strong with an AWP, as he can kill people without giving them a chance to react, which will in return allow him to quickly switch position (for example, to Balcony or dropping from Balcony to SWAT).

He can, however, turn to B and hold either the window of Drop, or help holding off the B-take coming from Long in case he is needed there. On B there should be a dedicated Drop player, a Cube player who will also switch between Drop and B-Long depending on the in-round or pre-round situation. Then there is a B-Long player, who can also play further back and let the Ts walk into his crosshair without being in the imminent danger of getting run over.

The strength of this set-up is the quick reaction time to an A, as well as B-take, without leaving one side horribly open to a rush. However, if the Ts are proficient with taking Drop or B-Long, you may lose B faster than you are able to react, probably locking you out of the round.

An alternative to this set-up is letting the Connector player come down into or in front of Mid, taking more control of A, also allowing for a firmer hold of A, hopefully trading favourably and clearing the way for a 3v2 retake. On the other hand will there be an even bigger chance that B gets overrun and you have no realistic chance of taking back the round.



Holding A

All kinds of A holds are shaped by the fact that you can first take a forward position, fall back, and then take new, favourable duels before falling back again, buying time for rotations, information, and even kills. This does not mean that you should give up A-Long and Mid every time, though! Once the Ts got accustomed to this they will just take it, fall back, and use all the newly gained ground to move freely and decide where they to go, leaving you in the dark with no information.

Instead, try to find a balance: Try to win the initial duels or do a lot of damage and keep close to your buddy in case he is playing on A with you and be sure to support each other with utility usage and crossfires.



Holding B

Holding B is quite different, as you basically only have two ways to fall back: from inside Drop to outside Drop and from A-Long to Onspot or Chicken. That will be the end of your possibility of falling back without granting access to the bombsite itself, which means that you will need to be smart with your utility and duels. Mix it up, play off-angles on B-Plat for example, while someone distracts from Broken Wall. Also, be sure to work together and flash for your team, and ask for flashes as well! You should never peek into B-Long dry, as there may be an AWP waiting at B-Halls, crosshair pointed to B-Long waiting for you to make the first mistake.

Holding Drop can be quite tricky. Before you can do anything, a flash pops and three Ts flood down the steep wall separating your and their map control. Often times you will not be alone in drop though, and if you are, you shouldn't be playing inside Drop and instead you should be in the room between Drop and site, allowing you to flash into Drop and peek. If you are not alone, however, it is recommendable to play one anti-flash, turning away from potential flashes before they are even heard, and one facing the Drop, securing the anti-flash player from Ts just going in dry.

If you feel unsafe playing inside Drop, you may instead secure the exits instead of the Drop itself, trapping dropped Ts.



Stacking

Stacking is especially popular on Cobblestone, since aggression is quite difficult to pull off effectively. Be sure to evaluate the situation thoroughly: What were their tendencies? Did we show any, and did they read them? What is the more popular bombsite, and how can we be silent enough that they run into the trap?

There is no one answer to this, but I can only recommend trying out stacking when you have a rough game. This basically puts you at a 50-50 chance of winning the round, and if you forced and the enemy chose the other bombsite, you can just watch the entrances into your bombsite and save the same weapons and utility into the next round.



CT Aggression

CT aggression can be difficult to pull off, since you have really predictable points of contact and most T-Sides start every round with a default, taking a look at all possible ways you could be coming from. There are, however, ways to get aggressive correctly.

First off all, you should pay close attention to every bit of information you can get from rounds prior to your intended aggression. This starts simple: Where do they stand? Do they leave any gaps? To test this, you can shoulderpeek on A-Long and Mid or do fast in-and-out peeks with a flash from your mate. Once you have gathered this information and this information is consistent, you can start to abuse certain weak spots in their default. This will, however, not always be the case for you.

Instead, you will need to listen to their sound cues and how they react to certain situations. What happens when you win a duel on B? Do they instantly stop and rotate back to A? What happens when you take a peek? Will they persistently keep prefiring that angle to ensure that you will never peek out again? Will they rotate quickly and take the site fast once they have a pick or do they wait and slowly come together to have a slow, yet thorough execute?

If they rotate fast to the bombsite they got a pick on, be sure to get your running boots on and start to flank from the other side! If they take their time after they have been picked, try to take a bit of map control where you picked off their player and be sure to always stay in the buddy system so he can trade if there is a second player. The list goes on, but you get the message. Look deeper, take a closer look, and then close the gap between them and you.

Also, if you know how they stand in their default and what positions they play, you can organise a quick peek from multiple angles towards that one position. Let's say there is always an AWP watching A-Long with no backup, while all of the others are working on B. If that is the case, you could flash from A-Long and push Mid, since the AWPer will be looking for A-Long aggression.

3 Boosts

It can be frustrating to get picked off at the same angles time and time again. To fight this, you need to change positioning a lot and this can sometimes mean throwing a big curveball. In this case, a curveball will one of the three most powerful CT-side boosts on Cobblestone.

Tree

This boost allows you to have a bit of penetrable cover, an off-angle on B-Long, and a fall-back possibility by dropping down behind you. This one will get flashed as a side effect of most flashes intended to allow entry into B from B-Long, but you do not need to panic since you can just hide behind the Tree and be not visible for most Ts coming from Long. However, you should always be sure that Drop is held and that they can't quickly rush through and catch your back turned! This part makes it incredibly important to talk with your team and make clear what you intend to do and that you need cover from Drop.

Drop

This is the most common boost on Cobblestone and will aid you in your quest for sustainable aggressiveness in your Cobblestone games. By stacking two people on top of the pallet, the person on top will be able to jump into the T-controlled part of Drop. Be sure that you have certain safety precautions in place, like either being sure that no one is watching that angle or that you smoked off the entrance from the stairs to Drop. Also, be aware that this boost will be looked for by players defaulting Drop. They may even spray at head-level when a smoke is down, blocking their view!

Especially when your communications suggest that A will be overrun in a second, boosting your second Drop player up may give you a strong and fast flank, who may foil their plans or be in a strong position to retake from an unexpected angle, at least if he is fast.

A-Wall





This boost has a very broad area of use. For example, it can be used for holding Mid as well as A-Long, depending on where you hear sound cues first or where your teammate holds. Furthermore, once you killed your first victim, you may choose to stay, since both angles, from Long and Mid, aren't easy to get, or to drop down the opposite site of where aggression is coming from. Especially with an AWP you can basically guarantee two picks!



Rotations

Rotating can be quite frustrating on Cobblestone, since sometimes you will feel like a bag in the wind, carried by the calls of your mates that overinterpret every sound cue they hear. However, there are certain rules you can keep in mind to make the decisions about rotating easier.

First off all, Bomb spotted and called means rotate immediately. There is no denying that it will most likely be too late anyway, but the sooner you arrive the higher your chances of salvaging the round are.

Secondly, listen to their cues. Three or four people stepping away from a position will mean that they have decided against this position. Alternatively, three to four people arriving anywhere will also mean that they will most likely execute there. This rule is weaker the earlier in the round you are.

Thirdly, if a execute takes too long, send someone to get information. Let's say the Ts threw a bit of utility on B and took B-Long control. Now, since your mates rotated into Drop, Onspot B and Chicken, you hear the situation calm down and you have no way of telling where the Ts currently are. If you now send a man on a mission to discover how many still are B-Long, you may lose a player but gain incredibly crucial information, telling you to stay or leave the bombsite. In the best case scenario you will take map control, rotate to the side that is about to be hit, and you have a flank on it's way!

Grenades

The most useful Cobblestone CT-Side Grenades, including a few retake smokes intended to limit the angles you need to give a big amount of attention to!

Conclusion

Use A as a buffer to slow down takes and to allow more players to concentrate on B. Be careful with peeks, but do them thoroughly and concentrated to ensure the maximum payoff, and be sure to throw as many unpredictable curveballs as possible, including the use of boosts.

In the end, Cobblestone can be a rotation heavy map, where they make or break a game. To ensure that your chances are high, keep to fast rotates if a few criteria have been met.