Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

by Sumedh Balan

Strategy. It does sound a little too serious for newcomers. But ask any veteran how the top teams stay on top. If a new team beats a more accomplished team it is rarely because of superior skills. Usually that happens because they worked as a team and outsmarted the opposition.

Here are the facts: You are new and the teams you will be playing have been playing for longer than you have (a few months, if not years). And clearly the more experience you have and the more time you put into practice, the higher will be your skill level. So forget about out-aiming the opposition without having at least 8-9 months in the bag. Work on your team communication and strats.

Now don’t get overwhelmed by the word ’strat’. It’s really not that big a deal. When your captain/caller says ‘go from B to LT - then mid smoke to B,’ that call is a strat. Even rushes can be called strats. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying B Rush Hard is a strat but the way one executes the Rush could be. I would probably rush B in D2 by first gathering everyone at tunnels, sending 2 guys to LT, telling them to nade AS… CT spawn Smoke and go B while the other 3 rush B at the same time.

Why would this strategy work? Well look at it like a math equation. Usually a setup for CT would be 3A 2B. When the 5 terrorists make it from spawn to tunnels the CTs would be waiting for them to attack. If by chance a CT has pushed a little he will get picked by LT guys (atleast he should be picked). Now once CT spawn is smoke the guys from AL have a Blocked view and cant take a clean shot at the rushing terrorists so they warn the B guys that terrorists are rushing mid to B - at least 2 in number. the B guys get distracted and at the minimum 1 will get distracted and will look to defend B from the 2 Terrorists coming from Mid. 2 > 1. Simple math.

Now 3 guys do a B Rush. If there is a remaining CT at B looking at tunnels he will get taken out by 3 rushing Ts. 3 > 1. Simple math again.

It’s all about taking advantage of situations you know an opposition will be uncomfortable with. Now let’s get you started with your team’s strategy making.I have always been a strategist. It just comes naturally to me. My teammates have told me it’s probably because I get killed so often I have way more time to think of strats.

That is partly true however. If you get killed, what do you think of?

1. Where did he shoot me from?
2. How did he kill me?
3. Why didn’t I kill him?
4. Where were my teammates?

Think of possible answers like “I was flashed.” How did you get flashed? Why didn’t you dodge the flash? Why was there no backup and how did they get that far without getting picked?

Once you start thinking of situations you will be ready to be a strat maker. When you figure out roles for everyone, do assign strats to someone. It could even be a combined effort of your Captain and Strategist. Avoid having the same guy do everything. The captain has enough responsibilities.

Rule 1: Have all 5 members present when Discussing strats

You can make strats on your own or with the captain but while discussing them and explaining the strat to your teammates don’t do it one by one have the whole team present and tell them the strat discuss it there maybe a flaw in it that one teammate figures out or maybe one guy gets confused about he role etc.

Rule 2 : Feedback

This is in continuation with rule 1. Make sure each teammate give some sort of feedback. Be it negative or positive. This assures one that at least they got the strat in their head. It’s very easy to say strats are useless and only idiots without skill work on strats and they always fail. But it takes a team effort and a smart bunch of mates to pull off the simplest of strats well.

Rule 3: Demos

Try and watch 100s of Demos. Not just international but domestic ones too. Especially your teams own demos and see what works, what fails, how to counter and most importantly - timing. Time your opposition well. When will he peek? When will they B rush? When will they fake?

Rule 4: One vs One

Make Sure you work out 1v1 situations for each teammate carefully. For example in inferno The CTs (let’s say Highness a top team from Delhi) will have a 3 B 2. A setup where they will have 2 guys at a one with mag at site and 1 at arch. At B they are likely to have one at House One at Mid to right watching Window/MID and last guy at Library or Gay Pit next to Library to watch Mid to left. Its almost a flawless setup but you can counter this with a 1v1 workout.

You know the likely positions of your opposition so send 1 T to House 1 To window and 2 at mid while last watches a for a Flank and Pick 1 by 1. I know it sounds easier than it actually plays out. At the end of it you have to be strong enough to take out the 1v1 situation. But working out these things can really be helpful during tourney matches when the stakes are high.

Rule 5 : Backup Strategy

Now the strat in INFERNO is that your magger goes to alley and tries to pick while rest wait at Mid for the pick and then rush alley. If your magger gets picked, what do you do? Don’t just stand there and wait to be killed. Have a backup strat. One of the best advice that an opposition captain ever gave me was to have backup strats. He told me that the reason his team did so well was that they had very good escape strats or backup strats. They could get out of a jam easily. So work it out with the team. If our magger gets picked at alley we regroup at 2nd Mid and Split Mid/House at: 45. Always remember: getting out of a tight spot is the best strat.

Rule 6: The GambitA gambit is a strat for when you are all out of options and are in serious money problems and you decide to send your full team to a site to try and defend it. But there’s a reason it’s called a gambit. It’s a gamble and there’s a big risk that comes with gambits. So make sure gambits are called only in game and don’t make it force of habit.

Rule 7: Pistol

Pay special attention to pistol strats They are the most important strats one could make. If you can make a good pistol strat then you can make a good gun strat. Pistol keeps both teams on level pegging and a smart strat could completely derail your opposition and if a team can get both pistol rounds it gives them a clear theoretical advantage of at least 5 Rounds.

Rule 8: Anti-Eco

These are relatively easier rounds as you have guns and your opposition doesn’t. One can easily tell if the team is on an eco if one knows how to work out money situations. So boys don’t go around saying Math is boring subject. But the opposition could be on a D-Eco and it could be dangerous if they try a gambit so make sure you attack the site carefully and slowly.

Rule 9: The Fake

Probably the best strat ever made is the fake. It needs to be done correctly and the opposition shouldn’t be able to tell that you are faking. Make sure you put in a lot of effort to practice fakes they are probably going to win you a majority of rounds.

Rule 10: The Call

Finally don’t get all tense about strats. They aren’t the know all and end all of CS. Teams can play perfectly well without strats. Strats need to be used judiciously and smartly. The Caller still has the top priority. He can call whatever he wants and the team has to comply. Let him decide when to call which strat and when to rush.

So that’s it for this week. Start preparing! ESWC is right around the corner. As always any Questions comments or Ideas for future Levels please drop in a message.