Many of the newer Counter-Strike players get their first competitive experience in Valve’s official matchmaking. Everyone that keeps on playing will eventually start the grind to get the highest rank possible, maybe even get that Global Elite status. Some people say that is impossible to achieve the highest rank while playing alone. That is not true. Yes, it may be harder than while playing with a full team of well-coordinated players, but if the skill and patience are there, it will eventually happen.

In the next few paragraphs, I will give you some very important tips to have in mind to succeed in achieving your goals during solo queue matchmaking and most importantly – to have fun while playing and grinding up to those ranks.

Get used to playing as the entry killer

In Solo-Queue, sometimes it’s hard to totally rely in your teammates, whether it’s because of the lack of communications or simply not having faith in their skill to open the round with a frag. In Matchmaking if a team gets one or two entry frags and take control of a bombsite, 90% of the time that round is won. The retake from the enemy team will probably be so uncoordinated that it will be relatively easy to counter it. A lot of players are afraid to be the first to enter (the first player has the highest chance to also be the first to die), so you should try and take that role. Hesitating can give time for the opponents to rotate, which will make taking the site a lot harder. Although entry fragging can be one of the hardest roles to play, it will help you a lot regarding aim, positioning, and knowledge of the map. Once you get used to that role, getting the first one or two frags will eventually get easier and, as I said before, the team who gets the first frags in a round of Matchmaking will most likely win the round. Even if you die, you will probably have a teammate right behind you that can trade the frag and still gain some bombsite control.

Avoid raging and getting mad at your teammates

Getting frustrated and complaining to your teammates can have a big negative impact in the match. Some people get easily tilted when they’re on the receiving end of complaints and unnecessary insults. First of all, insults have no place in a fun environment such as a match of CS:GO. In fact, insults have no place anywhere. No one likes to be insulted, no matter the situation. But, as sad as it can be, it happens a lot in online games. If someone makes a mistake, the person is probably aware of it. Instead of complaining or insulting, be supportive. Maybe give some constructive feedback before the next round begins or even a simple “nice try” can make wonders, even if you think that it was severely misplayed.

Strive to have and maintain a very positive attitude – people will try harder to win a game if they’re having fun.

Support your teammates

Try to make yourself as useful as possible to your teammates while still doing your job. Make sure your teammates know that you can help them by throwing utility or that you’re near them ready to trade a frag or push somewhere. If you see a teammate try to do a play and you can help somehow, make sure they know you’re available to do it. Don’t forget to communicate with your teammates when you’re leaving their side or if you’re rotating – having that kind of active communication can help break the ice and motivate your teammates to have the same level of communication.

Cheer your teammates

Not every game will go the way you want. Despite the score – you could be losing 7-8 or even 1-14 – always cheer your team up. Having confidence is important to win rounds. Congratulate your teammates on their frags and round wins, even if they’re easy or sloppy. Make them remember that a game is not lost until the very end. Despite what the score could be, it is always possible to come back and win/tie. Even a tie (Matchmaking does not support overtime) is better than a loss.

Learn to lose

You will not win every game – it is as simple as that. Losing games can make you frustrated and even make you lose your will to play. A good tip I can give you is that if you’re not having fun playing the game at the moment or if you are frustrated to a point where you will not play as good as you know you can, then just take a break from it. It does not matter if it’s a 2-hour break or a 2-week break - If you’re not feeling it, there is no point in forcing it.

What is important to understand is that losing is part of the game. But at the same time, it is not wasted time. You can learn a lot from your lost games and mistakes.

Focus on Improving

The more you play, the more you improve. Although you may have some goals regarding match wins and ranks, you should always make improving your top priority. Think on the long term – while improving, you’re also improving your chances to win matches, which will make you reach your goals. What I would like to emphasize here is that even when losing, you’re improving. You may have lost for different reasons – maybe it was for several misplayed rounds in your part or simply by not having teammates to the same level as you. This last point is something that is not under your control (and as I said before, make sure you’re not flaming your opponents) but the other is. By committing mistakes, you can learn from them. You can even take it to the next level and analyse your own demos, to understand how you could have played a certain situation better while also having knowledge on where your opponents were playing and how they adjusted to potential information you might have given them. I have published an article focusing solely on demo analysing – you can check it out here.

Mute and Report

You will eventually get matched up with players that are not pleasant to play with. They might flame since the beginning of the match, blame you for their own mistakes, and even insult you. As I said before, those are the kind of behaviours that can make someone lose their focus on the game, which will make them play worse. That is something that may also happen to you, but you have the necessary tools available to avoid that. There is no need to go down to the same level as them. Instead, just mute and report those players. After that, just keep on playing your own game and sharing information with the remaining teammates.

These are some tips that I consider important to be successful in CS:GO’s Solo-Queuing – not only in matchmaking, but in PUG’s as well. Adapt them to your own style and what you consider to be important during a match.

Have fun and good luck on that grind!

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