How to Play a Better CT Side

27 May 18

Guides

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How to Play a Better CT Side

In this article, I'll talk about some stuff that you can do to become a better CT side player.

The CT side of the game is arguably the easiest side to play for various reasons. One of them, and for me the most impactful one, is the positional advantage that you can have when facing the Terrorist side. Being the easiest side to get rounds and to gain control of the game, knowing how to play correctly this side and how to take the most advantage of it is one of the main points that will help you become a good player and will give you an edge over other players. In this article, I'll go on about some of the plays you can make as a CT to play better and overall get your team a more secure and safe side of the game, from positioning, rotations, and finally nade usage.

Positioning

Like I said at the beginning of the article, positioning is the most important factor for a team to hold the bombsite, have control of the map, and, most importantly, win rounds. In this topic I'll explain positioning as a team, also known as set-ups, and then we will take a look into the individual positioning and how to take advantage of it.

CT set-ups will be called by your IGL at the beginning of the round. The most basic one and the one that you will face most of the time when playing matchmaking or against some not very well-prepared teams is the 2-1-2. This setup means that you will play with two guys on the A bombsite, two on the B bombsite and only one player holding mid. I called this one the basic set-up purely because it's the one that you will see most times but can, in some rounds, be an effective way to play. The set-ups will most likely be different every round, unless the default set-up that you had planned for that game is working wonders. Considering that you are facing a team that is adjusting to your playstyle and the players that you have, you will have to make adjustments during the game in order to give your team a better chance to get rounds.

Let's say the other team is putting a lot of pressure in mid early in the round to gain map control. You know that to do that, it requires two to three T side players, so one good call by your IGL is to have more players mid as well. This allows you to have crossfires between players and to use the right utility to maintain map control. Playing CT side will always be different and that's why it's fun, but if you have the right set-ups and an active IGL giving the right calls, you will always get the most rounds playing on the defensive side.

The other side of positioning is how you position yourself individually. The number of times that a player is caught off-guard due to bad positional knowledge or bad timings is way too big and this can be fixed by reviewing your personal demos and see what you did wrong that round or observing what the T side did to bait you into bad positioning and then adjust. You will play 15 rounds of CT side (if you start the game as CT) and a whole lot can happen. You will have to adjust to multiple situations during the whole game and will have to play different positions on the map depending on the call that your IGL gave or the weapons you have.

Experience plays a big factor here. An experienced player that can read the game pretty well won't be caught off guard nearly as much as an unexperienced player purely because he played in those situations more times and learned to adjust to them, either by analyzing what he did wrong or just due to the time he spent in the game playing the same position over time. If you play with random players on matchmaking, ask to play in the position that you feel most comfortable so that you can develop experience there and learn how to react to different plays made by the different players. The other way around can also be an exploit for you.

Let's say you are constantly playing on the A bombsite for your team and want to learn how to react in other parts of the map. Ask to play those positions, as being in situations that you don't feel comfortable is a fast way to grow as a player so that when you play with your team, you'll do much better.

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JrKQ5vbHraQ" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Video courtesy of VooCSGO

Rotations

The number of times that you've rotated from a bombsite to the other due to some player screaming "they're rushing" and then got caught in no man's land must be enormous. Fact is that rotations play a big role in the CT side. You will have to rotate around the map, in different situations, due to how the other team is playing, how your team is playing, your role, and what is happening in the round.

First of all, a key piece to this is to rotate safely. When rotating, you won't be playing any safe positions if you get into some fight, so always make sure you take a safe route, depending on the control of the map that your team has. Always keep in mind that the other team can have a lurker somewhere waiting for your rotations. The second important thing is to never, ever, overrotate. With this I mean that, don't leave your position just because someone on the other side of the map said that they're shooting or throwing nades. You must always remember that they can be faking an execute and that the position you are holding is important for your team, even if they aren't applying pressure there. That's why a team has five players. I'd recommend to only fully rotate when you have seen the bomb close to the site, and even then, you must be really sure during that rotation to not die while doing it.

This piece is really important for the AWPer since you don't want him to be static, playing only one position. This is what defines a good sniper player. Let's say in the beginning of the round he goes and picks mid and gets a frag there. After that he should move and peek or hold a different angle to always be unpredictable and to catch the other team off-guard. The AWP is such a big investment, so you have to make sure you use it the right away. Constantly peeking or holding different angles will make sure that the other team will hate you and that you are doing an amazing job for your team.

Utility usage

Smokes, molotovs, and flashes are your best friends when playing CT side, and sometimes it's even worth to do an eco just to make sure you have the utility you need for the next round. Every map has choke points close to the bombsite and that's why you have your nades. They allow you to hold, to gain time, and to gain an advantage if they push through it.

Being only able to carry one smoke and one molotov, you have to be super smart with them. You have to make sure they are being used correctly and if you are playing a bombsite after your smoke or molotov ends, you should even ask for a friend to resmoke it. One of the things that the T side will do to you is to bait your utility and that's why you must be really careful with it. Make sure your team has a smoke or two to play the retake or for when the time is ending, so that the Terrorists are forced to push through it and always save a molotov as a team so that when you're retaking you can clean corners.

Flashes will always be useful if you want to take the first step and gain a man advantage. Ask for a pop-flash from a friend and use them to slow down the enemy push. Since you can carry two of them, I'd recommend for you to always save one for when they try and push the site, so that you can delay even more their play, get a frag or two, and put them in a uncomfortable position.

Verdict

The CT side is not easy and it's the side that takes the most teamwork, experience, and adjustments. It's the side that most teams will struggle in the beginning because of the role that communication plays and the setups that you don't have fully prepared, and it's normal that, at first, you don't have those things all together but with time and team experience it's the side that you will get more rounds in the game. Just remember that, positioning, rotations, and utility will be your three best friends, and if you master all three I can assure you will be a top tier CT player.

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