From dusty desert towns to overgrown nuclear power plants, CS:GO boasts a wide array of battlegrounds for the eternal struggle between Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists. Operation: Broken Fang adds a new map to the selection and takes us back to an all too familiar environment. Reminiscent of the map ‘Aztec’, the newest addition to the map pool, ‘Ancient’, takes players to the deepest parts of the jungle, where a formidable battle will take place to destroy the ancient temples built therein. Currently, the map is only available in the ‘scrimmage’ game mode. However, since Valve is actively advertising the map, we can expect it to be added as an official map in the nearby future. This guide, then, will help you master Ancient before its introduction into the pool.

Map Overview

Let’s begin by getting a good overview of the map’s basic layout. Just like any other defusal map, there are two bomb sites and a middle area. However, unlike most other maps, the layout consists of many bending corridors, and, consequently, of many different angles to check.

The map also boasts a surprisingly wide middle area, offering the Terrorists two different ways of entry, albeit one taking a considerably longer time to reach. By gaining deep mid control, Terrorists also win an additional entryway to the A-site, which is otherwise accessed by a single chokepoint. The same principle applies to the B-site, except for the fact that the additional entryway consists of a long-winding hallway with many twists and turns.

CT Setup

Due to the layout of the map, I expect CTs to use a variant of the usual 2-1-2 setup. Since the only way to the A-site is through a narrow hallway, one defender will be sufficient to get the necessary frags for his teammates to launch a successful retake. Using some utility, he can even hold off an entire push while his teammates get valuable information on other parts of the map. In this regard, this site reminds of the B-site on Dust2.

Meanwhile, because of the unusual design of middle, it would be best if two players are posted here, covering one side each. Not only will this be important to take away map control for the Terrorists, this setup has the added benefit of denying the Terrorists an additional entryway into A. If players would choose a more passive approach and put two players on A, the pressure on the A-site from two directions and middle would give Terrorists too much control over the map.

Finally, two players should hold down the fort on B. Unless the Counter-Terrorists aggressively push the left corridor leading up to the site, the Terrorists can get very close to B without being spotted. When the enemies finally decide to rush out like a cackle of hyenas smelling raw meat, the defending team needs to respond immediately and drop the hammer on the assault.

Jumpthrow Bind

All the smokes used in this guide can be thrown without a ‘jump throw bind’, but to guarantee they land successfully it is advised to use one anyway. However, when participating in tournaments make sure to only use such a bind if the rules allow it. Also, remember that this bind will only jump and release the grenade. Consequently, before pressing the key to use the bind you must remember to pull the pin from the grenade by pressing and holding down the left mouse button.

To create a jump throw bind, you can simply paste the following lines in your autoexec.cfg file :

alias "+jumpthrow" "+jump;-attack"; alias "-jumpthrow" "-jump"; bind X "+jumpthrow"

Instead of “X”, you write down the key of your choice. For example, if you want to bind the ‘alt’ key to jump throw, the last part of the code would read “bind alt “+jumpthrow””. The autoexec.cfg file can normally be found in “C:\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\csgo\cfg”.

A-Site

There are two things on the A-site that immediately draw attention. First of all, the A-site is almost instantly accessible from CT-spawn, which gives the CTs a decent possibility to take an aggressive angle in the corridors leading up to it. As said before, this opportunity will be best seized by pushing towards mid and by having a single player on the site, who should hold off his enemies for as long as he can.

Secondly, the plant location on this site is extremely small and barely offers cover to get the bomb down safely. Consequently, after terrorists take control of the site they will have to use utility and push angles to block off any aggressors from CT-spawn and mid to guarantee the plant. The CTs on their part should make sure to come at the site from different directions during a retake, else they might risk being greeted by a storm of grenades and bullets because of the narrow hallway leading from CT-spawn to the site.

Counter-Terrorists

As the sole defender on A, your job is to hold the push for as long as you can. For example, you could throw a smoke towards the entrance from T-spawn and use other utility, such as an incendiary, to further slow down your enemies. In your role as sacrificial lamb, your task will be to deal as much damage as possible before you die to increase the chances of a successful retake. If one of your teammates has pushed behind enemy lines, retreating to CT-spawn or mid after using utility to prepare for a retake might also be a good option.

Terrorists

While the A-site is hard to enter due to the small hallway through which you must go, once you gain control of it, it is very hard for the Counter-Terrorists to retake the site. While you might think it is a good idea to fall onto the site from both mid and T-spawn, the mid position will require significant manpower as there is a high possibility it will be defended by two people. Consequently, it might be better to pile onto the site after the defender has used his utility and to eliminate the A-mid player from behind.

Smoke: CT-Spawn Entrance to A-Site

To take the site and pinch the defender between yourself and a smoke grenade, there is a handy lineup which you can use. A bonus of this smoke is that rotators will be forced to wait it out, leaving you only the mid player to contest with after disposing of the player on-site.

To throw this smoke, walk up to the large leaf in the corner before the entrance of the temple. There, position yourself on the second hole from the right in the lower part of the leaf. Turn around and look at the tree rising from behind the building. You should notice a gap in the leaves with a branch running through it. Put your crosshair exactly in the middle of the gap, jump and throw the smoke.

Middle

Unlike most other mid positions on CS:GO maps, Ancient boasts a very large and wide middle area with plenty of corners to conceal yourself. More importantly, Terrorists have two entrances and angles from which they can push. That said, the entrance on the B-side of the map takes a considerably longer time to reach and peeking it will expose you to the angle from the alleyway to A-site, which the CTs can reach faster.

Counter-Terrorists

Due to the interconnectedness of middle and the A-site, the defense of the latter will generally take place already in mid rather than on the site itself. Consequently, CTs should put two players in mid, each focusing on a different side. The player in CT-spawn should, in any case, make sure that nobody pushes his teammate holding the entrance to the A-site, while the other should make sure the enemies cannot push his teammate in CT-spawn.

In the above image, the purple circle shows an alternative position from which a player can hold.

Terrorists

Even though the Terrorists enjoy the bonus of having an entrance to the mid position from two different sides, both of these entrances give the Terrorists very little room to hide. More importantly, playing it safe, the CTs can cover each other’s angles. Consequently, unless you get a quick pick, the key to taking mid will be to eliminate one of these angles with utility before pushing the other one.

Smoke: Entrance to Mid from A-Site

There is a rather simple smoke that can be thrown from T-spawn. Go into the right corner behind your spawn point and cuddle up near the tree. From there, look up towards the wall above the wooden door, finding the third hole from the left, bottom row. Once you found it, put your crosshair on the upper edge of the hole. This time, before you jump throw, make sure to set one quick step forward to launch the smoke forward, otherwise it will simply bounce against a wall.

B-Site

The B-site gives off a rather claustrophobic feeling, featuring many tight corners, small entryways and many obstacles. There are two entrances into the site, one from T-spawn forcing the Terrorists to fight their way onto the site through a chokepoint, and another one to the top right of the bomb-site, leading up to which players must make their way through a hallway with many different hiding spots. Once again, we see that the plant area is extremely small compared to other maps on the B-site. This time, however, there is a pillar in the middle of the square, giving you a safe place to plant the bomb undisturbed.

Counter-Terrorists

There are several ways to defend the B-site. In case the CTs want to take control, the defense on the B-site will likely be a solo endeavour. Due to the hallway running all the way from mid to the top right of the plant area, a backstab would be all too easy for the terrorists. Consequently, the CTs will have to hold an angle each, with almost no room for refrags. Another way is to play passive from CT-spawn, going for the retake.

Another valid setup would be for one CT to hold the upper hallway from the top left corner, while his teammate holds the opponents stumbling through the choke point from CT-spawn. This way, both angles are covered and there is no way for enemies to push any of the two players unseen. The only downside is that the terrorists can easily smoke both positions from CT-spawn, leaving the defender to fend for himself.

Terrorists

Considering the main way onto the site will be through a chokepoint, the Terrorists will have to do everything in their power to negate its risks by attacking the site from two fronts, from both T-spawn and the long-winding hallway. It would be smart to have two Terrorists push the hallway. In case one of them gets killed, the other one can get the refrag, which leaves only one more enemy to deal with on the B-site. To hold back rotating or passive players, there are two easy smokes which the Terrorists can throw, both safely from the area directly in front of the entrance to B.

Smoke: Left Side CT-Spawn Cube

The first smoke will land to the left of the big stone cube near CT-spawn. To throw it, stand in the corner with all the fallen bricks. From that position, look toward the little squares above the doorway, and aim right at the center between the two top squares at the left. When you’re all set, jump up and throw the smoke.

Smoke: Right Side CT-Spawn Cube

Combined with the first smoke, this line-up ensures that the entire site is safe from rotating or passive Counter-Terrorists. To throw this one, you look at the wall behind you right as you turn the corner into the area in front of the B-site entrance. There, look down until you see a crack in the wall. Position yourself right in front of it and turn around. This time, look at the larger square to the left of the doorway. Put your crosshair on its edge to the right and look up until you are aiming right between the square and the line above it. From there, jump and release.

Conclusion

Ancient is a very interesting addition to the competitive map pool. Although some of its aspects will have to be changed for balancing purposes, the map clearly promotes certain playstyles, and the long rotations will force players to adapt. This guide can already help you on your way to master the basics, and the useful smoke line-ups might even inspire you to find your own. Exciting times lie ahead for the CS:GO and its community, and I can’t wait to see what other discoveries people make on this nostalgic trip to the deep jungle.

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