Dust II has long been home to players from all around the world and is arguably the most popular PUG map in many regions, so it frustrates me when I see people who simply take aim duels rather than using nades and proper execution strategies. This is particularly common on A site, where the CTs have many options to defend and fall back to making it difficult for T players to take the site without taking unfavorable trades. This guide will take you step by step through taking long A from bedroom to planting the bomb.

First things first, you have to worry about pushing out of bedroom and this gives CT players two angles to defend from, corner and pit. Depending on your spawn, you will basically reach the exit of bedroom at the same time a player can peek long, giving you a chance to take them out as they cross to pit. However, if they prefer to hold the angle, you can be left peeking into a prepared rifle (or worse an AWP). The best way to deal with this is to simply flash over bedroom as you enter or have a teammate do it for you and neutralize the position. If you spawn more towards the middle of T, it can sometimes be more beneficial to smoke off that position (pictured below) meaning they have to peek out of cover or give up the position. Now you have to worry about pit, from here a CT can head glitch over the wall dodging flashes and most shots. The best way to kill this player is to flash yourself out to blue bin, then flash high over pit. This should force them to take cover, giving the team access to long and an easy kill on a CT without cover.

Aim at the flap and throw to smoke corner This can be an effective flash as you enter bedroom

From here, there is a long lane to worry about. Particularly dangerous here are AWPs that can hide all over bombsite and pick you off one at a time. The first step is to smoke cross. Perform a running throw at this location to neutralize a player at cross and make it easier to push up. The disadvantage to this is that due to the smoke changes, the entirety of cross can’t be smoked anymore. While it’s enough that you would be unlucky to get picked when crossing, it will also give the CT side intel as to when you’re pushing site.

Aim at the top right of the sign while next to the bedroom barrel, run and throw

If you have a good AWPer of your own and have control of pit, you can elect to take a duel here. You have many angles to pop up from with cover that can net you a kill or force the player back. If you don’t, then the best strategy is to hug the wall and flash yourself as much as possible. The best thing you can do is close the distance and if you’re both blind, no one has the advantage. This can be quite difficult though and that’s why it’s generally recommended to have at least one player pushing short so while you have the CTs attention at long, it will be easy for your team to get a pick. Make sure that on the way past that you check car and the fire where it can be quite hard to see CT players waiting for you to pass by, and be sure to spray the smoke and elevator where a player may be hiding.

There's so much space in pit, use it! Your cross smoke should give you cover to push

The last step is to actually take the site. Here you have to worry about short box, short and, in some circumstances, even ninja. If you’re worried about a player duck peeking you at short box, sometimes the best strategy is just to throw a self-explanatory molly off the back wall straight into the hiding place. If you haven’t cleared short it can be difficult to pick a player there, so the best steps are either smoking site, planting and just holding the bomb from long and ramp or smoking and mollying short from ramp to force the CT player back.

Aim to the left of the sign, run and throw. You should burn anyone hiding at short box.

If you manage to plant for long and have an AWP, you’re pretty much set as any defuser is a sitting duck from that range. If you’re out of utility though, you essentially have two options: pushing ramp or jumping up on the ramp box right onto site. One on one against a player short box is suicide, but, if you have someone coming from both angles, it becomes easy to land a trade and gain open access to the bombsite. Be aware that once you’re up you can be visible from both CT and short.

Because you're so visible, this kind of play can be better in 1v1's or 2v1's

Too often people become obsessed with taking aim duels on Dust II rather than using utility in the inventive ways they would on other maps. With two simple smokes and effective flashes, taking A site becomes much easier, enabling more advantageous duels when you can’t afford an AWP. Use these techniques and watch your effectiveness at taking A via long skyrocket either when rushing or taking a slower, tactical approach.

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