Introduction

Counter-Strike distances itself from other competitive shooters in a multitude of ways. It is a game that one could only really describe as unique. One of its core mechanics, the use of an in-game economy, is one of the biggest examples. Any newcomer to Counter-Strike will need to learn how to manage their economy effectively if they are going to improve at the game. The key to having successful rounds and ultimately winning the game is buying together as a team and knowing when you should force or eco. While force buys are of course winnable, your best chance at winning a round is going to be in your buy rounds.

That is why having all 5 members on your team with as much equipment as possible on these important rounds is essential. However, the problem of “over-ecoing” can also be an issue. If your team is not using opportunities to use a force buy to damage the oppositions economy you risk letting them build a bank which reduces the amount of eco rounds you can force them onto. Despite being such a large part of the game, I think many players, from all ranks, can sometimes buy when they shouldn’t or be unaware of when they should. It is for this purpose that I am constructing this simple economy guide for both sides to help those who would like a clearer idea of how economy works and how to get the most out of your dollars.

CT Side

The Counter-Terrorist side has always been the more expensive side to play. The rifles such as the M4 variants and the Famas both cost more than their Terrorist counterparts, defuse kits are essential as are full sets of grenades to hold sites effectively. Buying cohesively as a team is even more important on CT than it is on T. On T side, if one or two people can’t afford a full buy but the rest of the team can you can most likely buy a Tec-9 and armour which can be just as effective as a rifle when pushing a site. However, on CT side, you must imagine that your team is a line of defense, and if even one person can’t buy with the team then there is a weakness in that defense, a weakness that the terrorists can punish and exploit.

Getting economically reset on CT side if you lose a couple of rounds can be devastating, especially at the tail end of a close game so maintaining that bank from the very beginning of the game is important. Here are some of my tips on how to play the CT side with economy in mind.

- If you win the pistol round it’s a good idea to buy weapons with a high kill reward (such as SMGs and shotguns) as the terrorists are likely to eco the next one or two rounds, depending on how many bomb plants they get, and they are also likely to rush a site. Having a close-quarters weapon in these situations where you can mow down a push which is also giving you a lot of money is advantageous over something like a Famas, for example. Even if you do die on these first few rounds, using cheaper weapons will enable you to start saving those important dollars for later in the match.

- If you lose the pistol round, it is a good idea to force buy onto pistol armour or a Scout if you are playing a long range angle like mid. If you lose the pistol round as a CT you will not be able to buy to the third round even if you force on the second round or not, so managing to squeeze in an extra force buy to effectively contest the second round could be the difference of winning or losing a game. The Five-Seven is a very effective pistol, especially against armoured opponents and you can really put some damage out if it used properly. Coupled with armour to counteract the increased firepower on the terrorist side means a very real chance of winning the round after a lost pistol.

- Something I see many people doing, even at higher ranks, is buying full Kevlar and helmet on a CT buy round. While a helmet is of course important and should always be bought if you have extra money you should be aware that most of the Terrorists are likely to have an AK-47 on a buy round, which is a one shot kill to the head with or without head armour, so the extra $350 would be better put into extra utility, especially if money is low, such as the first buy round on round 3 after a lost pistol rounds.

- In my opinion, as a CT you should never buy below $2000 if you are ecoing. If you lose a round you receive $1400 and then an additional $500 for every consecutive round lost after that. This is known as your round loss bonus. Even if you are losing your first round having at least $2000 from the previous round means the $1400 income will at least mean you can buy a Famas and Kevlar if your team is going for a buy.

- However, if the whole team has less than about $1750 (this can happen if you lose your first round after using almost all your money), it is probably better to force buy onto pistol armour. This is because, if you have no round loss bonus and you are sitting on $1700/1800, you are still going to have to eco twice regardless of what you buy, so its beneficial to squeeze an extra force buy in here to try and contest the Terrorists.

- It is a good idea to stick to just one AWP on your CT side. While multiple AWPs can be very effective on a map such as Dust 2 which has a lot of long distance engagement points, they are a huge investment and provide a low kill reward of only $100 dollars making them finically unsustainable to rebuy even after multiple round wins. Having one or two people rebuying AWPs every round can destroy your economy reserves, meaning that later in the game you won't be able to drop a teammate when you need to. Keeping one AWP on the team is important but if you do want to go for a multiple AWP set-up it is worth waiting until a Terrorist buys one and picking it up off them.

- Prioritise defensive utility, such as smokes and flashes, over aggressive ones like HE grenades and molotovs. When you are playing a site, your job when you make a contact with a Terrorist execute is delay the push as much as you can so your other teammates can rotate to help you. While HE grenades and incendiaries are useful in these situations, being able to smoke off an entry point or counter flash will be more much more effective.

- As a CT it is often more advantageous to save your rifles if you lose a site before a rotate can be effectively be put in place. An example, you are playing A site Mirage, you have one team mate with you on site, there is another one mid and two playing the B site. Now say the Terrorists rush B site very quickly with coordinated smokes and flashes, there is a rapid two for two trade-off between the attacking Ts and the CTs but the bomb is planted very soon after. This leaves you in a 3 v 3 situation but the Terrorists have managed to get good positions due to being uncontested after they killed the two CTs on site. Retaking B will be extremely hard if the Ts have the right utility and the added time pressure of the bomb plant means that a desperate failed retake is going to hurt you more than if you were to simply fall back to a defensible position and save your guns.

T Side

When you are playing as the Terrorist side, you will find the equipment to be much cheaper meaning buys are easier. Since it is easier to buy, you should be looking to maximise economic damage to the CTs during your rounds while also looking for that all important bomb plant. Planting the bomb but losing the round still gives your whole team an extra $800 and $300 to the person who planted the bomb, meaning getting the bomb onto site should always be the key objective in your mind. Here are some economy tips for the Terrorist side.

- If you lose the pistol round but manage to plant the bomb, you should never force buy on the second round. You should only force buy second round if you lose pistol and don’t get a bomb plant. With the extra money provided by planting the bomb, it means your team can buy on the third round if you eco the second. Bomb plants enabling the Ts to buy a round earlier than their CT counter-part is a huge advantage especially early game.

- The strength of a Tec-9/armour rush should never be underestimated, especially on maps which have many tight engagement spots such as Inferno or on Mirage and Dust 2 B sites. 5 Terrorists pushing into the site with a well-aimed flash is a formidable sight for even the most competent of CTs. Even if the rotate comes in and retakes the site you are likely to get at least 2 kills and a bomb plant making the round worthwhile in the long run.

- Buying as a team is slightly less important on T side. While it is obviously good to have all 5 members kitted out as much as they can be, it is viable in a tight situation to put maybe one or two low money players onto a pistol and armour and get them to hang back. From there it will be easy for them to pick up a gun from a fallen teammate or enemy. Alternatively, you can send these low money players first into a bomb site to try and detect a stack or sell a fake.

- SMGs can be very effective on T side due to being able to get up close and personal with the CTs with the added mobility and their higher kill rewards. If you have say $3700 on T side, this is enough to buy only an AK and armour but no utility, whereas it can be just as effective to buy something like a UMP and armour and some grenades to help get your team onto site.

- Dying after the time has expired on T means you get no income the next round and this can be devastating for your overall bank. So if the time is running down and you are in a 1 v 3 or 4 situation and you know you can be pushed easily from many angles, it is often better to run out and take the fight instead of being killed after time.

- Because of the slightly cheaper weapons on T side, if you are going for an eco, you should try and keep your money above $1700 so you will have a good chance of buying next round.

- It is a good idea to make use of the cheaper molotov grenades on T side which cost $200 less than their CT counterpart. These cheaper grenades make them more cost effective in a pinch and can be used for clearing out common angles and hiding spots on sites. A good example of a spot to flame off is under palace on Mirage.

That about wraps up some of my tips on how you can manage your money better on each side. Remember, its usually better to save money to get in better buys than it is to force buy again and again with no luck.

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