27 Jul 21

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How to Hold Ramp on Nuke - A Defensive Setup Guide with HEAP

Nuke is one of the most team-dependent maps on the map pool, with Ramp being a highly contested position. Learn how to defend Ramp effectively with HEAP, from the DignitasVIE professional CS:GO team!

Nuke is a map that most players are afraid to play in a solo queue due to the nature of it. It’s a map that needs good communication to be defended properly, as fast rotations can sometimes work against the CT’s if the calls are not well communicated.

One of the most common positions to defend on Nuke is Ramp. This is one of the passageways that the Terrorists will often try to explore not only to get to the bombsite below, but also to flank the CTs defending the upper one. All in all, it’s one of the most important spots to have control, just like Outside.

I’ve partnered up with Ludvig “HEAP” Alonso, a professional CS:GO player for DignitasVIE, in hopes of helping you get to the next level while playing as a CT on Nuke.


The first thing you need to understand is how Ramps connects to the rest of the map. Like I said in the intro, it’s a spot that can be exploited by the T’s to either gain access to the B bombsite or even to Hell and, consequently, flank the CT’s defending A and unaware of a possible push behind. This is also the reason why Nuke is such a teamwork-depending map, as flanks and rotations are bound to happen really fast.

Make sure to communicate everything you do on Ramp, especially if you lose control of it - whether that is by being forced or if you’re trying to do something else that forces you to leave the position unguarded.

Although it’s perfectly acceptable to be playing Ramp alone, you’ll generally have a quick backup by someone playing either Heaven or Hell that is able to quickly come to your aid. Because of that, you should remember to play in a way that helps him get second contact when you’re seen and chased by the Terrorists.

It depends on where my teammate is. If he is in Hell, I can fall down and play defensively when they come Ramp and if he is down Secret, I can really commit to the duels. But, I mean, I can still take on the duels even if I'm alone, it really depends on the match situation and how confident I am.

- HEAP

HEAP touched exactly on that - the way you play on Ramp is dependent on the positions your teammates are playing. Also, remember that Ramp is a spot where you’re able to retreat easily, mainly by dropping to Ramp and defending B more passively. Make sure to abuse this! Don’t get caught on Ramp every single time, causing you to be a heavy weight to your team’s shoulders.

One simple way to visualize the best way to defend Ramp is to just consider yourself as someone who’s there to delay the Ts as much as possible. Use Utility, push them back with some warning shots, but in the end, you’ll eventually retreat either to Hell or the Bombsite B. By then, you’ll hopefully relayed the information needed to your teammates and they will be ready to get some easy frags on the T’s dropping (i.e.: from Hell while they’re occupied chasing you).

Talking about Utility, I’ve asked HEAP what he likes to prioritize in the beginning of the round, to which he answered:

People like to throw down a smoke first, but I prefer to throw an Incendiary bouncing off the corner to Radio so I can jiggle behind it on Box. I can get information on the Ts that way and I usually just use my smoke when I fall down to Ramp.

- HEAP

If you throw an Incendiary to the connector between Radio and Ramp, you’ll get the Ts stuck and win a couple of seconds if they decide to rush. Not only that, but as HEAP said, you can get some information and sometimes even a free kill if you stand on top of the rail behind the Box, as you can discern some silhouettes above the flames and smoke caused by the Molotov, while they have a harder time seeing. Remember though, that this will most likely only apply to worse players, as better ones will do one of two things:

  • They won’t show themselves and will just wait out the Incendiary behind the wall;
  • Since they’re rushing, they will most likely have a Smoke ready to throw and extinguish the flames, hence the need to be extra careful at the beginning of the rounds.

If you see the second option happening, make sure to drop as quickly as possible to Ramp and maybe drop a Smoke on it, while calling out your teammate on Heaven/Hell to come help as soon as possible. Just make sure they’re not aware of that or, even worse, pushing Hell, which could get your teammate killed for free.

Naturally, there are a lot of different setups you can try with your teammates. You can even play with two players entirely dedicated to Ramp, especially if you see that the Ts have a tendency to exploit that part of the map.

I really like to play behind the box up on the Ramp and having my teammate baiting for me so I can hide and we play out of each other. One setup I really like is one player on Hell with an AWP and I'm playing to the left of the T's entrance, where you can boost, but not boosted. It's a really good baiting position!

- HEAP

Let’s say the Ts already know that you’re always playing on Ramp, either that is on the Ramp itself or even in one of the Boxes. Switch it up, have your teammate bait for you and play near the T’s entrance, whether that is by getting boosted up (be careful with rushes) or even just flat out on the floor, hugging the wall. Believe me, if you don’t overuse that position, the T’s will not expect you there, as long as you have your teammate baiting for you.

I’ve also asked HEAP if you should give out Ramp control over to the Ts from time to time - again, make sure to be unpredictable while playing, that’s one of the reasons why some players are so much better than others on CT, it’s not always about the aim.

I can if I give that information over to my teammates. As long as I survive, I think I'm working pretty well and pushing the team forward to a round win.

- HEAP

Like I’ve been mentioning countless times during this article, communication is the key on a map like Nuke! You want your teammates to know exactly what you are doing, as well as the other way around. It’s not pleasant if no one is covering outside, you don’t notice it and suddenly you die from a player that came from the B bombsite. Happens more than I’m happy to admit.

To finish up the conversation, I’ve went ahead and asked HEAP for some final tips on improving your play on Ramp:

Watch a lot of Demos and find your own way on how you like to play, whether that is by using utility a certain way or just finding some good spots to get easier shots.

- HEAP

Demos! Demos! They’re referred to everywhere and there’s a good reason for that. If you want to learn how to play a position, and not only Ramp on Nuke, there’s no better way than actually studying the best players in the world that play there. You can get demos for every professional match on HLTV.org, making it easily accessible and for free.

Make sure to follow HEAP on Social Media to stay up to date with everything regarding the team!

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Thank you for reading this article! Hopefully it was helpful to you on your journey to become a better CS:GO player! You can reach out to me for suggestions or feedback via Twitter.


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