Cobblestone can be a very hard map to defend as a CT if you are not setup properly to handle the executions the map has to offer. Terrorists can craft nasty strategies devised to solely focus on one thing, speed, or go for a more traditional and strategic approach. However, just like any strategy, it can be countered. This article will run through various aggressive and passive setups for each bombsite and should just be used as a sort of starting point on how to set-up for this map. This is because Counter Strike is a very situational game and as CT's you must be able to adapt mid-round depending on what the Terrorists are doing.

Passive Counter to the B Split

A split onto the B bombsite may seem daunting as a Counter Terrorist defending the bombsite, as you have to defend a horde of Terrorists plowing their way through drop and B plat as fast as possible. However, it can easily be countered if the set-up is utilised well and this setup also works best if you have full utility. Counter nading in CSGO is very important, it can completely shutdown rushes or an overwhelming hit onto a bombsite. This set-up emphasises the use of teamwork and crossfires, otherwise it will simply not work. Communication in Counter-Strike is a key to success as is teamwork. To counter a split, you must be coordinated and effective as a team otherwise you will be literally picked apart. To begin with, this set-up looks at essentially a 4 man defence on the B site. This requires two players holding drop in passive crossfire positions, one holding outside window and one holding from the door. Having a crossfire set-up benefits the CTs because it does not allow the Terrorists to gain drop without being traded or spotted and holding passive also means you can not be isolated and left alone.

The two players on the B site itself can be set-up in a variety of ways, this passive setup looks at the statue player on the site being the site anchor and the platform player as the point man. Now this can be seen as a high risk high reward set-up due to the fact that the platform player can be naded out of the corner or the platform itself. However, this passive/aggressive setup can be effective because the site anchor on B platform can easily distract the horde of Terrorists running down the platform as fast as possible whilst the point man throws a simple popflash and most likely can get a kill or two. These two positions also ensure no one jumps off without being seen or heard, which doesn't leave the drop players exposed. However, this set-up leaves A open and is more of a retake A because if you read they will do a B split, you are pretty much committed to stopping it.

Although this set-up is 80% passive, it still has some flaws like any set-up does. It is a high-risk high-reward set-up as if the pointman on B platform goes down, it leaves the anchor on statue isolated who can only be helped by the player holding door. However it does offer a nice control on drop because you allow the T's to drop down but you essentially have 3 people holding drop as the connector player can rotate in and reinstate the crossfire if the window player was to go down.

Aggressive Counter to the B Split

If your passive set-ups to holding the B site isn't working, and the Terrorists are overwhelming you once they get onto the site, then it's time to try more of an aggressive set-up. The following set-up is essentially just like the first one with 2 people holding drop and 2 holding platform and a 1 player on A. In contrast to the previous setup, this set-up allows the A player to roam around, make a play for information, and be more mobile than just rooted to one spot. Aggression on this particular set-up can be utilised well as having one boosted up on tree and one playing under drop, it allows the tree player to focus specifically on the B platform, whilst the player playing under the platform can either spray the smoke or just be a nuisance and move around on the site. Furthermore, the two players on site also can backup each other if one of them is isolated, it allows them to trade effectively as well. The only difference between this set-up and the one above, is the A player has more freedom to move and can make information plays.

Simple Counter to a B Rush

 
Cloud9's similar setup v Fnatic at ESL Pro League Finals

Now let's move on to defending a B rush. A rush onto the B bombsite can seem very difficult to hold due to the overwhelming amount of Terrorists storming drop or the B platform. Firstly, like the previous setups, this one works best when full utility is at your disposal. Looking at the overview of this set-up, you will need a lot of nades. This is due to the Terrorists usually smoking the cross on the B plat, and they will mostly be behind that smoke or the box and be isolated in that area. If you time the counter nades right you can seriously damage the HP of the incoming Terrorists and possibly kill them. This makes it easier for your retakes or even when they commit as they are easier to kill. I have pointed out where the nades will need to be land in order to slow and injure the oncoming Terrorists. If you are set-up like this and use your utility effectively, this set-up will work well. However, the only flaw with this set-up is the drop player can be overwhelmed but that can be easily fixed if you know the T's are committed so that the connector player can rotate over. Do remember to check for any lurk play to ensure you do not lose the round due to a sneaky lurker. Lastly, a set-up like this means you give platform to the Terrorists and force them to take aim battles from the platform, and if they do commit, you have enough nades to frag them as well as enough players defending which essentially means in a best case scenario, you can trade evenly or 2:1.

Aggressive A Set-Up

If you are losing A easily as a CT then it might be that you need a little aggression to give your team the early man advantage into the round. A set-up like this can have a little variation though, you can play 2 on A and then have 3 on B, or you can keep it 3 on A and 2 B if you have a read that it will be an A hit. The B platform player is also a key player in this set-up because he/she can peek the B platform for information and if they do not see any people at all (or just one), it gives you more map control which allows you to keep 3 on A without the risk of losing the B site. The mid/stairs control are also key in this setup. The two players in mid can have a crossfire set-up and slaughter incoming Terrorists who are naive enough to push up the stairs into the A site without checking their corners. However, this set-up leaves the A long player alone and he has to be wary of a backstab from the stairs behind him. They can easily fall back once getting a pick or after a certain amount of time and then play it from site or take a more passive angle at A long. To conclude, this set-up can vary and is very situational depending on what's going on early in the round or mid round.

Passive A Set-Up

 
As you can see Flipsid3 used a similar setup v Mouz at MLG Columbus

Aggression may not always work and in some cases you might need to give up some map control in order to handle an execute as a Counter-Terrorist. If your aggressive A holds are not working, then it could be because you are not using your nades well or maybe you're just not winning your duels. Sitting back on site or playing a more passive angle allows you to use your nades more effectively and trade as the Terrorists push onto the site. Furthermore, this set-up allows a fast rotation from the player at drop window in case you're getting overwhelmed once the A hit arrives. While this A set-up does have variation, it is possible to tweak it by having another player on A just in case you're not winning your duels on long, so you can have two people sitting on site or at long holding an angle.

Thanks for reading and hopefully these set-ups fix and improve your CT side on Cobble!