One of the most important aspects of Counter-Strike is team play - but that does not mean that you always have to play together as a unit. One of the most common and enjoyable roles to watch and play is the “lurker”. Being able to read your opponents and communicate that information to your teammates can be the difference between a win or a loss while playing on the Terrorist side. We spoke to Dignitas player and famous lurker, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, on how to be a good lurker.

He says, “A lurker is someone who’s taking care of the flanks when you’re a Terrorist. Someone who tries to see openings in the enemy’s defense without taking big risks.”

When asked about the definition of a lurker, GeT_RiGhT quickly explains that, "It’s someone who not only is taking care of the flanks as a terrorist, but also someone who tries to understand the opposing setup and positioning, and then exploits it".

"Avoiding big risks is also a factor that could differentiate a good from a bad lurker," the Swedish player added, "Knowing how to to find holes in the defense and infiltrate them without taking unnecessary risks is a must-know for any aspiring learner of the role".

CT or T-Side role?

Due to the nature of the role, it is mostly a Terrorist-sided one. As GeT_RiGhT stated, it is due to how you need to approach the attacking side, as Counter-Terrorists are more reliant on helping and supporting each other, either by throwing utility for each other or defending map locations as a group to be able to trade kills.

Although some of the “lurking mentality” can be used while playing on the defensive side, such as understanding how your opponents are playing and positioning, your goal is mainly to avoid letting the Terrorists breach and get behind your lines - effectively rendering most of the lurker’s tasks useless.

How to be a good Lurker

Get_RiGhT says, “A good lurker is someone that can read the game so perfectly well that it just feels he’s floating around the map, almost like playing DM by himself.”

To be a good lurker, you must be able to calculate risk and make gambles on situations where you must get your team back in the game. Get_RiGhT adds, "be careful when taking those risks, as they should be calculated. If you’re in an advantageous situation, maybe it’s better to lay low and avoid risking losing that advantage."

Although he is one of the most renowned lurkers in the world, GeT_RiGhT has no doubts when naming the best one: flusha from Fnatic. Being able to analyze the game as well as he does and controlling it at his own tempo is something that very few players can do. Not only that, but also being able to make the opponents uncomfortable is something that GeT_RiGhT points to as one of flusha’s strengths.

Since there are a lot of different lurkers who play differently according to their teams' styles, there is nothing better than seeing them in action by watching demos. This can help you understand their trains of thought and how they make plays, as well as help you identify where the lurker's team is playing elsewhere, all must-have skills for anyone who wants to excel as a lurker.

Keep Track of Information

Your job as a lurker isn't only to get behind enemy lines. There's also a lot of information you need to pick up and relay to your team. When asked what information you should be looking for, GeT_RiGhT answered, "Being able to keep track of the amount of utility used by your opponents is crucial."

One thing to keep in mind is that your opponents may try to convey false information. For example, they may have stacked a third player on a Bombsite that is generally only guarded by two players. If that extra player smokes and flashes the position you are in, you may be deceived into thinking there's only one more smoke and three flashes left on that bombsite, while, in reality, the enemy is still fully loaded.

You need to remember that fooling your opponents is not an easy task, especially against good players. If you’re considering doing something out of the ordinary, they may be expecting it and be prepared for it. Understand how much you can "toe the line" by testing your opponents round after round.

Adapting Lurking to Your Team’s Strategy

The way you approach lurking should come from understanding how your team is playing and what your team is looking for. You should position yourself in a way that you will be able to gather as much information as possible in spots where your teammates don’t have access. Also, if they decide to execute, you should be in a position where you can catch rotators unaware - that’s one of the strongest uses of a lurker. Let’s say you’re playing Dust 2 and your team plants the bomb at Bombsite A. You could be playing Top Mid or even Lower Tunnel and catch the rotators from B while going for their retake. Just remember that the more you play as a lurker, the more your opponents will be expecting your ambush.

GeT_RiGhT’s words regarding post-plant situations are all about being calm and collected while looking for rotators and not panicking if you eventually lose bombsite control, because your opponents generally won’t know where you are, meaning they’ll play carefully and slower, essentially giving you time to work. The most important thing you should be working on is understanding how to win the round without taking unnecessary risks.

Do not lurk too often

Seeing how well known GeT_RiGhT is for his lurking throughout the years, you might be thinking that it should be used every round... but no. Knowing when not to lurk can have a big impact on the game, especially if you have already made your opponents so uncomfortable with your previous positioning that they’ll now play extra carefully.

Even if you’re the lurker, there could be situations where you’ll end up playing as the entry or the second entry-fragger - as you know, a Counter-Strike match has endless possibilities every round, and you should be ready to adapt as needed.

Lurking is way more complicated than it looks at first. GeT_RiGhT has been doing it for years, so don’t expect to become a master at it after playing a few matches or watching a few demos. Counter-Strike is a game with a really high skill ceiling, meaning that you’ll always have a place to improve. Watch professional games, watch demos, and watch POVs of famous lurkers like GeT_RiGhT or flusha.

I want to thank you for reading and I’m looking for any feedback to improve. You can reach out to me Twitter!