If you’ve been playing in the competitive playlists for long enough, you’ve definitely experienced being put in the difficult situation of having to play a man down. Sometimes it’s because your teammate decided mid-queue that now would be the perfect time to run to the store to get more Doritos. Sometimes it’s because their internet is on the fritz and disconnects and sometimes it’s out of their control and they experience the game freezing at the start of the match which was a common issue before the last update. Whatever the reason was, you’re now at a severe disadvantage. But, if you’re like me and this always seems to happen when you’re at Diamond 3 Division 4 and you’re probably one win away from getting that promotion to Champ, you’re not going to let that stop you from winning. Here’s how to give yourself the best chance of winning a 2v3.

Prepare to be Boost Starved

When you’re playing a man down the other team is going to probably be able to get a substantial amount of pressure in your zone as you no longer have a proper three-man rotation. With this unrelenting pressure, you’re going to find it difficult to get a chance to grab that full boost canister in your corner. The other team is aware of this and is going to be doing everything in their power to take away the corner boosts from you. But you’re still going to need boost in order to make the necessary saves and get a solid clear on the ball. While you may not have the corner boosts, don’t panic (or at least not too much).

There are 5 small pads (see picture below) in the crease around the net that you can use to be able to make those desperation saves and to eventually get a solid clear. Make sure you are conserving your boost for when you really need it and don’t waste it challenging balls that you have no shot at. This will put your teammate in a terrible situation and they’ll be sure to remind you of this by spamming “Okay” in the chat if you end up getting scored on.

Credit: IJx https://psyonix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17492

Powerful Clears Are Your Key to Victory

Once you’ve weathered the initial onslaught of shots from your opponents, you’re going to need to get the ball out of your own zone in order to regroup, get boost, and start a counter-attack of your own. Even without a lot of boost, you can still get powerful clears over the other team’s head if you’re able to hit the ball properly. Try to catch the ball on a small hop and just as it is coming off the ground, boost into it and hit in squarely with the nose of your car. Make sure you time the hop right as to avoid hitting it on the ground and passing it right to the other team for a free shot.

Another tactic that you can employ with little boost spent is getting a powerful wall-pinch (see Kuxir video below). When you have some free space near the wall and some boost, get the ball against the wall and flip your car towards the edge of the ball closest to you. That will (hopefully) rocket the ball down the field along the wall and definitely take your opponents by surprise and allow you to regroup. Don’t double commit with your teammate! If you both go for the same ball, you’re going to have nobody in the net and the other team is going to have a free goal (unless you’re playing against me). Just. Don’t. Do. It. This applies to non 2v3 situations as well. Double commitments are bad. Always.

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Avoid Being Demoed

Everybody has seen this: it’s a 2v3 and one of the players on the other team has decided he’s going to make it his sole mission to get 3 executioner medals in the same game. Getting demoed with the ball in your zone can be catastrophic to your chances of success. With only a two-man rotation, you’re going to need somebody in the net at all times with the other person playing out to challenge the shot and cut off passes. To avoid this falling victim to your opponent's demolition spree, make sure your eyes are following not only the ball, but keeping an eye on any opponents who seem to be cutting the rotation to rush towards the net. When you see an opponent boosting towards you, your best bet to avoid the demo is to jump a split second before they get to you. While they may predict your jump at the higher ranks and still get the demo, this will work pretty often and will send them flying into your net, out of boost, and you’ll have an opportunity to start a counter rush of your own.

Also, don’t forget to listen for their boost in case they’re coming from an angle out of your line of sight. Once you hear them get close to you, make sure to jump at the last second to avoid the demo. While sometimes this can make recovering to save a shot difficult, it’s definitely better than being out of the game and turning a 2v3 into a 1v3.

Long Goals are Essential

In a 2v3, it’s going to be difficult to set up consistent pressure in the opponent’s zone due to a lack of boost and a third man in the rotation to keep the ball deep in their zone. But, you still need to score at least one goal to win, so you need to find an alternative method. The best way to do this is to hit a booming shot down the field that catches the other team off-guard and allows you to score. After the other team realizes you’re playing a man down, they probably aren’t taking this game very seriously anymore because, hey, who ever loses a 3v2?

With this in mind, their team probably isn’t going to be very clean on their rotations and will all be trying to overcommit for shots to score for themselves. When you see this happening and they don’t have a third man back at the half field, aim for their net when you’re clearing the ball. You’ll be surprised at how many times the other team doesn’t see a deep clear coming and if you can get it on target, you might have yourself a free goal.

Even with these tips in mind, it still isn’t going to be easy and you might need the crossbar to help you out a little bit. But, if you play smart and make good decisions, you’ll have a great chance at pulling off the win. Now, go win that 2v3 and get ready for the salty messages from the other team after you win.

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