If you read my first article, "Round By Round Part1: The Opening Pistol Round" then you already know the importance of winning pistol round. In this article, I'm going to share with you the economic and position strategies you can use to minimize the chance of a bomb site being taken over, and if it is, certain strategies to successfully retake a site for the defuse. To start, let's go over the basics about Counter-Terrorist (CT) economy in the early game.

When starting off with round 1, as I mentioned in my first article, you already know that the Terrorists will not have head armor. Since the head is the most unprotected place, aim for the head at all times. While the Terrorists will have to use money for grenades and armor to take sites, the CTs can sit back and even bait grenades thrown by Terrorists. Players that are new to Counter Strike should always start with buying armor. Until you become accurate enough with either starting pistols, don't focus on what grenades to use. As you climb the ranks in Counter Strike, the use of grenades will become more valuable in pistol rounds. But for now, lower level players starting out should focus on becoming very accurate with the starting pistols. One of the main problems starting players face is whether or not to use the P200 or the USP-S. Both have their advantages which I will cover.

The USP-S: This highly accurate silenced predator dominates at long range. Players who are skilled in accuracy tend to prefer this weapon for its ability to one-shot head shot. Although it lacks spraying capabilities due to its 12 round clip, the USP-S is a ninja for those who can snipe enemies with a bonus of not showing up on the map. A good strategy to use when the USP-S is equiped is to buy armor then sit back on sites or long-range angles and try to pick off enemies with an element of surprise. A key part in being accurate with the USP-S is not firing as fast as you can when you see an enemy. A steady rate between shots will allow the recoil to reset to ensure the next shot is accurate. A practice tip to increase accuracy that has helped me and many others is to enable console in your options (The defaul key is the tilda) and type in cl_crosshairstyle 5. Notice when you shoot your cross-hair will expand. To practice the timing, shoot when the cross-hair is reset after expanding. Also notice when you shoot too early the next shot is not as accurate as the first. If you do it perfect, then the second and third shots should be almost dead-on with the first shot.

The P200: The non-silenced counterpart to the USP-S, this gun specializes in more close ranged combat. Players who like to anchor sites (Protect a site without leaving it until a rotation is 100% necessary) tend to choose this gun. The higher rate of fire than the USP-S plus the higher ammo capacity makes it ideal to fend off multiple Terrorists entering a site or pushing your position. Although it may not always be a one-shot head shot, I always tell starting players to start out using this gun. The higher ammo capacity is almost always necessary since lower skilled players tend to spray with pistols more. To practice the accuracy, do the same demonstration as I talked about with the USP-S.

The reasons for using the USP-S or the P2000 is dependent on your play style. If you are more of an aggressive player and can be super accurate in the heat of battle, the USP-S can offer lethal one-shot head shots. If you are not super accurate but still have good aim when playing aggressive I suggest the P2000. If you choose to hold a site for your team and know you aren't going to early rotate for any reason, the P2000 is easier to defend a site with. Ultimately, it's all up to what you are more comfortable with. Try to use both guns as much as you can and get the feel of them. By that time, you will most likely have in mind which pistol you'd rather use.

There are 3 questions you should always ask yourself as a CT whether or not it's pistol round:

1. Can I fall back from this position?

Probably one of the most important questions to constantly ask yourself. The easiest fight in pistol rounds will always be a 1v1. Good positioning entails that you have a back-up plan to whatever the Terrorist plan to do. This type of thinking will develop as you play more, but if you are constantly dieing without any frags to make up for it then you probably need to ask yourself this question more often. Playing aggressive is good for gaining information but if you die to a Terrorist hiding behind a corner then you become a detriment to the round.

I always say, cover positions, not players. Starting players have this mindset that if the Terrorist are not coming yet then I need to chase after them. That mentality is completely wrong when it comes to Counter Strike. Covering a position means staying in one place until you are forced to move, or your team needs help elsewhere. Otherwise, stay put. Over time, you will develop when it is smart to push certain positions but until you are absolutely comfortable at playing super aggressive, play passive. Information is a lot more important than opening frags. If you can stay alive long enough to know where the Terrorists are going to push you have a better chance of winning that round. The Terrorist's executions into sites are based on entry-frags. If you don't give them the entry-frag, they don't get the bomb site. Certain positions however are what I call "do-or-die" positions. These type of positions is when you cannot fall back and it's either get the frag or die.

These positions would be like bomb-sites, hiding behind the stairs on Catwalk in Dust II and playing Pit at A-site on Inferno. These positions are good ones to fall back on, but get ready to fight. Although those could be seen as passive positions, it still gives your team a better chance at retakes the longer you live. So, if you are constantly getting killed playing aggressive, those type of positions to fall back to when things get heated are ideal. Remember, information is more important than the opening frags.

2. Can I predict where the Terrorist are going to?

This one is important especially regarding too early of rotations. If you cannot 100% tell where the terrorists are going, don't move. Communication is key to answering this question because rotations should be more based off of teammates calls rather than trying to decide for yourself where to go. You will notice with teams of no communication rotations are super slow and there is no organization for retakes. That is a great way to lose pistol rounds. In lower level Matchmaking games, it is common to see site-rushes in pistol rounds. If a teammate calls they are rushing a position with the bomb, rotate very fast to the site. If players are rushing but bomb is not seen, rotate to help your team but don't go all the way defensive positions on the bomb site.

Fakes are common on pistol rounds and leaving every position open will leave you prone to a successful one. A good strategy in this situation is only send one player to run behind the enemy Terrorists (flanking position), leave one Middle and the rest go to the bomb site. If it ends up a fake, either the flanking player or the player Middle should spot the rotating Terrorist. If it is a fake execution, make sure to regroup and take the site as one team instead of 5 individuals. Don't enter the site 1 by 1, you will not successfully retake a bomb site using that method.

3. Is it time to rotate?

Team communication is vital when answering this question on pistol rounds. Rotations should happen for two reasons. The first reason is the Terrorist's plan for site execution is confirmed. If you rotate too early, you leave your position suscpetible for sneaky Terrorists to fake one site and take another. If you rotate too late, you will have the challenge of retaking a site versus helping your team defend it. In order to confirm what the Terrorist are doing, it takes a little game sense. Once bomb is spotted, it becomes easier to see what the Terrorists may be planning. Until bomb is spotted, it is a good idea to not rotate to early even if there are Terrorists pushing a certain position. You will have to rely on your teammates being smart about gathering information and falling back in order to rotate successfully. The second reason is when the bomb carrier has been killed. If you are the one who killed the bomb carrier, call it immediately. A simple call like, "Bomb down at Lower Tunnels" will suffice.

From here, expect your teammates to rotate to the bomb and help your protect from Terrorists trying to pick it up. Bomb sites become less important at this point because even if the Terrorists control a site when bomb is down, that control is essentially useless. If your teammate does call bomb down, make sure to move to that position as quick as possible. The worst scenerio for the Terrorists in pistol rounds is if the CTs gain control over the bomb. As a CT, hide and chew through time while maintaining watch on the bomb for Terrorists wanting to pick it up again. If multiple enemies are still alive, cover choke points around the bomb while one player watches the bomb at all times. This will ensure most time is used when retaking the bomb and gives the CTs the best chance at finishing the round.

The last strategy I want to talk about is how to retake sites. I see a lot of the time players using flashes and smokes to retake sites but they use them and either waste them, or don't push a certain position when they throw them. Always throw grenades with a purpose. If you ask yourself if the grenade is actually going to benefit the situation, more often than not you should save that grenade. Flashes are great for opening frags in the retake, while smokes are great for cornering off positions to create 1v1 situations. HE grenades are good for finishing off wounded enemies while doing damage that makes finishing off the enemy with your pistol even easier. Make sure when throwing grenades however that it will not hinder your teams performance like the infamous "team flash". If you are going to use a flashbang on a certain position, call it out. If you are going to smoke a certain position, call it out. If you are going to throw a HE grenade on a certain position, call it out. See the pattern here for effective grenade use? Without communication to your teammates the possibility of throwing a "team flash" increases.

Overall, playing passive on CT pistol rounds will give you a better chance at winning them. Gaining information is important, but more importantly don't give the Terrorists an entry-frag into a site. Constantly ask yourself the three questions I have talked about in this article to build your game sense. Eventually, you will be able to notice patterns to increase the effectiveness of your rotations. Combine that with effective grenade use and you will win pistol rounds in no time.