Train was reintroduced into the Counter-Strike map pool back in late 2014 with major visual and gameplay changes. To this day it remains an important part of the CS map pool. Train has had a quite a lot of iconic moments in major tournaments in CS history, and has made for many exciting matches. Learning how to play a strong CT-side on a CT-side heavy map like Train is essential to converting more games, and this guide will help you gain the knowledge necessary to do that.

The Philosophy:

Train is a quite open map with long range duels, allowing a competent sniper to flourish thoroughly. It requires a deep tactical nous, with adequate usage of utility to counter fast pushes, and well coordinated site takes. It has 5 major entry points to bombsites in T-Main, Pop-Dog, Ivy, B-Heaven and B-Lower.

Train has large, open bombsites with large lanes and pathways. Both sites have a respective bomb train and various other trains. Train is a heavily CT-sided map, often leading to 10-5, 11-4 halves with the CT side dominating. It is essential to maximize as many CT-side rounds as you can to effectively up your chance to win the game massively.

*Map overview provided by Simple Radar.

A strong CT-side requires a strong control on the tempo of the game, and control of the map. You must set the pace of the game on your own accord and deride the T-side attempts to influence the game. You must decide the tempo of the game through your smart usage of utility and peeks. The CT-side must attempt to have strong pressure on the Terrorists in the B-lane area and must maintain Pop-dog control to maintain cruise control of the half.

The AWP is a significant piece of the map, and the map is heavily dependent on it. The AWPer must be unpredictable and be prepared to play positions all over the map, making the Ts uncomfortable in trying to take aim duels and win sites over.

The Standard Setup:

The CT-side begins with 3 players moving toward the A-Site, 1 player moving toward Connector, and 1 going B-Halls. The AWPer can move around the map as he wishes, and get picks to get an early advantage.

Ivy:

One of the A players will play Ivy, holding for an Ivy push, and sometimes peeking into Ivy when he feels it is right to do so. The AWPer can get a pick if he decides to play Ivy in a round. The Ivy players duty in the setup, if he is rifling is to make sure Ivy is never given up for free. Ivy is an extremely influential position in the map and allows for dangerous flanks to B and A site. He can hold Ivy passively and try to get 1 kill and maintain Ivy pressure or maybe rotate off deeper into Ivy to hold more passive angles.

The Ivy player can molly Ivy whenever he feels the needs to so. In case the Ts play a heavy early Ivy setup and he can get some chip damage in and slow down their setup. This could be paired with a good HE, to deal a massive chunk of damage and respect your presence at Ivy.

Generally, when the T-side wants to take Ivy, they might smoke off one side and take control and sandwich your team. Learning to gauge pressure and use your smoke to block off their push or buy time is crucial. A general Ivy take could look similar to this:

It is essential you use your smoke to delay the Ivy take and isolate the fights. If they want to take Ivy and push through your smoke, you'll have a considerably easier time holding it, and can do significant damage. You can ask your A-site player for a well-timed flash with which you can then peek Ivy while they are pushing you, if you are pushed off due to heavy utility usage. You can also late peek Ivy with a flash again, if you would like to clear it. This can catch the Ts off guard and can give you a free kill or two or the Ivy lurkers trying to sneak around there.

If an A-hit comes in and they smoke you off, you can throw the following flash to help push out into site and help hold it. It is extremely powerful and will blind anyone in the Sandwich area looking toward Ivy:

If you feel no Ivy pressure, or feel the need to switch things up, you can push Ivy early with a slightly deeper molly (if you molly every round) which allows you to peek with it, along with a flash from one of your A players who can then rotate off. This is very effective for 1-2 rounds a half and can singlehandedly win you round. This should be done based on a good read though, and if you do it repeatedly, the Ts can just play anti flash and get a free pick on you.

You could also just play a different angle, maybe Hell, or allow your A site player to watch Ivy from Hell, while you play passively at CT-stairs. Another idea is letting an AWPer watch for the Ivy push from A-site, whilst T-main control is taken. This could put the Ts completely off.

The flash to push Ivy could be something like this:

The Ivy/Back-Six player can flash for his E-Box/Pop-Dog player as well, and this is crucial. This can help turn rounds around. This will allow the Pop-Dog player to peek the Ts pushing T-Main, or the E-Box player who must dodge the flash, to peek the pushing Ts. You can throw this flash in this general manner (preferably a walk/step throw):

Outside AWPer/Rifler:

This Outside player can either be a rifler or an AWPer. If he is an AWPer, the setup must be a double AWP or the Connector player must give up his T-Main peek to play here.

The Outside player who is AWPing can generally play back-six train, camera, bomb train or connector. This player is extremely influential and is given the freedom to do as he wishes.

He is put in position to get free picks and must exploit any mistakes in the T-side for his team. If the AWPer plays Camera/Back-Six, then another player must play Connector/Bomb Train and be the first rotate to B.

When playing back-six, it's the Outside AWPer's duty to watch T-Main and provide his team with information on T-Main. He can also try and get a pick and must deny any pushes into Olof from the Ts. He can also help his rifler at Ivy if he is being pushed and can periodically peek Ivy as well, if there is a lack of pressure T-Main. If he is smoked off, he can rotate off and try to double up Ivy as well, if the Ts are running a Ivy-heavy setup to split B. He can also throw support flashes for his Ivy player as shown if he plays around Sandwich, or he can just bounce them off the back Ivy wall:

This AWPer can also peek into T-Main aggressively from right side of Brown Train or from on top of Brown Train. This will alleviate pressure off the Outside players and can allow you to cheat an extra player at B. This player can watch Ivy passively from Sandwich if he chooses to do so: (while his team covers T-Main and Pop-Dog)

This player can also get boosted on Bomb Train with the help of another player. This catches a lot of players off-guard and can be exploited to get easy picks.

Outside Rifler #1:

The job of the rifler playing outside is to maintain control of Pop-Dog or at least pressure it, and deny a straight T-Main rush in synergy with the other A players. This player can usually play E-Box, Sandwich, or Brown Train.

If he has a good spawn, he may attempt to try and take pop-dog control, 3-5 rounds per half to establish pressure at Pop-Dog and assert yourself there, so that the Ts cannot take it for free anyway, and will have to expend utility and players to respect your position and flank at Pop-Dog. This will indirectly weaken their other site takes and strats, due to them having to dedicate a player to watching the Pop-Dog flank or them being worried about it in general anyway.

This player if he has the first spawn, must molly T-Main to deny a straight T-Main push as shown (walk throw):

An HE grenade can chucked in a tad bit deeper than the molly to deal some chip damage. This little nade can change the round for you as it can deal enough damage to make Ts low enough for a one hit headshot. Another reason why this nade is important is, it's fairly common for AWPers to tank the molly and try and get a pick off on the player going toward Pop-Dog/E-Box. This nade helps lower their HP considerably when combined with them tanking the molly.

You can also flash into T-Main along with the molly if you want instead of the HE nade. This will completely take out any chance of them tanking the molly to take a shot.

Rushing out T-Main is fairly effective if CTs don't employ utility to deny it. This player should, after throwing his utility, then run toward E-Box/Pop-Dog while looking into the wall to avoid early T-side flashbangs. He can hold a variety of angles in multiple ways, but E-Box is definitely one of the more standard and stronger angles. E-Box will allow him to help provide firepower for his A-site players fairly easily, whilst also being able to isolate fights toward both T-Main and Pop-Dog.

This player can also help in taking T-Main control or maybe play an off-angle at Sandwich and let someone else watch Pop-Dog. He can lineup a flash like this for a late Pop-Dog peek when there's a presence detected at Pop-Dog:

This rifler can also play inside Pop-Dog or on Bomb Train in a passive setup. Switching things up with T-Main control also works. The player can throw the following utility set to help take T-Main control. The first smoke is a deep T-Main smoke and the second is a flash into T-Main while 1-2 riflers can push in like previously mentioned.

The lineup is fairly loose, but you have to practice the smoke to get a good feel for it and to not botch it and cost your team rounds.

You could also throw the following flash to blind anyone who jumps out toward olof early, or help your team clear it during a full A-hit. You could also be on the receiving end of this flash if you have a good partner to work with. You must peek from either top or behind Olof train, ready for when the flash pops to take full advantage and then come back alive to a move passive position. The flash would be:

Connector:

The Connector player is one of the most important players. The Z/Connector player is usually the primary AWPer and is the first rotation to the B site. Synergy between the Z player and the B anchor are of utmost importance. They must be able to act in complete cohesion of each other in order to maintain a strong B-site defense.

The Z player usually holds T-main with an AWP, but his role can be switched up according to a different read or situation. He can hold for the Pop-Dog push out from site passively or watch Ivy from CT-Stairs. He can hold for the Ivy wrap around, from Bomb Train, while someone holds Ivy push from Hell in a passive setup. This could catch the Ts with their pants down.

The Z player can play heaven a few times a half and completely win rounds on his own. The Ts will not expect the position late round and during clutches. It's a very strong position when playing for a retake on A. You can sometimes deny plant and maintain serious vision of site to deny the Ts strong post-plant positions.

Another angle you could play is this self-boost at Connector. The Ts definitely do not respect it and you can definitely get a freebie at the bare minimum and slow down the attack considerably:

As the B-anchor calls for a rotation, it is the duty of the Z player to communicate with the B anchor and synchronize what angles they are watching. He can watch Upper-B from Z but can be nullified with a smoke. Another angle to watch is heaven from on the ledge. This position is vulnerable to lower though, and thus would require lower to be smoked:

The Z player could also rotate all the way to the Oil Train/CT-Upper and hold Upper. This position will allow you to throw very good flashes for you teammate holding lower. These flashes will allow for at least 1-2 kills on the Ts pushing lower, after which your teammate can fall back and safely retake site. The flash could be something like this:

B-site:

The B anchor is one of the most if not the most important player on the CT side. The CT-side can be defined around the performance of this one player.

B-site train is usually played either retake or extremely passively, with a single anchor who can do a variety of plays/setups for himself. He can jiggle-peek Lower with a molotov out to stop any rushes and delay them enough for rotations to arrive, or he can play an off-angle watching either Lower or Upper to get a free kill and fall back, or maybe just spot from Back Trains to get info and play completely for the retake.

He can also allow a player with a good spawn to peek upper with an AWP, which has a good chance of working if done by a competent AWP player. It is important to be wary of an AWP peek by Ts as well.

The best spawn could just go Upper and peek, while the B anchor can flash before the peek if required, or just hold up a flash to stop a rush. He can then play passively and play off the number advantage.

Another way of playing it is the standard way of jiggle peeking lower, with an incendiary out in hand. If someone shoots, or you see them, molly close, and fall back immediately. You can immediately call for a rotation from Z and get them to watch either Lower or Upper, and isolate your fights. You can use a lot of obscure angles on site to get free picks on the pushing Ts.

If the Ts start pushing onto site, another player can flash site for you like shown below, so you can kill pushing blind players and turn the round in your favour even before the bomb is down, but you may likely die in the process, so it's important to get a multi frag from this position.

Another viable way is to play the site for retake. You can play a passive angle to deny the Ts full site control to make the retake far easier, or maybe you can spot from one of the back trains. Both methods are effective. You can also cheat a second player into site and make him play a position like ninja while you spot from train and show yourself to the pushing Ts to sell that you're playing site retake, which will lead to the Ts not checking site and potentially giving up the round for free.

If you do play retake, you can try to simple spam the Lower/Upper smoke to get chip damage in or even get a kill. A nade like this can help a lot, by doing a lot of damage on the planter and other Ts at bomb site. This can be used in post plants as a nade or even a molly to get a free pick by dispositioning the Ts (run throw):

Holding B site is fairly hard so it is important to never give a free pick/over-extend. If you give up the site for retake, you can retake it fairly easily with basic utility usage. So its better 9 out of 10 times to play for a retake and settle with just a kill or two.

It is very important to understand how passively to play, and to communicate how passive you are. You must be able to at least maintain some basic control of a part of site, like back of the site, or all of the area near Oil Train or Side-Lane. It is important to think of the B-site in terms of lanes, and to control those lanes to the Ts cannot push close and get cheeky. You must be able to communicate what 'lanes' you do not have control of, making it easier for your teammates to be aware of T pushes.

If an A-hit comes in, you can flash for your teammates as shown. This flash is extremely powerful as it pops behind them and blinds all of the players pushing out of T-main.

Conclusion:

This has been a CT-side setup you can run preferably with a 5 stack, of which all 5 know their roles and duties. It is important to establish a protocol on CT-side and when all 5 members are on the same page, the protocol can be established alot easily. Some of the plays within the setup are more viable than others, and it up to you and your read of the game to know when to call them. Remember, every play has a counter play, and so do these. But making use of the variations provided here and adding your own little touches to these will make countering your plays significantly harder. Good luck and have fun!

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