In this guide I will show you a variety of 'unorthodox' and obscure angles to hold when defending or retaking areas of the map. This guide will cover the 'standard' three-lane maps; Dust II, Inferno, Mirage and Cache. The 'custom' maps - Train, Overpass and Cobblestone - will be covered at a later date. The angles will be grouped by bombsite, but may be between either site. I will leave out most boosts as I'm aiming to only features angles you can hold effectively by yourself. I'll also leave out 'obscure' angles that are starting to become more commonly used - e.g. the self-boost on the top or side of the box stack outside Long A on Dust II, which is normally used to pick off rotators. Speaking of Dust II, I'll start with that infamous CS:GO staple.

- de_dust2

There aren't too many obscure angles on Dust II due to it being a simple and open map, but here are a few. I've chosen these positions, as for all maps, as I've rarely seen them used (if at all) in matchmaking, however don't be surprised to see them at a top tier level, including professional matches.

A Bombsite

This first spot is good for both AWPers and riflers alike, and is probably the most common position out of these uncommon spots (!). It's also a good spot for pistol rounds. I would generally advise you to use it to get a quick first kill on the Terrorists. If you miss a shot, you can easily fall down to CT Spawn to rejoin teammates or reposition. It's on Catwalk, and is on the ledge next to the drainpipe. It can be used either a scoped or non-scoped rifle. The photo below also shows how a tight and wide angle can be held with the AWP.

Catwalk can also be watched from lower B tunnels by standing on the platform in the corner of the tunnel. As you can see below, quite a large part of an enemy's body is exposed and can make for an easy mid-range shot. This is useful for both CT and T-side, and is very common in high level and professional Counter-Strike.

Finishing off on A, there is a useful little jump you can do to spot players on Catwalk. I would not recommend staying in this position when holding a bombsite, but can give you a quick peek before a push or retake onto site. First jump on the barrels near Goose, and then onto the crates. The second photo shows the angle you can see (photo taken while jumping):

Remember that this position makes you very exposed from Long, and shouldn't be attempted if you don't have Long control.

Moving to CT Spawn, there are a couple of effective spots for Counter Terrorists and potentially for lurkers on T-side. A good place to start is with the metal block closest to spawn:

The ledge you need to land on is halfway up the box, and may be a little difficult to jump onto at first. Mashing your crouch key and jump should get you onto it, and you should attempt to jump where my crosshair is placed in the above screenshot. There's a variety of angles you can hold and get to from here:

This angle is very useful for putting out some damage as the Terrorists cross to A-site, and is a little unorthodox so is unlikely to be prefired. Your head is the only part of your model that is exposed, and the low lighting makes spotting you very difficult at first glance. You can also get on top of this box and aim towards Mid doors if any Terrorists come out. Another position you can use in a similar manner is on the box stack on the right hand side. Getting up to this position is a difficult manoeuvre and you are completely exposed from Mid Doors, so I would only advise it in a retake situation unless all of the enemies are accounted for. Positioning here is usually easier with a boost:

You can also do a complex jumping sequence from the metal box before onto these crates at the right of spawn...

...however a boost is much quicker and much less hassle, as a tricky strafe jump is needed to self-boost. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that show the self-boost if you're interested in doing so however.

Standing on the side of the boxes looking out to Mid and B-site can be an extremely useful counter-strategy to a Mid-B split, which nearly always comes with a smoke blocking off CT Spawn. You can also jump peek to see if any Terrorists are closer (second photo taken while jumping):

B Bombsite

Moving onto B-site, there are two strong positions I'd like to point out. The first requires a slightly difficult crouch jump from B platform:

The aim is to land on the corner of the first box (roughly where my crosshair is pointing). There are multiple layered edges to this set of boxes, and landing or positioning too high up can leave a large portion of your body exposed. The lowest edge is where you are aiming for, and you can stand only exposing your head to B tunnels. As you can see from the Terrorist POV, this is a very difficult angle to spot and is extremely effective for holding or preventing a push out of B tunnels:

You'll almost always see your enemy before they spot you. However, take note that you are completely exposed from any Terrorists that sneak their way up Mid and up to the side entrances to B, so be careful to use this position if you aren't sure you have Mid Door control.

The final spot on B-site, and indeed Dust II, is by the box stack at the tunnel's entrance. Whilst this position is frequently checked by some players, it can be surprisingly effective if used as a 'wildcard' every now and then. To get there, jump on top of the car and then aim for the ledge at the top of the bottom box:

Once there, there's a choice of two positions. There's a more exposed spot on top of the boxes that gives you a better angle to hit anyone entering the site, but exposes your entire body, or a position on the side of the stack which is much more protected, but means you'll need to hit headshots for it to be most effective. Here are both angles in the order they were mentioned:

And that's it for Dust II! The next map is Inferno, which has a good variety of options for the Counter Terrorists.

- de_inferno

Inferno is a CT-sided map with a large variety of props that can be used. The angles I cover here are almost certainly not everything - I would encourage you to explore the map yourself and see what you can discover.

A Bombsite

The first spot I want to show you is one that I haven't seen used that frequently, despite it being well known. I still catch people off with it even though it is so exposed. It requires a simple crouch jump onto the edge between these two boxes on the site, and it gives you a great angle into Apartments:

This angle is advantageous over a different angle watching Apartments, as it can gain you the information that a Terrorist is ready to push A before they expose themselves to site. It also gives you the opportunity to kill them as they're setting up a grenade throw. Here's an angle from Graveyard, which in itself is effective, however it doesn't give the same chance for early information or a free kill (assuming you don't see the player cross to the corner). The bot is in the same position as the previous photo, and as you can see it cannot be seen from this angle. This position is much easier to hold though, as so little of your body is exposed.

There are also two good angles inside the bomb plant area which are very effective when holding the site or preventing a retake. The first is simply in the corner near Short/Quad, and means you can see players' heads as they enter the site:

Allu from the team Ninjas In Pyjamas also used this angle very effectively at ESL One Cologne 2015:

The second angle is more useful during a retake situation, and can be used to see Counter-Terrorists' heads as they enter the bombsite from the direction of Library. If you stand on the base of the pillars in the bombsite...

...you can see over the crates and thus can shoot at the head of the CTs. This angle is also very easy to retreat from, as you can simply walk off the small platform you're standing from and you'll be covered by the surrounding boxes.

The next area to show you would be this ledge in between Graveyard and Pit. The entire area can be walked on, and although very exposed, can be useful to catch a player off-guard every once in awhile. You can also see just over the edge of any smokes used to block off Pit.

If you position yourself in the far-right corner, you can also stop players shooting you from Apartments by blocking the angle with the Pillar. You can also see all the way to Arch/Library/Moto and can catch any Terrorists attempting to wrap round when taking the bombsite:

Another strange angle which can be used in a similar manner required a jump from the railing on Balcony. With a good strafe you can end up on the edge of the wall, which has an invisible ledge.

Crouching down, you can get a bizarrely effective angle which can be used when defending the bombsite from an initial push. You can again see over the edges of any smokes used on Pit, and have access to enemies entering from Balcony, near Truck and from Arch. I've had success here before simply from people not really noticing me, despite the exposed position. I wouldn't recommend using this spot frequently, as it's very easy to kill a player here once they're spotted.

The final position for A-site is on top of the roof by Quad. This can be accessed through a series of difficult jumps from Balcony, onto the smaller balcony/platform, then onto the roof:

However it is much easier and quicker to get a boost from a teammate up there. This angle is very effective for a free kill as Terrorists come up mid or out of Apartments (Boiler), and could even be used to counter a retake situation if you're fast enough before the remaining CTs arrive. It lets you see over any smoke used to block off Boiler or Short, and isn't checked too often at a matchmaking level. However it is often used well at a professional level.

Finishing off in this area of the map now, there is a good angle that can be used early into the round to counter any aggressive CT play in Apartments. This is quite a common spot but I thought I'll chuck it in for those that might not know it. Simply stand on the railing in the Houses area in Second Mid, and aim towards Apartments. Your body is protected by the building in front of you:

B Bombsite

Before I begin, I'll explain that nearly all angles shown here are first accessed by climbing the stack of barrels near Dark:

The first angle is on top of this barrel stack, and is useful when defending any pushes or retakes from Construction. You can also use it for a quick pick when any enemies enter from Banana, before dropping back easily behind cover in Dark. With a good jump from the edge of this platform, you can also get on top of the fountain, which can catch the occasional player off guard.

You can then jump onto the stack by Second Oranges, which gives a good unorthodox angle that can be used to damage a push onto B. As with all these angles, it is easy to walk off the platform and into cover after getting a pick, and I would encourage this rather than continuously holding these positions as they are all quite exposed. You can also perform an easy jump from here onto the crates and barrels watching the entrance from Banana, which is again a strong position. It's a good choice on an eco round and can net a couple of free kills, as it's not an angle that players check first when they enter site, if at all.

Another place you can jump to from the Second Oranges position is to the top of Quad Box at the back of the bombsite. This is a very exposed position, but could be useful as a wildcard spot every now and then:

The final spot for the B bombsite, and indeed Inferno, is in Construction. Jump peeking from the spool over the scaffolding can give you information regarding how many Counter Terrorists are retaking from CT Spawn, before the push. Simply standing on the spool and looking towards CT can also get you some free headshots if the angle is right. The photo below is taken while jumping.

That's it for Inferno. As I said before, this map is laden with props and objects and provides potential for many different new positions and angles to hold. Take the time to open up the map and explore it, testing out the angles mentioned above and try to find some of your own.

- de_mirage

Mirage is a map famed within the community for its endless features and competitive depth. There are a good variety of wallbangs, angles, jumps and more that make it a great map. Focusing on angles, there's an interesting mixture, however its open design (similar to Dust II) means there aren't too many.

A Bombsite

The A Bombsite on Mirage is very open and whilst there are some props that provide many possibilities for different positions, most of the spots on the site are either very exposed and ineffective, or are now becoming frequently checked by the average player. The first position I'd like to point out is on top of the ticketbox by CT Spawn:

This gives you a large amount of options in terms of holding entrances into the bombsite. To access it, simply crouch jump onto the crate next to it, and then again onto the roof of the ticketbox. Whilst this position is very exposed (especially from Palace), it is effective with both a scoped and non-scoped rifle, and is best when you know the Terrorists are on an eco round, or when you have sufficient support that can direct attention away from you. It can also see over some smokes that the Terrorists may throw when pushing the site. It is easy to fall back from, as you can simply walk back and drop down behind cover. However, don't make habit of using this spot as it is easy to prefire and you can be shot from many angles. Here are some of the various areas you can view and hold from here:

Taking a look at the rest of the main props on A site, there are a couple of options:

One option is the crates closest to Palace, which are near the centre of the screenshot above. This spot is occasionally used, but is a strong and direct angle for holding the site with plenty of opportunities to fall back. It also lets you hold from inside the ring of smokes that Terrorists will often throw. You'll need to do an awkward crouch jump to get onto the first platform, but from there you can crouch down and use the larger grey stack as cover. You can peek from either side to hold an angle onto Ramp and Palace, respectively.

The other option is on top of the Triple stack, which requires a difficult and perfectly executed crouch jump from the ground level to reach, or a simple jump from the position mentioned above to reach. This position gives two strong angles similar to the ticketbox; one facing Ramp and another facing Connector. This position is arguably more exposed than the ticketbox one, however just like the ticketbox is has the advantage of having a quick option to fall back behind cover. I would not use these angles frequently, but if you have support from your teammates within the site it's worth a try, to catch an enemy or two off-guard.

I'd also like to draw your attention to Ninja - whilst not a frequently used spot due to to the exposed angles a player will face playing there (if spotted of course) as well as it being often checked, it's always a good option on eco rounds on CT-side. Give it a go, it can often work as a one-time wonder, especially with teams that seldom check it.

Moving to the perimeters of the site, there's a nice angle that you can use to look into Palace with, from Connector. It involves the wooden crate, and you simply need to stand on it and you can see over the rim of Stairs and into Palace. It's a nice retake and defending angle, and is often quite difficult for the Terrorists to spot Counter Terrorists in there. Both scoped and non-scoped rifles are strong here.

The final angle I'd like to show you for A site is useful on both the Terrorist side, for initial bombsite takes, and for Counter-Terrorists if they face a retake situation. If you stand or crouch at the right angle on Ramp, you can see underneath the boxes at Triple and can spot the feet of any enemy player playing at Sandwich, which can be very important information. It works best with a scoped weapon, but if you've got a good eye you can spot players without the scope.

B Bombsite

I'm also going to be including spots in Middle for this section as they don't really fit anywhere else. When playing at the top of Mid, a lesser known fact is that you can actually stand on the cart wheel at Top Mid:

Whilst this isn't an ideal peeking angle, it's good to use occasionally to catch an enemy who may be playing Mid, especially if you can peek quickly.

Another strong angle to use in Middle is one that will always be helpful, so I'll mention it, despite its popularity (many players at high ranks use it). If you stand at Chair, you can look towards Short and there's a gap large enough for you to spot if a Counter Terrorist is playing on Short or not. This works both ways obviously, so as a CT you can get a free kill on a Terrorist who walks into your crosshair in Middle.

If you're defending Short and you don't want to peek this angle, you can always get a quick boost from a teammate onto the block on Short, which lets you watch a huge area. Falling back from this angle is also easy, as you can drop back into site easily.

You can also simply stand on your teammate's head and look over the block, which exposes less of your body.

If you have Middle control, there's an off-angle you can use to hold the exit from Underpass. It's on the block above the 'B' sign on Short:

Don't hold this angle for long periods of time, as it is very, very exposed. Regarding the sign and block; these have a variety of angles and jumps you can perform with them, so I would encourage you to experiment with it and see what you can work out.

The final angle I'll show you which looks out to Middle is from Window/Ladder Room, and lets a player see if anybody is exiting from Underpass. It's fairly simple and you'll nearly always get the advantage on a player as he or she usually won't check this angle first, however they do need to overextend quite significantly for you to be able to shoot them. This angle is also useful for stopping any enemies boosting into Window.

There is also a tight angle that is frequently held from Window Room which looks onto Short, but I haven't included it as I feel it's pretty heavily used. For those who don't know it; you stand on the far right side of Window and you can get a nice angle on any players who wander in the direction of Short or Ladder Room.

Moving onto the actual B Bombsite, there are a few neat angles you can hold which should really help you in holding the bombsite. I would recommend changing position every few rounds, or even each round, when holding this site and DON'T play on top of the van. You're hideously exposed and it's not worth it.

The first angle is quite well known from what I've seen, but I rarely see it used in-game, if at all. You'll need to line yourself up with the second highest box in this stack. You then need to hold down the key for sneak (default: shift) and walk towards the edges of the stack. If you're aiming at the right place, you'll walk up onto a tiny ledge:

From here, you can jump up onto the stack of crates. This position gives a great angle on any Terrorists entering the site from Apartments, either for a clean kill or some good damage output.

Another good angle to watch Apartments from is the left side of the plant area - whilst it does not give a comprehensive angle on Apartments, it can catch any Terrorists who go close to the windows. This angle gives a direct shot onto any Terrorists passing the location shown in the second photo:

You can also look under the Van to see if any Terrorists are hiding behind it, which can be useful in a retake situation or midway through holding a site. This was posted on Reddit by /u/Leostereo and is explained in a photo album which can be seen here - his original Reddit post is here.

Moving over to the Kitchen area, there are a couple of good angles for you to use. The cubby above the stack of shelves can be stood upon, and requires two crouch jumps to get on top of. You'll need to hold down crouch to fit in as the ceiling is low once you're up there. This angle is great for stopping retake situations, especially if you set up a crossfire/bait and switch scenario with a teammate playing at the door entering site or the window overlooking it. It is checked frequently so you'll need to stay alert and don't overuse it.

You can also hold an angle right next to the shelving (beneath the 'eau' poster) which looks towards the door, and crouching down will help as you're slightly hidden from view.

Finishing up in Kitchen, here's a good position to hold to hinder a retake from the Counter Terrorists. You're quite difficult to spot and the enemy needs to hit a quick headshot to have a realistic chance of winning the aim duel. It is prefired sometimes, so be aware of this. The last angle is good for a retake situation, as only your head is exposed, and you can often output good damage - possibly even a kill on a low health enemy - as well as potentially gaining useful information on post-plant positions.

And that's pretty much it for Mirage. Much like Inferno, it has a lot of props that can be experimented with, so this almost certainly isn't all that's out there. The next map is Cache, which has a nice variety of heights creating some interesting angles.

- de_cache

Cache is a simple map by design, however it has a variety of props that give the map a good dynamic of height and distance.

A Bombsite

The A Bombsite on Cache has lots of possibilities for interesting angles to hold due to its mixtures of crates and ledges. One unorthodox angle that can be used when holding the site passively (alongside support from your team) or in a retake situation involves the Electric Box near Truck. Standing on the small yellow platform gives a slightly raised angle that will catch Terrorists off guard if used now and then. The shape of the Electric Box also protects a large portion of your body.

You can also stand on the Electric Box and jump round to the platform between Highway and A site, which gives a good angle towards Squeaky as well as covering other areas of the bombsite. I wouldn't use this position unless you have control of Middle, as you run the risk of being shot in the back.

Moving on to Heaven, you can stand on the railing and get good coverage of the entire site. Whilst the position is strong, it is also extremely exposed. You can however fall to the side and hug the wall, which covers you from both Squeaky and Main (shown in second photo).

The next few angles are along a certain 'route'; from the red crate, to Quadbox, to the lamps:

The first position is on top of the red crate - run along the railing in Heaven and simply jump down onto it. This angle can see over the smokes usually thrown to accompany the push into site, and can be used effectively alongside a teammate playing at ground level. It can often net you a free opening kill which can give you an advantage early into the round pre-plant. You can fall back easily behind the crate if you come under fire. Don't hang around here much as you are exposed both from the Terrorists on-site and from anyone in Middle/Highway. This position was used very successfully by Cloud9's Freakazoid at the recent iBuyPower Cup.

From here you can jump to the top of Quadbox...

...which can sometimes be a slightly tricky jump due to the distance, but shouldn't be too difficult after a couple times. This position is useful for catching any Terrorists off who may wander into the entrance of Main, as this is unlikely to be a spot they'll pre-aim. Again, just like on the red crate, this position is exposed and shouldn't be overly committed to.

The final position along this jump 'route' is on top of the lamps at the back of site:

All of these lamps can be jumped and stood on, and can let a player see clearly over any smokes that the Terrorists may throw. Most flashbangs thrown into site won't affect you either. This is a 'wildcard' spot; if you use it frequently the Terrorists will simply start pre-aiming and prefiring this position. Here's the general view from each lamp:

The French player KennyS used this position very well for a free opening pick in the final round of his match against Flipside Tactics, during Dreamhack Open Summer 2015 - this clip also shows how powerful the spot is in terms of negating the enemies' grenades. Check it out here.

Another noteworthy position is the infamous boost in the corner of A site - whilst this position can be self-boosted, the setup is long and arduous, and is not very effective in a competitive scenario. This position can be reached either with a run boost on the red crate, or more easily with a standard boost from a teammate at the toxic barrels:

This angle is very powerful and covers nearly all of the bombsite, and will almost always result in a free kill as long as the enemy doesn't check it (which they often don't). However remember that if the enemy hears you boosting up, he/she will almost certainly check it. This spot was famously used by Shroud to net a triple kill and pull Cloud9 into an overtime versus iBuyPower:

There are also angles for the Terrorists to use on A too. In Squeaky, standing on the crate in the back room gives a good angle to catch any Counter Terrorists pushing into Squeaky early:

Moving into Middle, a good angle for Terrorists to use to catch rotators from B involves standing on the roof in Mid and aiming through Connector:

As a CT, you can use the shutter edges in Middle to obtain an unusual angle on your enemies; to start, jump up from the entrance to vents:

You can watch the Garage exit, as well as Boost, from here. This is a strange angle and will almost certainly catch off any players wandering into Mid. You can also perform a strafe jump to the next shutter from here, which gives you an angle looking directly down onto anyone entering Mid.

All of these angles are quite gimmicky and shouldn't be used frequently; I'd advise them to be used on eco rounds, or alongside support from teammates.

Finally, you can stand on this ledge to get an edge on any Terrorists and prevent them from boosting into Mid:

To access this spot, simply jump up onto White Box and then onto the ledge.

Terrorists can also boost up onto the red crate in Garage, which can be used to prevent any pushes through Middle by the CTs:

B Bombsite

The B Bombsite provides a variety of options with an interesting mix of props and boxes:

These angles are useful for holding the site on both the Counter Terrorist and Terrorist side. To start, you can jump on the crate at the front of the site, which gives a slightly stronger angle into Heaven. However this position is quite exposed so I would advice it more for the Terrorist side during or just after a bombsite take. The grey stack alongside this crate can also be stood on to give an angle at the same level as Heaven, which can often catch enemies peeking the site off-guard.

This position is also viable as you can jump and just about see if any rotators are in CT Spawn. The second photo shows where the Counter Terrorist will need to be for you to see him:

Continuing back inside the site, you can jump from the boxes at the front of the site to some more boxes at the back of the site. Sliding onto a ledge near the back of the boxes can drop you into a very strong position that covers most of your body. This position gives a powerful angle facing Checkers/Vent Room and the front of the site, however it can be wallbanged and is spammable so don't stay here once you're spotted. You can also stand on top of these boxes for an angle towards the entrance to Checkers/Vent Room and the exit from B Halls into site.

There is also a boost you can perform with a teammate that lets you see into Toxic; this can give you the early information on the Terrorists' locations, or that a push is coming towards the B bombsite - you may even spot the bomb (second photo taken while jumping):

The final jump you can make from these boxes is onto the other grey stack at the front of site. This position is very exposed and isn't the safest to fall back from, so I leave it to you to decide what you want to do with it:

For retaking the B bombsite, there's a good angle you can hold. This gives you a clear shot on anybody playing on the front left of the plant area, and you're difficult to be spotted by the enemy as the surroundings are dark. To get here, perform a simple crouch jump in the corner between the sandbags and the stack of metal:

The rest of the angles and positions for Cache don't really come under the label of either bombsite, so I'll just place them here. These are all good for getting an opening pick in a round, or to catch rotators. Here's the first one; you can easily climb the ledges by T Spawn, and then go to the far right corner of the roof for a good angle into B Halls.

This is effective as it's at a slight off-angle, and this angle is generally not the first focus of anyone pushing this area of the map. B Halls can also be covered from all the way at the back of T Spawn, with a simple boost onto the sign:

You'll need to stand at the right hand side of the sign to obtain this angle, but this position is arguable stronger as you are further away from your enemy. However, you are exposed from anybody who is crazy enough to push out of the A site or straight through Middle to Spawn.

The final position for Cache, and indeed this guide, is at the Van in T Spawn. You may have seen these angle used by professional teams - it has often been used by TSM and Cloud9 to attempt to get a free opening pick in a round. You'll need to stand on the close left corner of the Van, and is practically only viable with a scoped weapon. This position gives the player an angle towards White Box in Mid, which gives them a free kill on anyone playing on the right hand side of the box.

And that just about rounds it up for this guide! I encourage you to load up a map and explore it for yourself; what I have outlined here is definitely not all that be utilized or achieved. All of these spots are completely situational and may or may not work depending on the round's circumstances; it's up to your judgement to use them or not at any particular time. I will cover the 'custom' maps - Overpass, Train and Cobblestone - at a later date, as these have more complex layouts and provide (in my opinion) a much greater mixture and/or possibility of interesting angles and positions.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and enjoy using these positions in your next game!

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