Do you get nervous when you try to clutch rounds or when your teammates are judging your every move? Do you have problems knowing when to attempt to win a 1vX situation or knowing how to approach a 1vX situation? In this blog I’m going to break down different strategies you can use to help increase your odds in winning crucial rounds and your skill level as a player.

Risk vs Reward

To clutch or not to clutch is the question. For example, if you’re in a 1v4 after plant situation as CT on the 4th round, you are better off saving your rifle. The risk can pay off if you are in a favorable position as a CT and you know they are low on hp, say, in 1v3 situation with lots of time. Map and situational awareness are key for getting yourself into a favorable position in a clutch scenario. Communication between you and your teammates should also be a strong factor whether a clutch attempt would be worth it for the team as a whole. When it comes to understanding how to put yourself in a favorable position on the Terrorist side, game sense is key. For instance, your team tries to execute on the A bomb site on de_dust 2, you come out unfavorable, and you are in a 1v3. Your best bet is to try to get a quick pick and fall back to mid and lurk, forcing the CTs to split up and giving you the more favorable 1v1 situation. Unless, in an unlikely situation, that they stack one site. That’s when your teammates and communication come into play.

Keep calm and frag; it’s all in your mind

Keeping yourself in the right frame of mind in the middle of trying to clutch can be very difficult for new players. Approach situations one at a time. This can mean several different things, the first being to force 1v1’s by putting yourself in the proper position. Try to avoid being in positions where you can be peaked from multiple angles. Take it 1 frag at a time and focus on that. For some, focusing on the round as a whole or having your teammates watching your every move can cause stress and anxiety, causing you to underperform. So stay focused on the task at hand! Sometimes you will be forced into situations where you won’t have a choice but to peak into a crossfire. Situations like these are great for late round flashes and nades to catch your opponent off guard. Knowing flashes and angles will help you achieve the goal of breaking up the crossfire that they have on your angle. In my opinion, winning rounds like these will give you the most satisfaction you can get out of counter-strike.

1v1 Situations

When you’re in a 1v1 situation, walking is your best friend. Keeping completely silent if you suspect that the enemy player might be close is a must. Don’t even reload because the enemy player can also hear reloads. People listen for that stuff more often the higher your elo is. If you are on the Terrorist side, make sure the bomb is planted at an exposed angle that is easy for you to peak. Being in such a powerful position will give you a better chance to walk away with the round. Playing as the counter-terrorist side in a 1v1 after plant situation can be a little more difficult. My biggest gripe when watching newer players trying to win these rounds is watching your teammate run and make footsteps after attempting to fake defuse the bomb. To attempt a fake defuse, you must be completely silent after you press E to defuse the bomb. After you have successfully faked the bomb, you will want to pre-aim the angle that you believe the enemy terrorist player will be peaking from as soon as you get off it. The biggest advantage in these situations, in my opinion, is information. Knowing where an enemy player is in a 1v1 and knowing how they will have to play out a situation will greatly increase your chances in these scenarios.

What should I take from all of this?

Practice makes perfect! Executing some of the strategies that I have pointed out are just the basics to winning these rounds. Rounds like these is where game sense and experience really will show in your play. Just remember to keep calm and focus, and work on the fundamentals that I have written about in this short blog. In a small amount of time, you should start to see yourself making small improvements in these situations. Winning important rounds and forcing the enemy team into ecos will dramatically improving your chances of winning games and ranking up by getting move mvp stars.