Support players are often described as the players who smoke and flash for their teammates during an execute, but their role is in fact much broader than that and requires a much more diverse skill set. They need to be seen as the Swiss Army knife of the team: who are able to take up pretty much any role required, bar AWPing or in-game leading. Support players need to be decent mechanically, but, crucially, they need to be intelligent and hardworking players. The role requires them to be willing to learn a wide range of smokes and flashes, while also being able to decide in the heat of the moment whether to take the role of an out of position or dead teammate.

1. Clutch Mentality

As a support player, you will often be left last alive in the round, forced to win a 1vX clutch. One of the best support players in the world, Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth, is also one of the best clutch players in the world and this isn't a coincidence. When in a 1v2 or more situation, you are nearly always required to isolate the players into two 1v1s as you are more likely to win both of these over a single 1v2. If you know the position of an enemy player, it's often worth pushing him, as he is likely to be alone, leaving you with one less player you need to manually isolate. On the Terrorist side, once you enter a 1v1, you can often simply play for time, letting the bomb timer tick away.

However, on the Counter-Terrorist side, your first aim should always be to locate where the Terrorist is likely to be hiding before killing him. If you have the time, it is often better to push and kill him, but if left with little time you may be forced to fake defuse. If you have to do so, tap the bomb before walking out to an angle wider than the bomb to the Terrorist peeking. This means that if he shoulder peeks the bomb, he will in fact be fully facing you and also be unlikely to predict your position. Below, Joshua "Steel" Nissan has a brilliant video on clutching.

A final note on clutching - do not underestimate the importance of a good plan. Time and time again, players believe that they have to predict what their enemy will do and then counter it. On the Counter-Terrorist side, this is often necessary, however a far easier approach to take on the Terrorist side is to ask yourself the question: what do they think I am going to do? By doing the opposite to your answer, you are far more likely to catch the Counter-Terrorist unaware and land a simple kill. For example, on the B site of Cache in a 1v1, Terrorists are largely expected to plant the bomb as open as possible and then hide in CT, Checkers, or B Main. However, if you choose an off-angle in Heaven or CT and watch the cross to the bombsite, you are extremely likely to kill the Counter-Terrorist from an angle he is not expecting.

2. Learn your nades

In a simple execute, you will often be required to throw a set of nades for your team. However, in an actual match when players die mid round, you may be required to fill in for their role in the strategy. As such, you should aim to learn all the utility thrown by your team in each execute so that you will be able to fill in for your teammates. You may also be called upon to entry frag in the heat of the round, so be sure to know the route run by your entry fragger. At the end of the day, it will be your job to fill the gaps and as such, you need to know what gaps to fill. Through practice, you should learn which roles are most important in the execute, so that if more than one role is missing, you will be able to aptly decide which role to fill in the round.

As mentioned before, you will also be put in lots of clutch situations. Learning a few gimmick plays to guarantee won rounds in 1vX situations will make your job considerably easier if you wish to consistently win these rounds. For example, on most bombsites there will be a set molotov you can learn to set fire to the bomb from a concealed position. Most of these are highlighted in this trilluxe video. However, more unexpected plays can also be achieved by planting the bomb in specific positions, such as in the highlighted video below on Overpass by Hatton Games. Both of these sorts of plays will consistently win you rounds and the only thing you need to do is learn the utility and spams.

3. Be a support outside of the server

Finally, to be a good support player you are often required to be calm and collected inside the server - a player who is able to put your ego and emotions aside, no matter the situation. You will find that this isn't always possible from everyone, both inside and outside of the server. Be sure to channel this personality trait so that it isn't only present during a clutch or heated timeout, but also outside of matches when teammates' egos might be clashing or the in-game leader needs a hand watching a few demos. By being a support outside of the server, you are only going to positively influence your reputation within your scene and possibly land yourself a spot on better teams. Although this is a tip that should apply to all players in the team, it is a quality I have found most prevalent in support players.

In conclusion, support players aren't just players who throw flashbangs and smokes. They are the real driving force behind a team, taking all the boring or unappealing roles so that the stars of the team don't have to. Yet at the same time, they create situations and help facilitate team environments that let those very stars thrive and reach the great heights that they are capable of. When playing as a support player, if you have those quintessential goals at heart, then there is little that you can do wrong.