Academy

Cheat sheets

One page to print or keep on your phone: the words, the "if, then" cards, the economy, the habits.

The words

Ace: One player kills all five enemies in the same round.
Aim punch: When you get hit, your crosshair jolts and your next shots miss.
Anchor: The defender who stays on a site and holds it until help arrives.
Anti-eco: The round played against a team that did not buy: you have the better guns, they do not.
Bait: Sending a teammate (or yourself) in first to draw enemy fire and punish whoever shoots.
Bind (key): Which key triggers which action in the game: movement, abilities, weapons, commands.
Bonus round: The round after a win where the team keeps the previous round's guns and buys only what is missing.
Boost: Standing on a teammate's head to reach a high spot or see over cover.
Burst: Firing a few bullets at a time (two, three, four) instead of holding the trigger.
Callout: The shared name of a spot on the map, or a piece of information you give your team out loud.
Choke: A narrow passage players are forced through, one or two at a time.
Clear: Checking an angle or area to make sure nobody is there.
Clutch: Winning a round as your team's last player alive against more than one enemy.
Contest: On defense, going out to fight the attackers for an area instead of waiting on site.
Counter-strafe: Stopping instantly by tapping the key opposite to your movement, so your shot is accurate.
Crossfire: Two players watching the same spot from different angles: whoever walks in cannot face both.
Crosshair placement: Always keeping your crosshair where an enemy's head will appear, before you see them.
Default: On attack, spreading across the map to gather information and space before choosing a site.
Defuse: Defusing the spike: 7 seconds in total, with a checkpoint halfway.
Denial: Using utility to stop the enemy from doing one specific thing: crossing, defusing, planting.
Double peek: Two players swinging the same angle together, so the enemy cannot kill both.
Dry peek: Peeking with no utility behind it: no flash, no smoke, no information.
Eco: Spending little or nothing in a round so you can buy properly in the next one.
Eco round: The round your team saves in: you play with pistols and little else, while still trying to gain something.
Enemy spotted: The red marker on the minimap: an enemy a teammate (or an ability) can see right now.
Entry: The player who goes into a site first, opening space for the team.
Execute: The whole team entering a site together, with utility thrown at the same time.
Fake: Making the defense believe you are hitting one site, then going to the other.
Fast hit: A quick attack on a site at the start of the round, before the defense settles.
First blood: The first kill of the round, which creates the first numbers advantage.
Flank: Reaching an enemy from behind or the side, through a route they are not watching.
Flash: An ability that briefly blinds whoever looks at it, used to enter or win a duel.
Force buy: Buying the best you can with the money you have, even if it is not enough for a full buy.
Full buy: A round where the whole team buys main weapons, heavy armor and abilities.
Half buy: A partial buy: cheaper guns and light armor, keeping part of your money.
Heaven and hell: Two common area names: heaven is a high spot overlooking a site, hell is the spot underneath.
Hold: Waiting still with your crosshair on a passage, ready to shoot whoever appears.
IGL: The in-game leader: the player who makes the plans and guides the team during the round.
Info (information): Everything you know about the enemy: where they are, how many, with what guns, what they used.
Isolate: Setting things up so you fight one enemy at a time, taking the other angles out of play.
Jiggle peek: Stepping out of cover and back in quickly to see who is there, without giving them time to shoot.
Lineup: An ability throw prepared in advance, from an exact spot, so it lands in an exact place.
Lurk: An attacker playing alone, away from the team, to catch defenders from behind or cut off rotations.
Map control: The areas of the map where your team can move without being seen or shot.
Mid: The middle of the map, linking the sites and letting you move between them faster.
Molly: An ability that leaves a damaging area on the ground for a limited time.
Off-angle: An unusual position where the enemy does not expect you, so they are not aiming there.
One-way smoke: A smoke placed so you can see the enemy's feet or body while they cannot see you.
Operator (playing with): The game's heavy sniper: one body or head shot almost always kills, but it is expensive and unforgiving.
Overtime: Extra rounds when a match reaches 12-12: play continues until one team is two rounds ahead.
Peek: Stepping out of cover to look at (and shoot) an angle or area.
Pinch: Attacking a site from two directions at once, so the defenders cannot watch both.
Pistol round: The first round of each half: everyone starts with 800 credits, so only pistols, light armor and a few abilities.
Plant: Planting the spike on a site: 4 seconds, then a 45 second timer starts.
Post-plant: The part of the round after the spike is planted: the attackers must stop the defuse.
Pre-aim: Placing your crosshair where an enemy probably is before you see them, as you come out of cover.
Pre-fire: Shooting at a spot before you see the enemy, because you are almost certain they are there.
Probe: A light attacking move on a site to see how the defense reacts, without committing.
Re-peek: Peeking the same angle again right after the first time.
Retake: On defense, going back into a site the attackers took, together, to defuse the spike.
Rotate: Moving from one area of the map to another to help where it is needed.
Save: Stopping play in a lost round to keep your gun and armor for the next one.
Setup: How a player or team is arranged on a site, with positions and utility ready.
Shoulder peek: Showing just a sliver of your body (the shoulder) to make the enemy react, without really exposing yourself.
Site: One of the map areas where the attackers can plant the spike: A, B and sometimes C.
Smoke: An ability that creates a cloud blocking vision, to cover a passage or an angle.
Space: Gaining ground on the map by pushing forward, so the team has more room and more options.
Spacing: The right distance between teammates: close enough to trade, far enough not to die together.
Split: An attack on one site by two groups coming from different entrances.
Spray: Holding down the fire button and shooting many bullets in a row while controlling recoil.
Stack: Putting more players than usual on one site, leaving the others thinner.
Stall: Wasting the enemy's time with utility or positioning, without necessarily fighting.
Swing: A decisive, fast peek towards an enemy who is probably waiting, to take the fight right away.
Tap: Firing one shot at a time, calmly, for maximum accuracy.
Tempo: The pace of a round: how quickly a team moves, decides and executes.
Thrifty: Winning a round in which your team spent far less than the enemy.
Timeout: A break in the match to talk and change the plan: in organized matches it is a real pause, in normal games it is a quick talk during the buy phase.
Trade: Killing the enemy who just killed your teammate, right away, so the round stays even.
Ult economy: Keeping track of your ultimates and the enemy's, and deciding when to use them, the way you manage money.
Utility: All agent abilities: smokes, flashes, mollies, traps, recon, walls, heals.
Wallbang: Hitting an enemy by shooting through cover that bullets can go through.
Wide swing: Coming out of cover with a wide, fast step, so you appear where the enemy's crosshair is not.
Win condition: The thing that wins you the round if you achieve it: the minimum plan you need to pull off.

If, then

Two enemies seen in mid and nothing on B Two defenders in mid almost always means a lighter site: if B is quiet and you have time, B is the hit you are most likely to win.
Took A Main without seeing anyone: continue or switch? A main taken without contact is space gained, not a danger sign: it usually pays to continue, with utility ready, instead of switching out of fear.
Our first kill early in the round: speed up or slow down? With an extra player, time is on your side: it usually pays to use the advantage by taking space calmly, not by rushing into a site where the defense is waiting.
Our entry dies straight away If the entry dies, the first job is the trade: whoever is behind must punish the killer straight away. If the trade is not possible, stop and reassess, instead of going in one at a time.
We hear three players on A as we head there Three defenders on A is a fact, not a feeling: if you have time, the other site has at most two. Switch early and all together.
Mid lost: is the split still possible? Without mid, a split that went through the center no longer works: go in through the main with the whole team, or retake mid with utility before trying again.
Teammate dead in mid with no information A teammate who dies without saying anything still gives you information: where they died, who killed them and with what. Use it to decide, instead of going to look in person.
Enemy seen in main for two seconds, then gone An enemy who shows up and disappears is probably doing one of three things: gathering information, rotating or setting up an ambush. Call it, remember where and when, and do not chase them alone.
5v4 on attack at 50 seconds With an extra player and time on your side, the most common mistake is giving away duels. Move together, take space with utility and hit where the defense has fewer players.
4v5 on attack without the duelist Without the duelist, someone still has to go in first: whoever has the most utility for it or whoever is in position. You make up for it with more utility and a paired entry.
Controller with the site taken: keep a smoke or use them all? With the site taken, a smoke kept for the post-plant is often worth more than one more smoke during the entry. Use the ones you need to get in and keep the last one to stop the retake.
Spike planted, 3v3, nobody in sight In the post-plant, time is on your side: the defense has to come and defuse. Take different angles watching the spike, do not go looking for defenders, and let them be the ones who show themselves.
Lone lurker on the other side at 30 seconds At 30 seconds the lurker no longer has time to wait for the perfect moment: either hit the defense's rotation now, or join the team for the post-plant. Standing still helps nobody.
The defense has used three ultimates, flashes or mollies When the defense spends a lot of utility to stop you, it does not have it anymore for a while. That is the moment to hit, before it recharges or the rotation arrives.
Saw a Killjoy on B and an Omen in mid: where are the others? Knowing two enemy agents and their positions lets you guess the other three: a sentinel on one site and a controller in mid usually leave three players on the other site or in between.
35 seconds on the clock and no information At 35 seconds, the information you do not have will not arrive in time: pick the closest site or the one where you have more players, and go in now with all your utility.
The spike carrier died far from the team Without the spike, the attack can only win by eliminating every defender. Recovering it pays off if it can be reached safely; if it is under the defense's fire, it is often better to play for kills or save.
Entry stopped by the sentinel setup: commit or switch A sentinel setup stops players who rush in, not players who come in with the right utility. If you have the tools to remove it, commit; if you do not and there is time, switch site.
After the plant: where to stand in a 2v2 In a 2v2 after the plant, two positions that cover each other and watch the spike are worth more than two aggressive ones. Make sure whoever defuses has to deal with both of you.
The fake worked: when to really hit the other site The fake has worked when you hear the defense moving towards the wrong site. From that moment every second counts: hit straight away, before the defense realizes and comes back.
Alone on site, I hear three players Alone against three, you do not have to win: you have to waste their time and inform. Call it straight away, use utility to delay and be ready to give up the site to come back with the team.
Smoke on the choke and nobody comes: when to put it back A defensive smoke that runs out with nobody coming through is not wasted if it bought you time. Put it back only when you have information that the attack is coming, not out of habit.
My site is falling and the team is far away When the site falls and help is far, your goal changes: stay alive and informed for the retake. A living defender with information is worth more than a dead hero.
Teammate died in mid: do I rotate? A teammate dying in mid tells you the attack is in mid, not where it is going. You need more information before rotating; it often pays to stay on site and get ready to receive it.
I hear the plant on the other side and I am far away When you hear the plant far away, the round is not over: there is the spike timer. Join the team without running in alone and set up a retake together, or save if the numbers are not there.
Heard two rotations: do I rotate too? If two teammates have already rotated, someone has to stay: the site you leave empty is exactly what a fake wants to open. Only rotate if the information is clear and you are really needed.
No contact at 40 seconds No contact at 40 seconds means the attack is setting something up or waiting for a mistake. Hold your position, keep your utility and do not go looking: time is working for you.
5v4 on defense after winning the opening With an extra player on defense you do not need to chase more kills: you just need not to give any away. Hold your positions, play for trades and let the attack be the one taking risks.
4v5 on defense: who plays where Outnumbered, the defense cannot cover everything: choose what to hold and what to give up, play closer together so you can trade, and lean on the retake more than on holding.
Retake 3v3 with the spike planted In a 3v3 retake, the spike timer is almost always enough to get organized: go in together, from several sides if you can, with utility before bodies, and decide beforehand who defuses.
Retake 2v3: try it or save? A two against three retake is only worth trying if you have utility, time and information on positions. Otherwise, saving your weapons is the choice that wins the next round.
The attack took mid: how to respond When the attack takes mid, the defense does not have to retake it at all costs: it has to protect the sides of the sites that mid opens and get ready to rotate earlier than usual.
Contact in main early in the round: call for help or delay? Early contact in main is information, not necessarily an attack. Call what you see and delay with utility; only ask for help when you know it is a real execute.
Saw one enemy with lots of utility: is it a fake? Lots of utility and only one enemy seen is a classic fake signal. Do not rotate until you see or hear more attackers: that is the missing piece of information that tells you whether it is real.
Spike on site and I am isolated in a corner Isolated on site after the plant, you are valuable information and a threat to the attack. Stay hidden, call positions and strike when your team comes in, the moment the attackers turn to face them.
A lurker behind us A known lurker is far less dangerous than an unknown one. Call it, decide who deals with it (one player, not everyone) and keep playing the rest of the round as if they were there.
Our aggressive early move failed A failed aggressive move leaves you a player down and the attack informed. Do not repeat it and do not seek revenge: reorganize, cover the gap and play for the retake.
Sentinel with the setup destroyed early A setup destroyed early is information: the attack spent utility there and is probably coming. Call it, move to a different position and play as a normal defender until you can put something back.
Enemy area ultimate incoming Against an ultimate that covers an area, you do not fight inside the area: you get out, buy time and come back when it ends. The ultimate lasts a few seconds; a dead defender stays dead.
Last seconds and the attack has not planted yet In the last seconds with no plant, time is your best weapon: every second you cost the attack brings it closer to losing. Delay, do not give away duels, and watch the spike.
Lost the pistol round: full eco or force? After losing the pistol round, a full eco usually pays off so you can buy properly in the third round. A force only makes sense if you have a concrete edge, like the spike planted on attack or weapons picked up.
Won the pistol round: what to buy in round two After winning the pistol round, round two is played against a poor enemy: good weapons at close and medium range, armor, and above all no free duels.
The enemy is on an eco: how to play against it Against an eco, the danger is not their weapons but close distances and surprises. Play from range, together, with utility, and do not leave weapons lying around.
Uneven money in the team: who buys what When credits differ between teammates, whoever has more buys a weapon for whoever has less, so the team buys together and saves together. Five decent players beat two rich ones and three empty-handed.
The bonus round after two wins In the "bonus" round you play with the cheap weapons bought to win the previous round, against an enemy on a full buy. You play for the kill and the weapons, and save if the round is lost.
Match point for us At our match point you play the round to win it, not to avoid losing it: buy the best you can, play the plan you know best and stay calm. Hurry is the enemy.
Match point for them At the enemy's match point there is no next round to prepare for: buy everything you can, play the strategy most likely to win and accept an extra risk.
Overtime In overtime the economy no longer matters: each team has money for a full buy every round and sides alternate. All that counts is winning the round, with the plan that works best on that side.
Comeback from far behind A comeback is built one round at a time: stop looking at the score, change one thing that is not working and try to win the next round, then the one after.
I have the Operator and the team is on an eco With an expensive weapon in an eco round, your goal is twofold: a kill that helps the team, and not losing the gun. Play a safe position from range and save if the round is lost.
Controller: smokes to go in or for the post-plant? Smokes are first and foremost for getting in: a failed entry has no post-plant. Use the ones you need to take the site and keep the last one for the retake only if the entry does not need it.
Initiator: information first or the flash to go in? Information comes first if there is time: it tells you where the flash is needed. But if the entry has already started, the flash for your duelist is worth more than any information.
Sentinel: the traps have been destroyed Without traps you are a defender like the others, but with one extra piece of information: you know the attack has spent utility on you. Call it, change position and delay with what you have left.
Duelist: nobody follows me If you go in and nobody follows, it is not an entry: it is a duel alone against the whole defense. Before going in, make sure the team is ready; if it is not, wait and call it.
My ultimate is ready: now or keep it? An ultimate is worth most in the round where it changes the result: a round that matters for the economy or the score, a hard execute or retake. Do not use it out of habit, but do not hold it until you lose it with you.
An enemy Operator holds a long angle Against an Operator on a long line you do not win the duel on equal terms: take away the line with utility, go around it, or force it to move. Every dry peek is a free kill.
Our team has no controller Without smokes you cannot take away sightlines: make up for it with flashes, information, faster entries and paired duels, and pick the strategy that needs the fewest smokes.
Going into a site full of mollies Mollies last a few seconds: you do not walk into them, you wait for them to end and go in straight after, when the defense has spent its utility. Every second of waiting costs time, though, so keep count.
I saw the enemy drone or recon: what do they know now If an enemy ability has spotted you, the enemy knows where you are. First change position; then think about what they would do with that information, and get ahead of it.
A teammate asks for an ability I no longer have Say it straight away and clearly: "no smoke left". A team that knows what is missing adapts; one that counts on an ability that is not there goes in and dies.

Economy

Weapons	Cost
Classic	Free
Knife	Free
Shorty	300 credits
Frenzy	450 credits
Ghost	500 credits
Bandit	600 credits
Sheriff	800 credits
Bucky	850 credits
Marshal	950 credits
Stinger	1100 credits
Ares	1600 credits
Spectre	1600 credits
Judge	1850 credits
Bulldog	2050 credits
Guardian	2250 credits
Outlaw	2400 credits
Phantom	2900 credits
Vandal	2900 credits
Warden	2900 credits
Odin	3200 credits
Operator	4700 credits

Your agent

Cheat sheets

The words

If, then

Economy

Habits