Ascent

Ascent is almost always decided in mid. Mid Courtyard is a big, open space connected to both sites: whoever controls it can threaten A through Catwalk and B through Market, forcing the other team to cover everything.

On attack the win condition is taking enough mid control to choose the site at the last moment, or hitting a site with a full execute when the defense has sent players to mid. On defense it is denying mid early (with utility and players), so the attack is forced through the mains, where the defense is waiting.

The two mechanical doors (one between A site and mid, one between B site and Market) are an important detail: closed, they cut the path from mid to site; they can, however, be broken with enough shots.

The ten questions from the chapter on how to study a map, applied to Ascent:

1. Does mid matter? Enormously: it is the key to the map.
2. Is a lot of information needed? Yes: the sites are wide, with many positions.
3. Are the chokes narrow? The mains are fairly narrow corridors; so are Catwalk and the passage towards Mid Top.
4. Are precise smokes needed? Yes, especially on the sites' defensive positions and on Mid Top.
5. Does blocking rotations matter? Yes: the doors and mid control change rotation timings.
6. Are there many angles to clear? On the sites, yes, especially A.
7. Is the retake strong? Fairly, because the defense comes from a nearby spawn; a closed door can complicate it.
8. Is one area held for a long time? Mid, often by one player with utility.
9. Are there strong splits? Yes: mid and a main together towards the same site.
10. How much does lurking matter? Quite a lot, especially in mid to cut rotations.

Ascent's main callouts (twenty-two in all), to use in game:

• A: A Lobby, A Main, A Site, A Wine, A Rafters (also called Heaven), A Garden, A Tree, A Window;
• Mid: Mid Bottom, Mid Catwalk, Mid Cubby, Mid Courtyard, Mid Top, Mid Pizza, Mid Market, Mid Link;
• B: B Lobby, B Main, B Site, B Boathouse;
• Spawns: Attacker Side Spawn and Defender Side Spawn.

The interactive map above marks the sites, spawns, mains, lobbies and main mid areas. The smaller callouts (Wine, Rafters, Garden, Tree, Window, Cubby, Pizza, Link, Boathouse) are in the list: learn to connect them to the right area by looking at the in-game minimap.

The narrow passages almost every play goes through:

• A Main, the corridor from A Lobby to A site;
• B Main, the corridor from B Lobby to B site;
• Catwalk, the raised passage linking mid to the A area;
• the passage between Mid Courtyard and Mid Top, towards the defense's side;
• Market, with the door to B site.

These are the spots where delay utility (mollies, slows, barriers) pays off most on defense, and where the attack has to go in with smokes and flashes.

A site: you enter through A Main (attack side) and, from mid, through the passage with the door. The defense has raised positions (A Rafters, called Heaven), angles close to the entrance and the A Tree and A Garden area towards its spawn. It is a site with many angles to clear: an entry from A Main with no utility almost always meets a defender in position.

B site: you enter through B Main and, from mid, through Market (with the door). The site is more compact, with the Boathouse among the positions to check. A sentinel holding B alone is a common choice, because the entrances are few and predictable.

On both sites, closing the door takes away the attack's entry from mid: useful for the defense, but careful, it also closes your own rotation.

Ascent's mid is a big courtyard (Mid Courtyard) connected to:

• Mid Bottom, towards the attacker spawn;
• Mid Catwalk and Mid Cubby, towards the A area;
• Mid Top, towards the defender spawn;
• Mid Market, Mid Pizza and Mid Link, towards B site and the defender spawn.

It is an open space with long lines: anyone crossing it without utility is exposed from several spots. That is why mid control is almost always taken with smokes (on the lines from Mid Top and Market) and information (a bolt, a drone).

The areas that matter most for map control:

• Mid Courtyard: the center of everything. Whoever holds it threatens both sites;
• Market: links mid to B site. For the attack it is B's secondary entrance; for the defense it is the quick rotation route;
• Catwalk: links mid to the A area. Taking it lets the attack threaten A from two sides;
• Mid Top: the defense's gateway to mid.

On the interactive map, the "control areas" layer highlights the Courtyard.

The defense usually rotates through its spawn, which is close to both sites: defensive rotations are relatively short. If the defense controls mid, it can also rotate through Market and the passage towards A, even faster.

The attack, if it does not control mid, rotates through its own spawn (from one lobby to the other): a long rotation. If it controls mid, it can switch sites much faster, which is one of the reasons mid matters so much.

The doors change the timings: a closed door forces rotating players to go around or break it.

A common defensive setup:

• A held by two players, often one near the A Main entrance and one deeper or raised;
• B held by a sentinel, covering B Main and Market with utility;
• mid contested by one or two players, from Mid Top or Market, with utility to deny the Courtyard early.

There are many variations: some teams put more players in mid in the first seconds to gain an advantage, others play the sites more passively and give mid to the attack, preparing for rotations.

A common attacking default:

• one or two players take mid (Mid Bottom, Catwalk), with a smoke on the line from Mid Top;
• one player in A Lobby and one in B Lobby, to gather information on the mains;
• an initiator uses info utility on mid or a site.

The goal is to find out whether the defense is contesting mid and how many players are on each site, to decide where to go.

The spots where the two teams clash most often:

• Mid Courtyard and Catwalk, in the first seconds of the round;
• Market, which the defense uses to contest mid from the B side;
• Mid Top, where the defense holds the line on the courtyard;
• the main entrances, when the attack tries to take space towards the sites.

On defense, contesting mid early with utility (a bolt, a smoke, a molly) is often the difference between an attack that chooses freely and one forced through the mains.

Where the attack takes space:

• Mid Bottom and Catwalk: often free in the first seconds, they are the first step to mid control;
• A Lobby and B Lobby: "free" space near spawn, from which to threaten the mains;
• Market, after taking the Courtyard: from there you threaten B through a second entrance.

On defense, space is taken in mid: whoever holds Market or Mid Top early takes away most of the attack's options.

Some typical defensive setups, with no lineups:

• a sentinel on B with traps on B Main and Market, holding the site alone and calling the entries;
• a controller with smokes for mid ready for Mid Top and Market, to deny the Courtyard;
• an initiator using info utility on A Main or mid at the start of the round;
• on A, one raised player and one near the A Main entrance, covering each other.

Changing setups during the match matters: on Ascent, predictable defenses get read quickly.

Typical executes:

• A from A Main: smokes on the site's defensive positions (the raised ones and those towards A Tree and A Garden), a flash on the corner near the entrance, going in together;
• A from two sides: with Catwalk control, part of the team enters from A Main and part from the mid side;
• B from B Main: smokes on Market and the back positions, a flash on site, a fast entry. A sentinel on B has to be found or switched off with utility before going in;
• B from two sides: B Main and Market together, if the attack controls mid.

In every execute, keep something for the post-plant: the defense rotates quickly from its spawn.

On Ascent fakes work well because the defense rotates quickly from spawn. A typical fake:

• some utility and noise on a main (for example smokes and footsteps in B Main);
• a player in mid confirming the defense's rotation;
• the real execute on the other site, ideally with mid control to arrive sooner.

The fake pays off most against defenses that have already rotated early in previous rounds.

A split comes naturally on Ascent, because mid leads to both sites:

• A: part from A Main, part from the mid side (Catwalk and the passage with the door);
• B: part from B Main, part from Market.

The requirement is mid control: without it, the group going through mid gets caught from Mid Top or Market. You also need a shared signal to go in at the same moment.

When to abandon a plan:

• if mid is contested with lots of utility and you have already lost a player, insisting on mid costs too much: better an execute from a main with the utility you have left;
• if a main is shut by heavy defensive utility (mollies, barriers, traps) and more than 40 seconds remain, the other site is probably weaker;
• if the site door is closed and the plan was to enter from mid, breaking the door costs time and noise: consider the other entrance.

The retake on Ascent fairly favors the defense, because the spawn is close to both sites. The keys:

• come in from several sides: for A, from the spawn side and from mid; for B, from Market and from the spawn side;
• use information: a bolt or an eye on the site tells you where the attackers have set up;
• watch the doors: if the attack has closed them, one of the retake entrances is blocked.

The chapter on retakes explains the order and timings.

The lurk on Ascent is played mostly in mid: an attacker staying in Catwalk or Mid Bottom while the team executes can hit defenders rotating through the Courtyard, or enter the site from the mid side.

On defense, a player staying in Market or Mid Top while the attack executes can catch it from behind in the post-plant. In both cases the lurk is only worth it if its timing is coordinated with the rest of the team.

Who usually plays where (on defense):

• sentinels often hold B, because the entrances are few and predictable;
• controllers play near mid or between mid and a site, to have smokes ready for both;
• initiators often play A or mid, where info utility is most useful;
• duelists play A (often raised or aggressive positions) or contest mid early.

On attack, duelists enter through the mains, while controllers and initiators prepare mid and the executes.

If on attack you see an enemy in mid early:

• the defense is contesting mid: expect a fight or utility on Catwalk and Mid Bottom;
• one site probably has one player fewer: if two are in mid, one of the sites is held by a single player;
• do not chase them into the Courtyard without utility: it is open, exposed from Mid Top and Market.

If instead the team has already decided the site, an enemy in mid becomes a flank risk: leave a player to cover Catwalk or Market during the execute and the post-plant.

On defense, an attacker seen in mid early means the attack wants the center: call it and get utility ready to deny it.

Agents who shine on Ascent, with the reason (the matrix gathers all the reasons):

• Sova: big sites and an open mid, where a bolt reveals many positions;
• KAY/O: the defense uses lots of sentinel utility on the sites, and the knife switches it off;
• Omen: long-range, recharging smokes for mid and the sites at different phases;
• Killjoy: holds a wide site alone, with a very strong post-plant;
• Jett: long lines and spots to shoot from and disappear;
• Cypher: wires on the mains and Market for constant information.

A common composition has a controller, one or two initiators, a sentinel and a duelist.

Typical mistakes on Ascent:

• crossing the Courtyard without utility: it is open and visible from several spots;
• giving mid to the attack without even a piece of information: the attack picks its site in peace;
• closing a door and then needing to rotate through it;
• forgetting A's raised positions during the entry;
• going into B without looking for the sentinel: traps and gadgets on B punish players who rush in;
• spending all your utility to take mid and reaching the execute with nothing.