Academy
If, then
Short decision cards for the moments that decide rounds. What you know, what you think, what you do, what you avoid.
60 results
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.