Being aggressive when you’re playing as a Counter-Terrorist in CS:GO is difficult–if you don’t time your aggression correctly, it’s likely to backfire. There are specific times (and situations) when you need to be aggressive to win a round. There are also times when the best play is sitting back and waiting for the kills to come to you.
CT Side Aggression on Eco Rounds
You just lost a round, you and your team are out of money and you’re forced into an eco. Maybe you whip out the recently reworked Five-SeveN, or you stick with the trusty CZ-75. Either way, you’re still going to be up against rifles and/or SMGs. Read our article on optimizing your CT side eco rounds to learn more about what you should be prioritizing when you’re playing from an economic deficit.
The good thing about pistols is that they have a lot less recoil than a full-auto rifle. The bad thing is that their range is nowhere near that of a rifle, especially with the recent overhaul of pistol mechanics.
I recommend holding tight corners with a fast-firing pistol like the CZ or 5-7. All you have to do is hold your angle and wait for an enemy to walk into your crosshairs. Two good examples of such a situation would be by the barrel by Long Doors on Dust 2 or behind B Doors on Cobblestone. Both of these are “aggressive” in the sense that you’re taking an advanced position, but they’re also passive in the sense that you’re waiting for the other team to appear before you make a play.
When it comes to aggressive eco pushes, flashing and rushing palace on Mirage always grants me at least one kill and a gun. We wrote an article that outlines an easy bait setup on Mirage’s A bombsite — grab a friend and try it for yourself. Combining eco round bait setups with site stacks is a great way to steal a round from the other team, and this Inferno strat is an absolute classic.
You Got The Kill!
Congrats! You killed the guy who pushed you, and there’s a shiny AK-47 lying just close enough to the dangerous interior of Long Doors. If you leave your position to go grab the gun, someone could be waiting for you. What do you do?
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In situations where grabbing the gun could potentially get you killed, I like to either wait a few seconds before grabbing it to see if anyone else comes around the corner to trade the frag. Alternatively, you can smoke or flash the corner, grab the weapon, and retreat to a safer position. If you die while retrieving a rifle, it’s not the end of the world — at least you got a kill and some information for your team.
When Should You Go Aggressive?
Whether you’re on eco or a full-buy, it’s generally more beneficial to be aggressive at the start of a round, and here’s why. If you wait until later in the round to push one place, you’re giving the enemy time to set up and watch for a push. If you push at the start of a round, chances are you’ll catch the enemy off guard, thus granting you more kills or guns. In pro play, mid- to late-round aggression is usually more viable, but for your PUGs, aggression is a dish best served early.
You can’t spam very well with rifles without having to compensate for recoil, something that isn’t as pronounced with pistols or SMGs. If you do have rifles, your CT side aggression is usually best saved for 3v5 situations where you need to gather information and try to equalize your team’s player disadvantage.
Aggressive Rushes vs. “Idiot Pushes”
If four players run at the enemy, guns-a-flailing to the heavens and hit nobody but the poor pigeon who happened to fly by while the fifth player goes the opposite way, that’s not a rush.
A rush is when all five players go in a certain direction and actually shoot the enemy with the intent to kill by accounting for recoil, as opposed to just full on running & spraying at them. Anywhere from 2-3 kills constitutes a successful rush. You get bonus points for any guns you take out of the other team’s economy, and snagging weapons or winning the round can turn the tide of a game.
Go Get ‘Em, Tiger
Not all aggressive pushes require the whole team. Follow your gut. If it feels like aggression is the only thing that’s going to bail out your team, give it a shot. But be careful–if you decide to take the fight to the other team every round, sooner or later they’ll catch on.
