Counter-Strike map guides

Walk one route from spawn to site.

Choose the route you take most often. Stop at each corner and name the positions an opponent could hold. Notice when a new angle becomes visible and when you can be seen from more than one place.

On Mirage, connect mid to the routes into each site. On Inferno, focus on the narrow approaches and the room available for teammates to follow. Use the map guides above as a reference while you walk.

Attach a purpose to each piece of utility.

For every smoke or flash you practise, explain the problem it solves: blocking one sightline, helping a teammate cross or buying time to reposition. Check both the landing point and the timing from the position you will use.

A lineup from an older article can stop working after a map change. Reproduce it in the current build before making it part of your team’s plan.

Practise the information, too.

Good map knowledge helps the person who cannot see your screen. Say where the opponent was, what they were doing and whether that information is still current. On a vertically layered map such as Nuke, include the level or route instead of an ambiguous “here”.

• Name the position before adding extra detail.
• Separate what you saw from what you suspect.
• Review where a rotation left space behind you.