Why defined player roles are important in CSGO
CSGO is one of the most popular tactical FPS games in the world. But many people do not know that player roles are important in the game.
Why defined player roles are important in CSGO
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the most popular tactical first-person shooter games in the world. But many people do not know that player roles are important in the game. CSGO is easier to play when these roles are defined and people have their own tasks in the game.
Since CSGO is a five vs five game, there are a lot of team dynamics that need to be met while playing. Some people do like to play CSGO in a free manner without any set role but that leads to a hectic game.
With more defined roles, you can have an easier time. Let us talk about some of the roles that you need to know so you can have a better experience while playing this awesome FPS game.
In-game leader
The in-game leader or captain is an integral part of how a team is run. Just like any team game, a leader is important because he can dictate how the game should be played. They are also called the shot-callers because they are the ones who will be relied upon to make decisions for the team.
If you are familiar with the pro CSGO scene, this will be one of the most important factors in how a team wins. This is the knowledge that you need to know when participating in CSGO gambling. Take for example, Lukas ‘gla1ve’ Rossander and Astralis. Before he arrived, the team was always competing for a title but were always going out in the semis under former IGL Finn ‘karrigan’ Andresen who was a good captain in his own right.
However, karrigan’s dynamic with the squad did not lead to a Valve Major title for Astralis. This led to the squad removing him from the past to play under gla1ve’s leadership. This was the best move that they could have made because gla1ve would lead the squad to four Valve Major wins.
That is the importance of an IGL because one can take you to lose almost every match to winning every match. This is because of the tactics and the shot-calling that they can provide. Most CSGO players like to use the default plays which are easy to read.
If a team has a good IGL, you can expect that they will have good plays that can be used to outsmart the opponents. There are also some instances where you need a leader to take charge by talking to his teammates properly.
There should only be one IGL because the team dynamic will be messed up if it strays away from the norm. Of course, this will be better if you have a party of five players but if you are playing solo queue, you can try being the shot-caller so that your teammates have some direction to follow.
Entry fragger
The entry fragger’s job is to open up chances for the rest of the team to take a bomb site. This is mostly seen in the Terrorists side of the game. They are the aggressive side which means they need to have an entry fragger to take the sites.
The requirement for an entry fragger is quick aim and fearlessness. This is one of the toughest roles because an entry fragger typically fails in his attempts to break into the site. However, with the right flashbang to back him up, an entry fragger will get two or three frags when they run into the site.
A good example of this is Team Liquid’s Jake ‘Stewie2K’ Yip who is well known for his willingness to enter sites all on his own. With Counter-Terrorists' tendency to use a smoke grenade to block the path, he loves to push through the smoke and then surprise the opponents. That is the type of fearless plays that you see in this role.
Of course, there are other types of entry fraggers like the controlled aggression of a player like Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen who loves to play around angles that helps him open up sites for his teammates. It has been very successful as Astralis is the best squad in CSGO history.
There are times where an entry fragger can be an AWPer which is hard to do because only a few players can do this which we will get into with the sniper role.
AWPer
The AWPer is probably the most iconic role in CSGO because of their ability to frag enemies from far distances. You also have to remember that this role is usually static in one position but there are times that they need to reposition themselves.
Let us first talk about the AWP. It is a sniper rifle that costs around $4,750 in the in-game shop. It is also one of the most popular weapons in the game when it comes to the free CSGO skins. This is because the weapon is a one-hit frag on either the head, torso and the arm. However, if one hits the leg with an AWP, it is only worth 85 damage which is not fatal.
This is important to know because the AWP is easy and difficult to use at the same time. If you have good aim and quick reflexes, this will be a great weapon for you. However, the hard part is that you have to anticipate where your opponents will go which is tough to do especially in a quick instance.
You also need to know that the AWP can puncture walls which can give you the chance to frag an opponent through a wall if you get lucky.
The AWP is important because a team can get a frag almost immediately after the round starts. If a map has a good vantage point like de_dust2’s mid area where both T and CT side players have good spots.
There are a lot of great AWPers in the CSGO pro scene. If you are a fan of the game’s early days, you are probably inclined to players like Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub and Ladislav ‘GuardiaN’ Kovács because they were the best players in the world who used the AWP.
In recent years, Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev and Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut have innovated the role and have turned into a hybrid with the entry fragger role. What is amazing about what they are doing is that their stats are still great because they know the right timing for entry frags.
The AWP is a big investment but it will be worth it if the team’s AWPer is capable of playing his role well.
Support
The support is a role that people do not typically play because it is not as exciting as the others. This role is more focused on helping the rest of the team by using smoke and flashbang grenades.
Supports tend to line up smokes for the rest of the team which can signal the push from the entry fragger. Of course, they are not just supports as they will have to follow up on their teammates. They usually are the players who can trade frags with the opponent after the entry fragger gets caught.
They do not have a specific task except for those set pieces but with all of the holes that are on the squad, you can expect that the support player will do their best to fill them.
Lurker
As the name suggests, the lurker is someone who tends to stay in a place away from the rest of the team. This role is aimed at being the player who can flank the opponents. When the entry fragger and the rest of the team enter the site, that is when the fragger would take advantage and catch out the opponents who are trying to get into the site from behind.
A solid example of a lurker is the player who innovated the role. This is Cristopher ‘Get_RiGhT’ Alesund who is formerly from the legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas squad.
He was the player who can be called the perfect example of this because he would get his frags from lurking on spots around the map. This led to countless victories for the Swedish squad until they fell off in recent years.
You also have to consider the lurker as your main man in the clutch situations. GeT_RiGhT was a big-time player in his prime as he always stepped up for NiP. He had various solo clutch plays against multiple opponents that became the norm when NiP were playing. He was so dominant that people got used to him going up against three or more players and winning all on his own.
This is probably the hardest role to master but if you do, you will have a great time playing competitively. However, you need to brush up on not just your aim but your game sense as well. Because if you don’t, you will probably be caught off guard by the opponents.
Those are the roles that you need to know if you want to play CSGO on a competitive level. Of course, in your public lobbies, you will not get this all the time but it is great to see some players following a framework to help the team win.
If you are an avid fan of the esports scene, it is evident that this type of distinction is worth it. Make sure that you try to define the roles before you play so misunderstandings are at a minimum.
Words: Pocholo Magsino
