The Refinery: Pistol Round Prowess

In terms of gaining momentum, pistol rounds are arguably the most important rounds to win in Counter-Strike. With a pistol round victory, the winning team is potentially guaranteed three rounds to start off with, paving the way to a strong comeback or maintaining a comfortable lead. Though some players prefer to adopt other weapons during pistol rounds such as the Tec-9 or Five-Seven, the default starting pistols remain the most widely used. Below, the strengths and weaknesses of each individual starting pistol, as well as the playstyle best suited towards them will be covered in-depth.

 

Glock-18:

The classic Terrorist starting pistol. Glocks possess both a high rate of fire and a low, slightly circular recoil pattern (as opposed to traditional upward patterns) making the pistol well suited for mobility. As such, glocks are most effective for firing on the move and closing distance between you and enemy players. Because of its low armor penetration and accurate range, glocks are only reliable for close to mid-range headshots, so taking long range aim duels or firing from a stationary position should be avoided. When playing as a terrorist on the rush, avoiding damage is just as important as dealing damage. Constant side-stepping and ducking is recommended as you spam bullets at head-level whilst approaching a bomb site. For post-plant scenarios, burst-firing can come in handy for close-range flanks as you will be able to deal significant damage onto unsuspecting enemy players, though semi-automatic mode is best suited for most other situations.

Pros: High Rate of Fire, Low Recoil, High Ammunition Capacity, Burst-Fire Option
Cons: Low Armor Penetration, Low Accuracy

USP-S:

The classic Counter-Terrorist starting pistol. The USP-S possesses traits almost opposite of the Glock-18 and as such, excels in holding angles and engaging in longer-ranged aim duels. Because of its high accuracy and low recoil, the USP-S is great for popping off headshots at a distance, making the pistol a fitting choice for CTs who like to engage from afar. The best way to maximize the strengths of the USP-S is to hold an angle, fire off a few shots, back off and reposition, and repeat. In essence, the USP-S best fits the playstyles of more passive CT players. Due to its moderate rate of fire and low ammo capacity, short-range engagements will almost always work against you, but by maintaining distance between you and enemy players, the USP-S will give you a huge advantage.

Pros: Low Recoil, High Accuracy, Noise Suppression, No Bullet Tracers
Cons: Low Magazine Capacity, Low Magazine Reserves, Moderate Rate of Fire

[Maintaining distance through repositioning]

P2000:

The middle ground between the USP-S and the Glock-18. Surprisingly, the P2000 possesses a slightly higher accurate range than the USP-S, but is traded off for slightly higher recoil. Though also applicable for long-range engagements, the P2000 is best suited for mid-range combat. With an extra bullet in each magazine and two more magazines total, the P2000 is the safer choice over the USP-S in terms of sustainability and as such, gives it a slight edge in bombsite retake situations. Also because of its ability to spam shots, P2000s are better built for more aggressive CT playstyles, allowing players to push and engage enemies head-on.

Pros: High Accuracy, High Magazine Reserves, Moderate Magazine Capacity
Cons: Moderate Recoil, Moderate Rate of Fire

 

Improving Your Pistol Game:

Official Valve Deathmatch servers serve as a decent way to warm up and train your aim, but can be difficult to play in when trying to improve on specific weapon categories such as pistols or sniper rifles. Weapon specialized, free-for-all deathmatches on the other hand are a great way to improve your pistol game as they force all players to use the same types of guns. To find such servers, a simple search under the ‘Browse Community Servers’ section will suffice. For offline individual practice, downloading and playing in training maps from the Steam Workshop will help tremendously.

 

Happy Fragging!

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