The importance of map control

While it is common knowledge that rushing B is the best T-side tactic for matchmaking games (it slightly edges full AWP setup on T-side), professional teams base their gameplan on map control. So, what is it anyways? Well, it means different things for both sides.    

What it is and how it's done

For T-side, taking map control is essentially taking area away from CT possesion. We'll base our examples on de_cache. Mid is not "given" to T-side at the beginning of the round- therefore, you gotta take control of it. How you do it is totally different story though. On our map, the simpliest way is to create a wall of smokes, which will allow you to come out mid scratch-free. 

What am I supposed to do?

Unfortunately, these smokes take a second to set-up- therefore, you can meet CT aggression (which I'll talk about later on). It seems like a good idea to use molotov for vent and maybe flash mid over boost. Congrats, you just took mid control!

Of course, it depends on your enemies and how they play this part of the map. That's why you can't have one way of taking map control- in our example this wall of smokes can be countered by grenades thrown by CT's onto garage entrance and vent entrance. That's when you should use smokes for Z-connector and whitebox on mid- you can take contact with your enemies, as opposed to wall of smokes. Once again, it all depends  on your enemies. 

And now, why is map control important for T-side? 

Long story short, it gives you way more options late in the round( if you don't know what I'm talking about, there is a great article on round development by Disobey-check it out). Of course, rushing is the way, but what happens if you are stuck at A main with chinks in your kevlars("Boys, CT's finally started throwing HE's after those 7 rounds we won just by rushing A!"). What do you do? Well, let's fall back to B!

Then your dream is over because you got backstabbed by 2 CT's from mid. Oh well, swear all you want, but it is your fault. Going straight into execute is your recipe for disaster( atleast when done for 15 rounds straight). If you get control of mid and B halls then your execute later on is way easier. It is also why some professional teams (namely Titan, EnvyUs) sometimes play 4-1 setups . Even single person on the other part of the map can mantain map control or atleast get information necessary for in-game leader (such as information on CT's taking map control). 

Let's put it in perspective. You are trying to push into B site. What is the benefit of having one guy at A Doors? 

He is mostly gathering sound cues such as:

- Whether CTs pushed main- in this case he can warn his teammates of potential backstab.
- Rotation of CTs into the B site

There is also option for him to fake A take by throwing appropiate smoke and flashes. Sure, one person cannot mantain control over big part of the map (single T at A doors can't prevent A main push). However, he is gathering crucial info, even when alone. In case of his team falling back to A, they can expect CT to be somewhere in A main- therefore, our uninvited guest loses his element of surprise. 

Map control is so important for T-side that every team has so-called "standard" round, which basically means taking early map control and then working off it. So, once again to put it in perspective, standard for Cache would be one guy going B, two T's holding mid and two players working in A main. Once again, it all depends on your enemy. However, remember that standard round is not equal to going for picks. In standard, you'd rather settle with map control.

Other side of the coin

What about CT side map control?

It is a bit tricky to define map control on defending side. If you'd think about it for a second, CT side is given the map control at the beginning of the round, whereas T side has to earn it. So, is it possible to gain ground on CT side? Definitely. And that's what's called pushing. Now, I advise you not to push early every round, as it becomes predictable and you are basically the ticket that Terrorists need to enter the bombsite. Pushing mid round is something different, and to some extent I'd recommend it. Let's go back to previous situation- 4T players at B site and one is god-knows-where. If you are playing on A site, you can just push into A main with proper popflash to clear it out. As I mentioned earlier, enemies might know about it, but you do not need to push the advantage- the information you gained is huge already. 

If you choose to push A main in this situation, I beg you not to flank fully (as in- kill off enemies at B halls). You could just contain them in general area- sitting by truck on T spawn is a good idea. "Why?" you might ask. Well, backstabbing might earn you as much as it could cost you. It's better not to lose the advantage you gained. If you choose to sit by truck, you get really early information about T rotation. Even if you die, your allies might be sitting comfortably on A site.   

Terrorists hate him!

Remember how I mentioned that wall of smokes on middle might meet aggression from CT side? That's one of the approaches for this kind of round opening. As CT, you either take mid by brute force or just hold it really passively (as in- from A site). There is no real middleground. However, try not to approach this problem with one solution, as constant CT pushes can be countered with proper popflashes or even switching out. 

There is way more depth to it than you think. You should usually (not always) gain map control when you are man down at CT-side to somewhat equalize footing you are playing at. It is wise to do so just cause as CT you have to spread your defense thin, and so if you can gain control over A main, your team can dedicate players to other areas of the map.  

To sum up, try to stay unpredictable and remember that map control gives you more options to approach the round the way you'd like to. As T, you've got to keep in mind that a backup plan is always a nice thing to have. For CT side, I'll leave you with catchphrase- deliberative aggression. See you in my next article!

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