Mirage: The Importance of Mid Control

Introduction

Like many maps in the competitive pool of CS:GO Mirage is made up of 3 paths, 2 that go to A and B bomb sites and a central path that branches out. Unlike other maps however, Mirage’s Mid opens up multiple avenues of attack that allow the Terrorists access to areas behind where the CT’s will be holding site. This can enable the Terrorist side to more easily take control of A and B, sites that are traditionally hard to take without smokes and flashes due to easily defensible CT positions and accessible retreat paths to allow for retakes.

Counter Terrorist

Firstly, let’s explain how to take control of Mid as a Counter-Terrorist. The most common way is to hold from Window or Snipers Nest with an AWP. Here, depending on your spawn, it is possible to reach the Window and scope before the Terrorists enter Mid giving you the range advantage on rifles and the peak advantage on AWPers. If you’re not confident in your spawn, you can also elect to push into Connector where you can see the left side of Mid. If an enemy AWPer expects you in Snipers they might be scoped in giving you the ability to pick them without even putting up a fight.

If you’re playing with a rifle, you can also play in Connector where you can hold Underpass and any push up towards Short with plenty of cover. If you get pushed quickly down Mid, it’s a matter of backing to Jungle and working with any players you might have on A to take out anyone in Connector. If you’re playing towards the B site, you can choose to push up onto Short where you can hold off any sneaky players at Chair and potentially take a peek towards top Mid. From here it’s easy to work between short and ladder room to keep your opponents guessing about your position. Really it’s about communication and knowing where the Terrorists are. You don’t want to look top Mid if you know that there is an AWPer already behind boxes. Generally, I like to have two players in Mid, one in Snipers that can at least get some info if not a pick and another playing Short or Connector to defend any quick pushes and work off any information given by the Window player.

Terrorists

With A site so hard to take without the proper smokes and quick execution and the path to B through Aps being a suicide mission against any skilled players, Mid control becomes imperative to any successful T side. Knowing where the CT side will be playing is key and getting a read on their playstyle is important. However, generally the first step to Mid control is clearing Window room. You have three options, either take the fight with your own AWP and out shoot him (left), push Underpass and hope he reveal himself to get headshot (right) or use a smoke and remove their vision. Be aware that the Window is large so if you don't see anyone on the left side, it's not necessarily safe to cross.

If you’re choosing to remove vision rather than get the kill outright, there are two positions you can smoke Mid window from. One that is perfect for a split A take from Palace and Mid and another if you’re taking full Mid control. Just be aware that crossing to the boxes is dangerous and a paired smoke may be required to block the AWPer’s view of Short. In the case of the Palace one, line up in the middle of the far 'window' and aim for the middle of the two buildings in line with the top of the antenna as shown; perform a running throw releasing just as you hit the wall in front (left).

Now you need to clear Connector and Short. To clear Connector, it is generally advised to have a player from Underpass slowly clear it from left to right. If you want to push Short to B, then smoke the entry to Connector from A so the CT’s can’t see over the smoke to Short. To clear Short, have a player push up to Chair and simply look towards Short while the rest of your team pushes up. From here you only have to worry about Ladder Room and the far right corner of Cat which are both easy to clear on entry. If you want to take A then throwing a smoke at the big piece of corrugated iron with the B on it will land and smoke off Short nicely, allowing you to push Connector. Both of these allow for simple splits that make taking either site much easier.

Make sure you smoke in the middle of Con. This is bad news if you push short

There is however a third and more interesting way to make use of your Mid control and that is pushing into Snipers. From Underpass you can simply boost up into Snipers with another player and from short you can either push into Ladder Room or jump into the Window from the railing on the left side of Mid. This presents interesting options as generally the vent to CT will be blown out allowing you to sneak behind players in A and B. Furthermore, it allows you access to Jungle where you can pick a player who was sitting on Connector or Stairs and make it much easier for your team to enter the site. Note that if you haven’t killed the enemy AWPer it is likely that they will run back to jungle and hold against a boost so sometimes pushing into ladder and hiding behind the vent can give you a camouflage advantage allowing you to take out their player.

This shows the routes available from Mid, it basically doubles your potential access onto A and B!

Conclusion

Holding Mid on Mirage is such a tactical advantage that can’t be underestimated as it allows the Terrorists access to easy flanks that can open up the CT’s advantage that comes with a conventional A or B push. Personally my favorite strategy is to play a lurk position in Underpass while the rest of my team executes with A smokes. As soon as your team throws the smokes the CT’s will call “A execute” and all their attention will be focused on Palace and A Ramp. From here, it’s a matter of sound and game sense. Wait a moment for a Short player to jump into Mid or Snipers and pick them or rush into connector while the Stairs/Jungle player is distracted and take them and any players on A site out. Mid opens up a variety of strategies. Look at pro games, use your creativity and discuss them with your team to find your own means of success on Mirage.

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