ESTNN breaks down the basics of the support role in CS:GO.
People who’ve played CS 1.6 and never tried CS:GO probably don’t know much about the support role in this game. Although this position was not popular once CS:GO became available, most teams quickly realized they needed it. Hence, almost every professional CS team in the world has a support in its roster.
Of course, the support in CS:GO is not like the one in Dota 2 or League of Legends. Even though this person’s job is slightly different, the player doesn’t need to use a pistol all game and has a negative KDA all the time. Many things make this role special, which is why we will talk more about it in this review.
The Basics
Many people think that they know how to support in CS:GO. However, this is often not the case because most of them simply drop weapons and wait for their teammates to carry them.
Your job as a support in a given team is to make sure you help those who enter a bombsite to get as many kills as possible. This should always be your primary goal, no matter the map you want to focus on.
Some people think that the support role is boring, but this is not the case. In fact, most players who decide to go for this in-game position are usually good in situations where they have to play 2v2 or 3v3. Since the support player enters a given site 4th or 5th, the chances of him staying alive are much higher than those who go in first.
There are cases where a given team’s support player is the person who has the worst aim. Players are not equal when it comes down to aiming, so some of them are better than others. If you are not as good as your teammates, it is probably a better idea to get the support role.
The Captain
Every professional CS:GO team has a captain (or a shot caller), whose job is to come up with tactics and every move in the game. Unsurprisingly, most people in this position prefer to play as support. Like MOBA games, this role allows them to be more focused on what’s going on and make better decisions.
Not everyone can be a captain because this person needs to have a solid game sense. Needless to say, this person won’t be able to focus much if he has to enter a given bombsite or use the AWP all the time.
Flashes and Smokes
Many people think that support players are helpful only if they get assists or kill enemies. Of course, it is always better to score kills, but if your opponents are good, this isn’t as easy as you think. Fortunately, there are loads of other things you could do to help your teammates.
The first thing that comes to mind is using flashes and smokes in specific situations. Throwing a smoke when needed can be a lifesaver, especially if you hit certain chokepoints. As for flashes, a good flash can win you the fight, especially if your teammates start shooting as soon as it “explodes”.
Of course, the only way to make the most of those things is to know how and when to throw them. This means you need to communicate with your team so that you don’t
accidentally flash them. Every map has its specifics when it comes down to flashing and smoking, so you have to think carefully about when and how you throw your grenades.
Learning more information about every map and where to throw your utilities is what will differentiate you from other players. This will take time, but if you want to become one of the best support players in the world, you have to go through it.
Situations where support matters
Besides people who always play the support role in their team, there are many situations where you can take this initiative, even if it is not your main position. As mentioned earlier, it all comes down to the specific scenario you’re in and what you want to achieve.
There are many cases where you can transition to a support role during a match. For example, some people do that when they have low HP or when they don’t have any utility items. Doing this gives their teammates more chances of winning a given round.
In order to make use of these situations and help your team, you need to communicate. We can’t stress enough how important it is to communicate with your team. It doesn’t matter whether you play with friends or random people, knowing your team’s position, their status and what they know about the enemy team is of utmost importance if you want to be a successful support player.
Follow your teammates, and make sure they survive
Aside from dropping weapons, throwing grenades, and all other things, you have to learn how to help your teammates when pushing. Unfortunately, this is one of the most complex parts of being a support because it requires you to have a solid game sense.
Pushing slowly with a teammate can be devastating for your opponents because you can catch them off guard. However, to take advantage of this situation, you need to know how to push and what to do. In other words, your position is of utmost importance.
One of the things you should do when you decide to push with someone is to make sure you cover every possible angle. If your teammate is looking straight, you need to look where they’re not; to the left and right, behind, depending on the situation.
What’s more, you need to stay close to him but not too close because both of you could die. The idea here is to make sure you cover all possible angles where someone can peak and kill you.
The bad news is that this requires a lot of coordination, which is usually hard to achieve while playing with random people. So, always try to communicate with your team, even if it is in a matchmaking game. Most players will be happy when they see that someone from their team wants to win.
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