CS:GO Insights

CS:GO Insights is a series of blog posts that aim to give valuable information, tips and hints for the game of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Ranging from how to defend specific sites on each map to useful smoke lineups and tutorials to essential post-plant setups.

Overpass B-site Defence.

Defending B-Site on Overpass can prove extremely difficult due to the various avenues the Ts can use and abuse to get forward positions and throw enough utility to completely flush out the defenders and overrun them before they can get to safety. That’s the name of the game on B-site, utility. Knowing where to combo it, when to throw it and what to expect in retaliation will mean the difference between the B-site falling and a defence worthy of military recognition.

Smoke usage is extremely important on this site as the 2 main entrances, through monster tunnel and short, are super small areas where the smoke covers the entire entrance. Now, most defences will have 3 CTs starting the round on B-site. This means there is a collective 54 seconds should all 3 players have smokes whereby the entrances can be blocked off. Of course, smokes don’t stop the Terrorists from pushing through into site, so due diligence needs to be taken but they go a hell of a long way to helping you gain a tactical advantage.

Molotov usage is definitely just as important as smokes as they completely block the Ts from pushing, without taking huge damage. If we use the 3 CT example again, that adds another 21 seconds of utility-based defence, meaning you can almost lock off one of the entrances to B for the entire round. Most commonly used towards the monster tunnel, the molotovs are the best solution to an early-round B rush however they can also be used up short. This is sometimes a good idea if short was smoked and the smoke has just faded to check if one of the Ts is trying to get sneaky at sandbags without having to check it and risk getting a bullet to the head.

Both of these utility grenades should be bought before HEs and flashbangs as they will give the most bang for your buck on this site. Blocking off the site entrances works really well if, as CTs, you’re pushed quite far forward into site, maybe sitting water, pillar, toxic barrels. If you’re sat in a more passive setup, you may wish to hold onto your grenades until the Ts are on site, where you can Molotov their plant attempt, smoke their molotovs that are designed to push you out of positions or throw smokes that will allow you to get into sneaky, unexpected positions. This all depends on your opponents though, if they’re a team who are drier in their executes, relying on aim and reactions, forward positions work very well. On the other side of the coin, if the opponents tend to execute quite well and have shown good grenade usage, a more passive setup then retake would potentially work better. Where the defence meets its maker is here, in the choices you make and ensuring that you make them as a team and you don’t have 1 player inside the site, for example at toxic barrels and then 1 in heaven and 1 playing graffiti as you’re essentially sacrificing the more forward player.

The other aspect of the B-site defence is team-play, which includes boosts and co-operative plays. Boosts are a really good way of catching people by surprise as you’ll be in a less-than-common position and you’ll rarely be checked. There are 3 main boost spots which will prove useful in different situations.

The catwalk boost. This occurs on the concrete bags near graffiti where you need to both be standing on the bags, and the player doing the boosting needs to be standing. The player on top of their head can then see entirely into B-short. The player on the bottom should be watching an angle down towards monster tunnel to cover their teammate from being executed from the side.
This setup comes with risks, however, as the plank that separates the two sides is extremely penetrable and if you’re not careful, you can both be dealt huge damage through it. The other risk comes from a monster push. As both players are completely in the open, a successful monster push can crush the entire defence in one fell swoop.

The site boost. This is a very rarely seen boost and as such isn’t often expected by the defence. It can be extremely powerful if deployed in the right situation and relies mainly on short being smoked off, otherwise, there are too many angles for the bottom player to cover. This allows you to see connector door and the top catwalk out of connector without really being expected. You can get a free kill and fall into more conservative positions more often than not. The bottom player should watch towards monster in case of a push. This setup falls apart if the smoke fades from short and they push, or if the bottom player doesn’t get the kill towards monster and the monster attacker can get 2 kills for nothing.

The hell boost. This boost is super rare to see in matchmaking games yet is very strong if you’re playing a passive setup with the other player in graffiti or heaven. You can get a whole site overview with only just your head sticking over the wall in a position which, unless you’re super unlucky, almost certainly won’t be checked. The downside to this setup is that the bottom player is essentially useless but in a retake setup, this is fine. This means they don’t take unnecessary damage and will have their grenades for late-round.

All 3 of these boosts rely on the top player hitting their shot, and come with risks to each of them. It’ll also happen where these boost spots get checked, and in that scenario, a lot of information is given over to the other team as there have to be 2 players in order to execute that boost.
Overall, B-site is quite difficult to hold if there is no rhyme or reason to the grenade usage and a lack of communication. Smoking the same position at the same time as one of your teammates will be massively detrimental as that’s one of the key pieces to the defence thrown away. Similarly, not knowing that the Molotov or smoke stopping you from being pushed from one of the entrances fades or disappears can lead to the CTs losing a player and at that point, the defence becomes a whole lot less solid. As soon as both of these team aspects are put into place, it gets a lot more difficult for the Ts to take the site and more likely you’ll have a solid CT side.

Written by CGC ~ Specz

Member of the altGaming Community