How To Destroy Your Opponents In Wingman

During the midst of 2017, while Astralis was dominating the competitive scene, a new game mode was released that brought attention back to casual Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). 

Wingman was introduced along with a variety of classic maps from CS:GO - with a twist. The game mode featured a small version of the original maps along with a 2v2 playing method. Wingman brought hope and joy to the CS:GO community, due to the map introducing something creative and interesting. 

Since Wingman is a 2v2 rendition of the original 5v5 mode, players didn’t have to depend on a full lobby. No longer were they stuck having to solo queue with randoms that most of the time showed a lack of interest in winning. 

With Wingman, players could easily grab a friend and hop a game within minutes. Plus, the game mode only consisted of sixteen rounds compared to the competitive game mode’s thirty round cutoff. The sixteen round limitation provided a short and fun experience and didn’t force players to commit. 

UTILITY USAGE 

When it comes to taking control of a map in Wingman, utility choice is extremely important. May that be flash points, smoke spots, or even the fierce flames from either a molotov or incendiary grenade. 

Each item can be used to its full advantage and help make any round a complete breeze. Smokes, in general, are great for creating one-way paths by blocking your opponents' keen sense of sight. Each map is laid out to a point where most smoke spots can be executed to a tee - if that’s for entering a bomb site or even delaying a play from the T side of the map. 

Unless someone is playing against Jacky 'Jake' "Stewie2K" Yip, most people won’t just run through smokes. Flashes often come in handy for either entering a site or clearing angles within the map itself.

They’re also great for levelling the playing field against highly-skilled players. Even the best pub stompers can only do so much when they’re blinded by the deadly light produced by a pop flash. When it comes to faking a flash, simply toss a decoy and wide peek your opponent.

This is a great way to trick a player into turning around since throwing a decoy is nearly unrecognisable compared to a flash. Lastly, there’s fire-based utility which is perfect for clearing corners and understanding where someone might be hiding.

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WEAPONS AND ROLES 

Since the original competitive game mode within CS:GO offers a variety of roles, Wingman is obviously shorthanded when it comes to selecting playstyles. Instead, players must adapt and stick to weapons that they’re confident in handling.

Playing with two AWPers on Wingman is usually not the way to go. This is because the maps are much smaller and require close-quarter reflexes. If someone whiffs their shot, it’s usually game over for their Wingman duo. 

Before choosing rifles, one must face the pistol round. On CT side, one of the best options is to start with a default pistol and armour. As for the T side, throw away that default Glock and opt for something with a powerful shot. 

Both the P250 and the Tec-9 are great choices considering their high damage rates. The P250 is perfect for those who consider themselves headshot gods, whereas the Tec-9 is a classic run and gun weapon. 

As for the main roles, it’s best to either have two riflers or limit a duo to at least one AWPer. Despite most people attempting to copy masterful flicks from Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, at the end of the day, it’s hard to AWP. 

• Related - The Top Amateur AWPers In CS:GO

MAP SELECTION 

One of the best parts about Wingman is the introduction of maps outside of the competitive playing pool. For example, Lake is a great playing field considering it has a ton of bomb spots and smoke setups. 

For those who like to make use of the AWP, the rock in front of T spawn can be used as leverage to peek into enemy territory within a matter of seconds. As for the average rifler, the main house in Lake has a nice plant setup. 

Any player can easily access the roof area and use it to wall-bang their opponents. It also acts as a shield which can cause confusion and even lead to a possible rage quit. 

HOW TO GRAB INFORMATION 

Lastly, there's movement and positioning, two extremely important talents to have while playing Wingman. One of the best styles of movement is a method called shouldering. It’s when a player hugs a tight angle and peeks for quick information. 

This lowers the chances of getting shot due to the fast shouldering method. The best way to counter someone who’s camping at an angle is pre-firing. Taking a couple of pop shots are great, considering they can often lead to easy headshots. 

For those that want to win a match of Wingman,  it’s important to combine good movement, utility usage, and weapon purchases. These are the most important rules for becoming a master at the 2v2 game mode within CS:GO.

 

Images via Valve