How to defend on CS:GO s Train map
Last time we went over the
terrorist side on Cobblestone. Now we're back on track (choo-choo!) with a counter-terrorist guide for Train.
Train is another map that, like Cobblestone, has seen a lot of iterations throughout the years due to balance issues.
The map itself consists of two train yards, an alley and a hallway. Your objective is to prevent the terrorists from
blowing up one of two nuclear payloads.
Defending inside
Let's start with the inner bombsite. What usually happens is that the terrorists smoke off lower before they push down
the ramp. This means it's a risk to stand far back and peek lower. After the smoke you won't know if they actually
pushed site or not unless you have a teammate closer to the bomb train. You can however take an auto-sniper and shoot
blindly into the smoke and do some serious damage. In addition, the long distances make the auto-sniper a really
powerful weapon for retakes.
My favorite spot is the bomb train. If done properly you can dance around the train all day while you wait for backup.
Especially if your team has a sniper nearby that keeps the enemies from pushing you. Peek over the train like
this:
If you're lucky (or a sick aimer) you might pick up the first headshot. Then you can use a molotov to delay the push,
fall back and call for backup. Most of the time your opponents will use flashes and smokes before they attack from
upper, in which case you will know and have time to back off. Another option is to have another player holding
upper.
Anti-eco
A round where your opponents haven't bought weapons and you try to secure the round with as few casualties as
possible.
Sometimes you want to let out your inner ninja and go for the unexpected heroic play. One really cool spot is behind
the spools between lower and upper. Normally I'd advise against staying close to your enemies on anti-eco rounds because
of the risk of providing them with a weapon and a chance to get back into the game. But on round two, if you managed to
win the pistol round, you can pick up a submachine gun and go for it. The SMG kill reward of $600 can mean a great deal
later on. I've lost track of how many triple kills I've made from this position on the second round.
Other times you want to show off your great communication skills. Tell your teammate to stay close on upper and get
ready to peek, then you throw a flashbang just as you get next to the fuse box on the wall. The flash will pop right in
the face of any terrorists standing at the bottom of the stairs. As soon as your friend hears the pop, he can go for a
quick peek and hopefully score a kill.
On the next page: defending outside.
Defending outside
For the most part you can just hold angles, communicate and take the aim duels as the site has three really tight choke
points: namely t-connector, ivy and ladder room. Every now and then you will however want to mix it up and consult that
great playbook of yours.
If you have a good spawn towards ivy you can go aggressive. All you need is a flashbang and the heart of a lion. Bounce
the flash off the floor and keep running. Now the terrorists have two options. Either they die because they turned
around, or they die because they didn't.
It's not that simple, but you get the point. You can gain a lot from pushing ivy every now and then. For instance, if
you know their team has an AWP and your team doesn't, going aggressive can result in you acquiring one. At the very
least you will gather much-needed information. If you know your opponents have a tendency to take their time you can try
to sneak up on them. Otherwise it's probably wisest to back off and help your teammates around the bomb train.
As Train is a pretty straight forward map to defend I will give you some advice for those games when you're on the
receiving end. Here's the scenario: you're down by a couple of rounds and your economy is low. Just before all hope is
gone, you decide to do something about the situation. You buy a MAG-7 shotgun and flash your way into the ladder room.
This is a risky play because if you have to move out in the open and try to retake a bombsite you are most likely
screwed. On the other hand it can win you the round if you manage to surprise a terrorist coming down the ladder and
pick up his AK-47.
Be careful!
It may seem easy to win the CT half on Train but you should keep two things in mind: It's just as easy for your
opponents and it's really difficult to win eco rounds because of the long distances. What this means is that you should
try to hold onto your precious weapons. You want as few eco rounds as possible. This mindset will win you games on
Train. Don't chase down that last terrorist unless you think you can do some serious damage to their
economy.
Find our other Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map guides here:
- Inferno Counter-Terrorist guide
- Inferno Terrorist guide
- Cache Counter-Terrorist guide
- Cache Terrorist guide
- Overpass Counter-Terrorist guide
- Overpass Terrorist guide
- Cobblestone Counter-Terrorist guide
- Cobblestone Terrorist guide
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