Gaming
Esports
KennyS on what it takes to be a top CS:GO AWPer
G2’s Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub gives us the lowdown on how he became one of the best AWPers in the world and what tips he’d give to up-and-coming players who want to master the weapon.
When you compare Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to the likes of Dota or League of Legends, it can seem pretty simple. You won’t find hundreds of characters, items and skills to memorise, and there are a few set ways of playing each situation. On the surface it seems to come down to mechanical skill more than anything.
But in reality, that isn’t the case. There’s a lot of strategy, and each player will have their own role and plays for each map. Some people play the entry fragger, others lurk and some call the shots in game, but perhaps the most iconic role in the world of CS:GO is that of the AWPer, the player who will whip out the lethal, long-ranged tool whenever they have enough cash.
In pretty much every round, apart from the start, a team is going to have one AWP, as it can take out anyone with just one shot, and can shut down pushes from across the map. But at the very highest level, playing with the AWP takes a lot of skill. There’s no room for missed shots, and you have to be able to react to every situation in a matter of milliseconds.
As a result of this, many AWPers are the star players of their team, and take a lot of the credit and fan support. And one of the most loved and respected AWPers in the scene is Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub, who plays for G2 Esports. Over the years, kennyS has proven to be one of the most consistent and talented AWPers in the world, so we caught up with him to find out just what it takes to be a long-ranged demon.
“When I started playing Counter-Strike, it's a feeling I had,” says Schrub. “Something I like to say is, 'I didn't necessarily choose the weapon, but the weapon chose me', if that even makes sense. So, that's pretty much how I ended up being an AWPer.”
Being the AWPer is certainly one of the more desirable roles for those starting out in the world of CS:GO, but as anyone who has played a bit of matchmaking will know, some people are just not suited to using the weapon. Some people seem to be naturally talented with the AWP, but others, often the ones who insist on buying one every round and then lose a duel down mid, seem unable to hit even the simplest of shots.
This is something that Kenny has seen time and time again. Being one of the best in the world, fans always want to get some tips on how to use the AWP well, and giving a single bit of advice is almost impossible, as each person will have different issues in their technique. On the outset, the AWP may seem rather simple, but in reality, it’s incredibly complex, and a lot of it just comes down to playing smart.
kennyS is always happy with an AWP in his hands
© StarLadder
“It’s really important that in order to master the weapon you have to know it perfectly,” says Schrub. “To have the knowledge, to know how to play with it, how to be in every situation with it. Like to have the reflex with AWP. For example, if you have really close combat, and fight, you're gonna tend to quickscope, and that’s all about the knowledge of the weapon. You have to be aware, how you can do it, what you can do with it. As long as you have the knowledge, you'd be able to get out of every situation.”
Of course, while mastering the weapon is something all great AWPers will have to do, it isn’t exactly great practical advice for anyone actually looking to improve, as mastering the weapon could mean anything. As the weapon is so difficult to use in certain situations, and quite complex, there are really only two ways to improve your game at a rapid rate. The first is to practise a lot, but the second is something a lot more young AWPers should be doing.
“For a newcomer, I would say that you gotta watch pro AWPers,” says kennyS. “If you like an AWPer like me, like my game sense and stuff, you've got to watch a lot of matches about me. You're going to play a lot as well, so, you've got to play a lot, but you don't have to play matches to learn. If you watch others play, you just have to watch everything they do to make it as productive as possible.”
For AWPers there's clearly one weapon that takes priority, but with its massive price tag, there'll be a lot of rounds where you can't afford one. This means that often an AWPer will find themselves with an AK or M4, and over the years it has become a bit of a meme that AWPers can’t use a rifle that well. However, we're now seeing a new breed of AWPers in the pro scene, who seem to be just as good with a rifle as their team-mates, meaning the old school AWPers are having to improve their game as well.
“I think rifling is a really important part,” says Schrub. “I remember back in 2013 when I joined VeryGames, I was just a good AWPer, and they forced me to improve my rifle skills, and I'm really thankful for that. Obviously, I'm not going to be as good with the rifle as I am with the AWP, but it's very important to me that I can rifle. I think it's very important overall for people, for AWPers, to be able to get a rifle and be good with it, and be comfortable with it. So, I think it's super important. I don't really consider someone a good AWPer if he's not good with the other weapons.”
To become an AWPer you have to put in a ton of work. Not only do you have to learn all the positioning and strategies, but also how to use a standard rifle in-game, just like the rest of your team. You also have to spend hours studying the AWP, how to use it, where to use it and what to do in certain situations. It takes a lot of work, but in the end there’s little more satisfying than hitting an amazing AWP shot to win a game, and that’s what makes all the work worth it.
