Esports
Red Bull Flick is here, and with a set of brand new custom maps especially designed for the CS:GO event, pro gamer Ankit ‘V3nom’ Panth is here to offer his tips on how to come out on top.
Qualifiers for Red Bull Flick are now underway, with the epic online 2v2 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament seeing CS:GO duos face off on a new series of Red Bull maps especially designed for the brand new game mode, Hold the Flag.
Players must defend the flag zone for 45 seconds to win a match, and this new twist on the classic online multiplayer shooter throws up a glut of new challenges set to test the skills of even the most experienced of players.
So, just how can players equip themselves with the map smarts to excel at Red Bull Flick? We asked veteran CS:GO star and Red Bull athlete Ankit ‘V3nom’ Panth to share his tips for preparation, and how teams can master these maps and go from amateur to national champions to EU Invitational winners.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
Before we dive into the maps, we ask V3nom to run through his overall observations of the tournament, and it comes as no surprise that he’s been doing his homework, explaining that he’s been “roaming around the maps to see what angles would favour me and what are the spawn points of utilities.”
And with three starting rifles available, V3nom is unequivocal when it comes to naming his favourite: “The AK-47 rifle is my love.”
When asked whether this preference may be tested as scoped rifles become available on some of the maps, V3nom explains that he’s not someone who typically plays much with scoped rifles, yet he’s having to make an exception for Red Bull Flick – the challenge being that they’re not particularly easy to reach.
He adds, “But if you somehow reach the scope rifle spawn point then it’s definitely an advantage. I have got multiple kills from the same spot using an AUG rifle. I’ve done that on Matrix using the teleporter. So if I play against someone I know who loves to use scope rifles, I just quietly mark that spawn point.”
As for whether he thinks grenades will have a major impact on the metagame, he’s confident they’ll play a crucial role. He explains:
“When we were playing and needed just a few more seconds to capture the flag, I told my team-mate to stand at the capture point and I smoked him while marking the other angle from where the enemy was coming. It becomes difficult to spot in smoke and we used that to our advantage. Also, when the opponents tried to copy this strategy, we double naded inside the smoke to counter it.”
As for the new in-game mechanics, V3nom adds that while jump and teleporter pads are his favourites, surfing has proved the toughest to master. And with each new map now posing a very different challenge for players, we asked V3nom to offer his thoughts on which were trickiest, and why. Castle and Matrix were the first to be singled out, with the former proving incredibly difficult for opponents to eliminate those who have already reached the top. Matrix, meanwhile, is very difficult to spot opponents.
He adds, “People might think you don’t need coordination in these maps and it’s easy to just go and kill but it’s not. You need to be very fast and you have to constantly talk with your team-mate to win rounds.”
And before we dive into the minutiae of each map, V3nom offers this overall tip to get ahead: “Use smokes and constantly keep talking with your team-mate.”
Map 1: Castle
The first Map is Castle, one of the slower maps with a variety of paths leading up to the centre. Having singled out Castle as one of the trickier maps, V3nom’s tips are fairly brief: again, remember that once you’re on top, it’s extremely hard for opponents to get the better of you.
As for weaponry, he singles out the AK-47 and M4A4 as his preferences, while he thinks that the Scout (which spawns on this map), will likely go unused in competitive matches.
Map 2: Garden
Jump pads are a major feature of Garden, and V3nom strongly feels that they offer benefits that should not be ignored if you want to come out on top: “You can use jump pads to create a distraction while your team-mate flanks or even to just rush and kill them in between to catch them off guard.”
Unlike Castle, Garden includes sniper towers. But how important are these towers to securing wins? According to V3nom, high ground is always a valuable commodity, and allows you to spot your enemies. However, this shouldn’t be your sole tactic:
Map 3: Speedway
Speedway is one of the fastest maps in Red Bull Flick, but we have already seen players taking a slower approach by controlling the outside area with the AWP. Will this become the standard approach or can we expect another shift in strategy? V3nom explains, “I love fast paced maps. I am the one who likes to go in for the kill. Even if the AWPs are controlling the outer area there are spots in the map which you can use to counter them once you know their position.”
As for surfing, which V3nom has already flagged as a tough nut to crack, we’ve already seen multiple Flick-shots taking down players mid-air without any chance to fire back. Will players have to become more cautious about how to use surfing? “Yes absolutely”, he says. “You won’t be able to shoot while in the air so maybe you can use these tactics once or twice to surprise the opponents but to shoot you have to be on the ground.”
Map 4: Matrix
Matrix has an aim-map like layout, and while V3nom flagged it as one of the trickier of the new additions, his enthusiasm is clear: “I love the Matrix map. It’s so beautiful but also at the same time it’s very difficult to spot the enemies. If your shooting is precise, you won’t have a problem.”
He also says that the AUG offers an advantage on Matrix, and can be found on each highground. This is where the map’s teleporter pads come in:
“I have used the teleporter pads myself and I can easily say once you reach high ground you will be able to kill two-to-three opponents if you use the AUG.”
Map 5: Himalaya
Himalaya exclusively features pistols, shotguns and grenades for close-quarter combat. So how can you get an edge? “I always try to hit the opponents from the underpass while my team-mate smokes the entrance and guards,” V3nom says. “This gives us a little more time to stay on the flag.”
As for the specific weaponry for this final map, V3nom opts for the simple and direct approach, concluding: “I would say go for the Tec-9 pistol and just run and gun.”