The Ukrainian organization Natus Vincere advanced to the playoffs of ESL Pro League Season 18 by defeating all their rivals with a score of 2:0! And in almost every match, we could notice new strategies from Aleksib.
Some of them were less noticeable, while others more so. But probably the brightest strategy was the shotgun from the team’s sniper, Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev! And right now, we will explain how it works!
Money
One of the most important aspects of our game is money, more precisely, the in-game economy. Shotguns are perfect for not losing the economic war. But why is that?
And it's very simple, let’s just compare the price of the M4A4-1S and the ordinary shotgun named Nova. And the difference is clear:
- M4A4-1S - 2900$
- Nova - 1050$
There are only four shotguns available in the game, but they are all similar to each other, so in examples, we will only use Nova.
Yes, you can say that the M4A4-1S has greater range and firing speed, as well as accuracy. But no one forces you to peak mid on Mirage with a shotgun; all you need is to choose a short distance and a confined space, like s1mple did at that moment.
Sasha played in the apartments on Inferno, where just one shotgun headshot guaranteed a kill due to the short distance.
But it's not just about the cost, but also about the reward for the kill. For a kill with the M4A4-1S, you will only receive 300$, but for a kill with the same Nova, you will receive 900$! Yes, the difference of 600$ is quite substantial. After all, once you get 900$ for one kill or even 1800$ for two, you can 100% afford to drop to your teammate. This is what s1mple talked about:
When to expect MAG-7? I don’t know, because it all depends on the map. I think the maps we played against Apeks are suitable for using shotguns. You quickly kill opponents and earn money that can be useful to teammates if they need to give weapons or grenades. This is especially true for defending "banana" on Inferno, where grenades are very much needed.
Damage
Of course, shotguns are designed for close-range combat, which is exactly where we will be using them. Taking the Nova as an example, we see that at close range, hitting the head with just one pellet deals 106 damage to a player without a helmet, and 52 with a helmet. Remember, a single shot releases as many as 9 pellets, which at close range, with an accurate shot, gives you a huge chance of scoring a kill with just a single shot.
In contrast to the M4A4-1S, which kills with two headshots if the opponent bought a helmet! Therefore, it really is better to take close-range positions with a shotgun.
Maps
Of course, the way you use a shotgun will vary depending on the map you are playing on. Sadly, playing with a shotgun on the all-beloved Mirage is practically pointless because you often have to engage in long-range firefights.
But you might ask, what about holding point B? On the one hand, yes, but on the other, they can't buy a shotgun every round, as in 80% of cases, their play involves jumping on the car, followed by a retake of point A. But retaking with a shotgun is not as pleasant. Moreover, s1mple confirms our words:
I tried playing with them [shotguns] in "Deathmatch" mode on Mirage, but everyone was killing me. Mirage is not quite suitable for such weapons. You just understand how the shotgun works. There is no need for such actions in training because this type of weapon is not something new. Shotguns have always been in the game.
Unlike the Nuke map, where the shotgun is truly a useful type of weapon. For instance, a player on the hut, who is watching the exit from the hut or the doors, can easily kill his opponent in the head. After all, they will be looking down at them from above!
Or, for instance, Inferno in the boiler or apartments. A very enclosed space and minimal distance make the shotgun incredibly powerful in experienced hands.
In fact, on almost all maps, you can use a shotgun at least twice for defense to create a surprise effect for the opponents. For instance, to push something or take a non-default position.
Shotguns have been in the game for a long time, but perhaps now s1mple will start a new shotgun meta, which will carry over into CS2, where they have become even stronger due to the greater randomness in shooting.
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