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Esports
How do you win at Red Bull Flick? We asked the CS:GO pros
If you want to improve in Red Bull Flick matches then you're in luck, as the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive minds are here to give you their insider tips to make you a better player.
When it comes to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments, we like to do things a little differently. Sure it's great to watch the very best players in the world compete in the game they've spent years mastering, but isn't it more fun to throw them an entirely new game mode with custom-designed maps? We sure think so, which is why we created Red Bull Flick, the two against two capture and hold the flag game mode that all comes to a head next weekend at the EU Pro Invitational. There, qualified teams face off against pairs of the world's best players with a cash prize on the line.
The Red Bull Flick maps and game mode have been available for a while now – it's not easy to learn an entirely new game mode and maps in such a short space of time, but slowly and surely the biggest and most knowledgeable names in CS:GO are starting to figure it out. So, we reached out to a couple of them to find out what they think ahead of next weekend's major tournament on the Red Bull Twitch channel.
"I think it's great, I love the pace of it and the non-stop action is great. The idea and execution is really novel," says CS:GO caster and expert James Bardolph, who'll be hosting the Red Bull Flick EU Pro Invitational. "There are really wild plays to be had in this 2v2, it really is non-stop action and I think it certainly has a place in broadcasting. If you compare this to Wingman, for example, I find this format much more interesting and demanding in a positive fashion. Show matches at majors? Let's get it."
"I never thought that they would create hold the flag maps that required so much strategy," adds pro player Ricardo 'Fox' Pacheco. "I don't think there's ever been something like this in CS:GO. I thought the competition was just going to be aim map based, but this way is much more fun, because it has a different logic. It's more entertaining and harder to master. They did well in changing things up."
But first impressions don't really help you get better when it comes to actually playing Red Bull Flick maps. It may still only be early days, but these top-level CS:GO minds have already figured out a few key things that are sure to help you on your journey to be the best Red Bull Flick players you can be.
"Understanding how to work as a pair on a fly will be very important when one needs to trade frag or take positions, so experience with that will certainly be an advantage," says Bardolph. "I think it's worth learning molotov lineups for the high ground areas where appropriate, a little strategy will go a long way in that respect and I would imagine pros would figure that stuff out faster."
"You have got to get the hang of it and make a few tactics with your team-mate, because these maps require that you have one focused on getting on site and the other on covering him," says Fox, echoing Bardolph's sentiment. "It really doesn't help if you've got both on the flag, because then you both die to the opponents and lose every position. The maps are fun, because they offer you solutions – the bridges, the towers, you've got to exploit that. You can't just run to the flag."
When it comes to specific tactics, it really does depend on the map that you're playing, as they are all so different. Some will allow you to just sit back to cover your team-mate, while others will require you to be up close and personal. Sometimes, you'll be able to sneak around the back of your opponents and others you'll be forced to run head-on towards them. And, of course, some maps will let you use grenades to your advantage easily, whereas others make them much harder to use.
"The maps are really well developed, in my opinion," says Fox. "My favorites are Himalaya, with the pistols, and Speedway, with surf. Castle confuses me a bit, but it's well made, because it's hard to get to the flag. It takes longer and you're getting tagged from everywhere. Garden is also cool, because of the jump pads, which make the gameplay faster and allows you to create some structure and, basically, be a little try-hard. Obviously, someone who has loads of skill will be successful, but someone who doesn't use the bridges and towers will have difficulties. The people who try hard the most will be the ones who will make it the most."
While learning the maps and coming up with key tactics is clearly the key to success when it comes to Red Bull Flick, there are a few other tips and ideas that even we didn't think about. Of course Fox, one of the best CS:GO players in the world, had already noticed them and while he wasn't prepared to give away all his secrets, he did offer up this tidbit of information that might help you out.
"For players with lower sensitivity it's harder, because of reaction times," says Fox. "Players are always spawning and you have to shoot to one side and then the other, so players with higher sensitivity will have it easier, because they'll be able to catch players coming from everywhere."
It's an interesting idea and one that's unique to Red Bull Flick. The constant changing of angles means you have to have your head on a swivel and a higher sensitivity will make that a lot easier. Of course, it's not easy changing your sensitivity, but you might want to give it a try next time you jump into one of our maps.
Ultimately, if you want to get better at Red Bull Flick then you can do nothing better than watching the pros play. With the main event coming up soon and the Pro Invitational just around the corner, you'll have more chance than ever to do just that. James Bardolph has been watching a lot of the action so far, even hosting some of it, and told us who we should be watching.
"It varies from region to region, especially because the format is so fresh and people are still figuring things out," says Bardolph. "The CIS region was the most competitive so far. They seem to have put the most work in with position and grenades. In North America people were just wilding out with minimal strats and lots of aim, which is what we expected and is quite fun to watch."
The regions may be quite different in their play style, but you should certainly be watching as much as you can, especially the upcoming pro invitational that features some of the biggest names in CS:GO competing against each other in Red Bull Flick. Bardolph will be on hand to bring you the action, so be sure to tune in.
The Red Bull Flick EU Pro Invitational kicks off on June 6 on the Red Bull Twitch channel.
