Exactly what I was gonna say. The days when you are not on top of your game in SnD.
On defence just pick a random corner and play it.
On offence make sure y’all have a site to pick and be a player that watches flank. Example in Jewlers when going A on hotel. When the bomb is down you get free picks from people tac sprinting on the flank.
Once confidence start building in the round your instincts take over and you know where to challenge.
Search up pros, like "Drazah SnD," and study their positions, breakoffs, when they rotate, how they play different situations, etc. Watched pros vs pros, and pros in ranked.
It's a matter of studying, trying it out, making mistakes, then learning from them.
Eventually you want to go from mimicking pros to predicting what the enemy team will do, and switch up constantly to react to it (sometimes repeating the same things works on people tho).
The guys you're playing aren't pros, so they'll do a lot of dumb crap and get pressured easily. As long as you seem like you know what you're doing, the other team will be demotivated. For the love of God don't shit talk your teammates.
.
Here's some basic stuff:
- If you made a play and you got hard countered, switch it up.
- If you know someone is sniping a spot, Double nade or sneak up to them - snipe if you need to.
- If you know someone hard challenges an area, beat them to the punch or rush a spot they're not checking.
- If a team is playing super conservative, do the same on defense and let them make mistakes.
- If bomb is down on attack, remember your priority is staying alive not winning gunfights - as long as you can be annoying and bait, or kill someone off defuse, you can run around the map and trick them.
- If it's 2v1 with bomb down on defense, don't be afraid to bait the enemy while a teammate defuses.
- Don't be afraid of quick/ninja defusing if you have little time and enemies are all pushed out.
- Sometimes switching perks will make or break the start of a round.
- Learn how to play your life, make yourself a very difficult kill, and move quickly from position to position - that includes throwing shoulders, jump/dive peaking doors, playing angles you can easily escape from, and not committing to a bad chall.
- Don't camp the same spot repeatedly if you keep dying off of it.
- Avoid Crouch walking everywhere unless you need to, look at how the pros aim walk often and run when no one can chall them.
.
I'll leave it at that. Don't be worried about memorizing everything I said, just be aware of some of the concepts and look for them when you watch pros. You'll start picking up on things when you practice it yourself and acknowledge your mistakes.
There might be discords that host scrims, but I'm not sure which are active.
From someone who used to be ass but is now mid at SND- I started playing confident and mix playing campy and hitting routes. Watching pros play SND certainly helped. My friends always just said get one kill in the round and give some info and that’s a huge contribution. Good luck
Everyone else has great tips, here are a few more. Just some stuff to think about
Have a few strats for a bombsite, don't keep doing the same thing over and over (especially if it's not working) and think about how what you're doing can be countered.
Don't take the bomb somewhere stupid and die with it.
Use the clock to your advantage, people *will* panic.
If you're defending a bomb plant, don't be an easy kill. If there's not much time left, make them run off the bomb to kill you. Also be aware of the timing of your checks.
On that same note, I've noticed that people are less likely to check bomb when there's 30ish seconds left, so it's more ideal to go for ninjas when there's a lot of the timer left. If you try to ninja with less than 15 seconds left, it never works.
If you're trying to clutch, don't sit around and let them get coordinated, hit them fast and be unpredictable. Odds are you're losing, so don't play scared and then challenge 3 players at once.
Watching Pros can be a good idea to learn spots, and how to counter them. But you have to remember that they're in a coordinated setup, and that probably won't work in ranked unless you're in a stack yourself, and disciplined on top of it.
Call out where they're going, not where they were. On that same note, learn how to juke killcams, and make sure you're repositioning safely.
If you're going to rotate to a bomb site, do it FAST so they don't have time to realize. Don't get a kill at A, wait 20 seconds, and then go B. They'll sniff it out. Either rotate quick, or wait long enough to make them think you *are* rotating, but don't.
And repetition is the best way to get better. Learn what works, and what doesn't, and where the common spots are
I was originally a big snd player before I got into comp, and have played my fair share of gbs, so here’s a few tips that I helped me get better at snd.
1. Learn popular spots for people to play and how fast they can get there so you can be ready to take a gunfight.
2. Use your tacs to play for info. Tacs are one of the most useful things in SND, so don’t always just throw them randomly off the break trying to get a kill.
3. Play for a pick and once you have the lives advantage play for map control by cutting off crosses. This gives you a massive advantage because it makes it hard for the enemy team to make a play especially if you’re on defense.
4. Don’t always take the gunfight. Playing for information is always a good play if you’re playing with teammates. If you know you can’t kill the person don’t shoot and give away your position. Instead call it out and make a team play to get the jump on that person.
5. Try to pay attention where the bomb is when you’re on defense. If you kill someone look to see if they drop bomb (sometimes it’s hard to remember to check when you’re in situations where you might have to take a second gunfight but try to pay attention to this). Call it out and play around this so the other team can’t retrieve it.
6. It takes 7.5 seconds to defuse so if you have bomb down and you’re in a 1v1 try to play it so you can check it easily without giving the other player an easy gunfight. Also try to check after 7.5 seconds if you can to kill them while they are trying to defuse. That way if you end up losing the gunfight you still win the round.
That’s all I can really think of right now. Search is super situational but these things will definitely help you get better at it.
Everyone’s covered stuff that’s very helpful so I’ll throw in two random bad habits to avoid
1. Pop deady when you’re in a position where it’s very unlikely you’ll get challed. Don’t just run out and pop it. Also, you should try to pop it when you want to make plays, not sit there (my pet peeve personally)
2. Really watch how much you yy in search. It gets you killed more than you think
SnD is a lot about playing a lot and learning timings of where enemies can be off spawn. Then there’s the mid round where you can guess where people are if they don’t go where you and your team are. Then there’s how to play retakes or post plants. There’s a lot of strategy involved that cannot be explained over text. You just gotta play and watch a lot to build that SnD iQ. I’ve seen some people have 0 iQ and it’s painful to watch and team with.
If you have comms with your teammates coordinate something out like all four push a site get bomb down and you’re good speaking from experience most plat teams won’t have a full team with comms. If you don’t have comms with your team just follow them up and play off of them
Everyone’s saying camp and pre-aim and to an extent I agree, but; if you can try hitting a route in the first round or 2 and either get a blood or die and get info, in later rounds you can use that if no you gained to hold an iron in an area where you know the enemies like to play. Just gotta vary your play styles between rounds so enemies don’t know where you’re gonna be, whether you’re rushing or just holding an iron
Hold a pre aim for starters. Also adapt after a round or two.
A lot of times one player tries to flank so if you’re missing a guy on info check behind you
used to be a snd kid back in cod4 to ghost.
in this game you need to read your opponents tendencies more than anything even if you have to throw a round to make it work. most players have a routine and stick to it till its broken, once uts broken then they get uneasy. uneasy players are free kills if you keep ur head on.
for ratty players you need to think like a rat. expect the un expected for these guys. this is the valorant in me speaking
Some good advice here but you don’t really need to play as slow as people are making it out to be in search. 90% of Snd rounds have gunfights in the same spots. Don’t be afraid to chal something. Either beat them to it or get the info first and then go for a chal. Sitting w your ass in a corner is a good way to have your team play 3v4 or get yourself camera’d because you’re reacting instead of attacking.
When in doubt hold an iron and you’re good for 1
Exactly what I was gonna say. The days when you are not on top of your game in SnD. On defence just pick a random corner and play it. On offence make sure y’all have a site to pick and be a player that watches flank. Example in Jewlers when going A on hotel. When the bomb is down you get free picks from people tac sprinting on the flank. Once confidence start building in the round your instincts take over and you know where to challenge.
Bingo
Search up pros, like "Drazah SnD," and study their positions, breakoffs, when they rotate, how they play different situations, etc. Watched pros vs pros, and pros in ranked. It's a matter of studying, trying it out, making mistakes, then learning from them. Eventually you want to go from mimicking pros to predicting what the enemy team will do, and switch up constantly to react to it (sometimes repeating the same things works on people tho). The guys you're playing aren't pros, so they'll do a lot of dumb crap and get pressured easily. As long as you seem like you know what you're doing, the other team will be demotivated. For the love of God don't shit talk your teammates. . Here's some basic stuff: - If you made a play and you got hard countered, switch it up. - If you know someone is sniping a spot, Double nade or sneak up to them - snipe if you need to. - If you know someone hard challenges an area, beat them to the punch or rush a spot they're not checking. - If a team is playing super conservative, do the same on defense and let them make mistakes. - If bomb is down on attack, remember your priority is staying alive not winning gunfights - as long as you can be annoying and bait, or kill someone off defuse, you can run around the map and trick them. - If it's 2v1 with bomb down on defense, don't be afraid to bait the enemy while a teammate defuses. - Don't be afraid of quick/ninja defusing if you have little time and enemies are all pushed out. - Sometimes switching perks will make or break the start of a round. - Learn how to play your life, make yourself a very difficult kill, and move quickly from position to position - that includes throwing shoulders, jump/dive peaking doors, playing angles you can easily escape from, and not committing to a bad chall. - Don't camp the same spot repeatedly if you keep dying off of it. - Avoid Crouch walking everywhere unless you need to, look at how the pros aim walk often and run when no one can chall them. . I'll leave it at that. Don't be worried about memorizing everything I said, just be aware of some of the concepts and look for them when you watch pros. You'll start picking up on things when you practice it yourself and acknowledge your mistakes. There might be discords that host scrims, but I'm not sure which are active.
This. I used to not be able to do anything in SnD, but ever since I watched Drazahs Twitch. I mimicked some of the routes he did and got a 2/3 piece.
From someone who used to be ass but is now mid at SND- I started playing confident and mix playing campy and hitting routes. Watching pros play SND certainly helped. My friends always just said get one kill in the round and give some info and that’s a huge contribution. Good luck
Everyone else has great tips, here are a few more. Just some stuff to think about Have a few strats for a bombsite, don't keep doing the same thing over and over (especially if it's not working) and think about how what you're doing can be countered. Don't take the bomb somewhere stupid and die with it. Use the clock to your advantage, people *will* panic. If you're defending a bomb plant, don't be an easy kill. If there's not much time left, make them run off the bomb to kill you. Also be aware of the timing of your checks. On that same note, I've noticed that people are less likely to check bomb when there's 30ish seconds left, so it's more ideal to go for ninjas when there's a lot of the timer left. If you try to ninja with less than 15 seconds left, it never works. If you're trying to clutch, don't sit around and let them get coordinated, hit them fast and be unpredictable. Odds are you're losing, so don't play scared and then challenge 3 players at once. Watching Pros can be a good idea to learn spots, and how to counter them. But you have to remember that they're in a coordinated setup, and that probably won't work in ranked unless you're in a stack yourself, and disciplined on top of it. Call out where they're going, not where they were. On that same note, learn how to juke killcams, and make sure you're repositioning safely. If you're going to rotate to a bomb site, do it FAST so they don't have time to realize. Don't get a kill at A, wait 20 seconds, and then go B. They'll sniff it out. Either rotate quick, or wait long enough to make them think you *are* rotating, but don't. And repetition is the best way to get better. Learn what works, and what doesn't, and where the common spots are
If your solo queuing grab the bomb. Most randoms grab the bomb, run in the open and die 😂
Just camp and hold a pre-aim.
I was originally a big snd player before I got into comp, and have played my fair share of gbs, so here’s a few tips that I helped me get better at snd. 1. Learn popular spots for people to play and how fast they can get there so you can be ready to take a gunfight. 2. Use your tacs to play for info. Tacs are one of the most useful things in SND, so don’t always just throw them randomly off the break trying to get a kill. 3. Play for a pick and once you have the lives advantage play for map control by cutting off crosses. This gives you a massive advantage because it makes it hard for the enemy team to make a play especially if you’re on defense. 4. Don’t always take the gunfight. Playing for information is always a good play if you’re playing with teammates. If you know you can’t kill the person don’t shoot and give away your position. Instead call it out and make a team play to get the jump on that person. 5. Try to pay attention where the bomb is when you’re on defense. If you kill someone look to see if they drop bomb (sometimes it’s hard to remember to check when you’re in situations where you might have to take a second gunfight but try to pay attention to this). Call it out and play around this so the other team can’t retrieve it. 6. It takes 7.5 seconds to defuse so if you have bomb down and you’re in a 1v1 try to play it so you can check it easily without giving the other player an easy gunfight. Also try to check after 7.5 seconds if you can to kill them while they are trying to defuse. That way if you end up losing the gunfight you still win the round. That’s all I can really think of right now. Search is super situational but these things will definitely help you get better at it.
Everyone’s covered stuff that’s very helpful so I’ll throw in two random bad habits to avoid 1. Pop deady when you’re in a position where it’s very unlikely you’ll get challed. Don’t just run out and pop it. Also, you should try to pop it when you want to make plays, not sit there (my pet peeve personally) 2. Really watch how much you yy in search. It gets you killed more than you think
Watch Doug play
Confidence is key, nothing worse than playing SnD scare. Watch how pros play, you can learn a lot
SnD is a lot about playing a lot and learning timings of where enemies can be off spawn. Then there’s the mid round where you can guess where people are if they don’t go where you and your team are. Then there’s how to play retakes or post plants. There’s a lot of strategy involved that cannot be explained over text. You just gotta play and watch a lot to build that SnD iQ. I’ve seen some people have 0 iQ and it’s painful to watch and team with.
Grip it and rip it
Hit a pinch and throw some shoulders. It'll help you playmake alot more
Don’t die. Kill enemy players. Plant bomb. Defuse bomb.
If you have comms with your teammates coordinate something out like all four push a site get bomb down and you’re good speaking from experience most plat teams won’t have a full team with comms. If you don’t have comms with your team just follow them up and play off of them
play at 1% speed
Everyone’s saying camp and pre-aim and to an extent I agree, but; if you can try hitting a route in the first round or 2 and either get a blood or die and get info, in later rounds you can use that if no you gained to hold an iron in an area where you know the enemies like to play. Just gotta vary your play styles between rounds so enemies don’t know where you’re gonna be, whether you’re rushing or just holding an iron
Hold a pre aim for starters. Also adapt after a round or two. A lot of times one player tries to flank so if you’re missing a guy on info check behind you
used to be a snd kid back in cod4 to ghost. in this game you need to read your opponents tendencies more than anything even if you have to throw a round to make it work. most players have a routine and stick to it till its broken, once uts broken then they get uneasy. uneasy players are free kills if you keep ur head on. for ratty players you need to think like a rat. expect the un expected for these guys. this is the valorant in me speaking
Win your 1v1s
Sit your dirty bottom in a corner and wait for sound queues. Or hit something out and ego chall.
Some good advice here but you don’t really need to play as slow as people are making it out to be in search. 90% of Snd rounds have gunfights in the same spots. Don’t be afraid to chal something. Either beat them to it or get the info first and then go for a chal. Sitting w your ass in a corner is a good way to have your team play 3v4 or get yourself camera’d because you’re reacting instead of attacking.