This Vertigo grenade combo makes taking A so much easier

M Alzamora Published 22/06/2020

Vertigo’s A bombsite is notoriously one of the hardest to execute on in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but a new smoke, Molotov, and flashbang combination makes taking it much easier.

Vertigo has favored the attacking side even with Valve’s latest updates to the map making it slightly easier to defend. But with most of the changes coming through in the form of the map’s middle area and B site, Vertigo’s A site has become the more difficult bombsite to hit. For casual players, the A site is harder to hit because it requires coordination. The site’s two entrances mean that part of the team must clear sandbags and get themselves up the ramp while the other members have to simultaneously clear short. If either half of the team fails, the A site becomes an absolute nightmare for the T side.

Three Vertigo grenades to take A site on Vertigo

Step 1: Smoke off boost

Luckily, there’s a spot on Vertigo where an attacker can throw a smoke to block off Vertigo’s infamous headshot angle, a molotov to help their team take short, and a flashbang to blind anyone peeking connector or from catwalk. Even better, the spot doesn’t require precise positioning. Players can practically right up and hit it, as it’s easy to learn and even easier to remember. Here’s the spot.

All attackers have to do is line up with the ladder that runs through the center of the A site’s crane, and they’re pretty much good to go. As always, a few minutes in a private server will help users get a feel for just how much room they have, but the initial lineup and the grenade lineups themselves are very forgiving.

First up is the smoke. This is by far the most specific lineup, but even then it’s as simple as placing the crosshair on the tip of a clear corner.

The smoke completely neutralizes the A site’s boost and headshot angles, forcing defenders to either fall off and take a different position or wait out the smoke. Even if the CT player does decide to take a different position, the attackers now have the headshot angle advantage as they come up ramp. While this isn’t the slowest A site Vertigo smoke, it does take an average amount of time and has one big bounce before it goes off. Because of this, players should always make this the first of the three grenades they throw.

Step 2: Molotov short on Vertigo’s A site

Immediately after throwing the boost smoke, players can help their teammates by mollying off short. As noted above, players don’t even have to move. Tossing the molotov just above where the metal wall meets the crane’s concrete base will bounce the molotov onto short and force CT players either towards the approaching attackers or back onto the site, where the player has a nasty flashbang waiting for them.

This lineup is also easy. Players just want to make sure they give themselves enough room so that the fire doesn’t bounce back towards them. A little practice in the server goes a long way here. Ts moving up catwalk just have to be sure they’re ready for whatever the CT holding short decides to do. Either way, the molotov limits the room a CT has to aggress short and puts the attackers at an advantage.

Step 3: Flash deep into A site as teammates move up Vertigo’s ramp

The final grenade is a deep flashbang.

Vertigo’s designers were smart, placing the beam shown below across the A site to block many flashes thrown from ramp from blinding any AWPer in nest.

Most flashes will end up popping behind this beam, making them useless in an attempt to cover the attackers making their way up the ramp. This flash, however, goes off just below the beam. The only way for players to avoid it is to be physically out of the flashbang’s line of sight when it goes off. The flash will blind anyone looking towards ramp.

Players should first throw the smoke, then Molotov short, and then finally look right at the center of the beam shown below and left-click the flashbang.

These three grenades can all be thrown by one player, leaving the others to throw their own smokes to block off connector, site boxes, or the nest entrance.

While this grenade set won’t let players take the site automatically, this is the easiest support grenade set to memorize on the map. With its simple positioning, effective grenades, and forgiving lineups, this three-grenade execute should help players support their teammates on Vertigo’s stacked A bombsite.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

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