In our new series of Video Playbooks,
we'll make an analysis of the
world's premier talent and break down their game play.  From
Counter-Terrorist setups and bombsite retakes, to extensively detailed
Terrorist tactics and mid-round game changing decisions.  In this video
playbook, we take a look at Natus Vincere (Na`Vi) and their methodical
play on de_dust2 at the ESL IEM IV World Championships.

Check
out the video playbook here!

Na'Vi's Markeloff starts the round off with yet another AWP pick at
Double Doors against Fnatic in this de_dust2 Playbook.  Afterwards the rest of Na'Vi head
towards Long A but 2 get picked off and they regroup with Markeloff to
re-attack Catwalk.  Playing with patience and checking all corners and
spots the Ukranian players instead managed to get a pick at Double Doors
yet again.  After a quick trade of a frag Na'Vi .....

Haven't seen any of our playbooks before?  Check out some of our FREE ones below!

Playbooks: (Will open in a new window)
Na`Vi
Video Playbook: de_inferno
Na`Vi
Video Playbook: de_train

Highlight
Videos: (Will
open in a new window)
Na`Vi
at Arbalet Best of Four
Na`Vi
at ESL IEM IV Championship

Watch Markeloff show his incredible AWP put to work against the world's
best, Edward's rifling abilities, Zeus leading his Ukranian teammates to
victory and much more as Natus Vincere takes on the best teams in the
world at Arbalet Best of Four.

Directed & Edited by
David "DchozN" Cho



What are you waiting for? Watch the movie now!

Mirrors:
SK-Gaming
Yo...

In this feature we examine some of the different yet effective ways of
playing bombsites on the most popular maps via the styles of some of
the world's best players.  Each of these players has their own method
of playing the site and often tailors their style to their strengths as
well as builds strengths thanks to their choice of positioning.  Let's
look at how the pros do it on this position.

In our new series of Video Playbooks, we'll make an analysis of the
world's premier talent and break down their game play.  From
Counter-Terrorist setups and bombsite retakes, to extensively detailed
Terrorist tactics and mid-round game changing decisions.  In this
playbook, we take a look at Natus Vincere (Na`Vi) and their methodical
play on de_inferno at the ESL IEM IV World Championships.

The offseason is generally overlooked by young teams, as they don’t
realize its true potential; the ability to build upon a foundation that
already exists.  Tweaking strategies and adjusting setups is just the
beginning.  You aren’t a team until you’ve experienced an entire season
together.  As an established team, your benefit of experience alongside
one another is unmatched.  No longer do you need to predict your
teammate’s reactions, but work simultaneously together.  Only then can
you really begin to demonstrate the potential to succeed.

Take a Break
In
the offseason, most people take a break.  However, there is a right and
wrong way to do this that most teams don’t realize – even the ones who
do it properly.  First and foremost, your entire team needs to take the
break, not an individual player.  Everyone needs to understand the
necessity of taking a break now, because come game time, there are no
breaks.   If half your team wants to take a break, and the other half
doesn’t, it’ll usually end up with the active players finding
replacements for those taking a break, even if it’s only a few days. 
It’s a sad, but true reality.

Secondly, come to a pre-determined
amount of time for your break.  If you decide to take a break without
one, you’ll have half the team back and ready to play with the other
half MIA.  It just won’t work.  For the average team, I would never
suggest taking more than a week off – More than that and it’ll have a
poor effect on your teamwork and game play.  If you’re a very active
team with a rigorous practice schedule, two weeks may be more
appropriate.  For an extended break, I would suggest you begin
deathmatching in the second week to prevent from being too rusty upon
your return.

Pro Tip: "I feel a team should always take atleast some kind
of break in the offseason, as much fun as this game is, everyone always
needs a break from it to recharge their batteries." - Noah "StrikeR" Alvarado of MoB Gaming.

Team Evaluation
After the break, it’s time to knuckle down and begin preparing for the next season...

Watch the Cinderella story of Natus Vincere, or Na'Vi, from Ukraine who
took down the Counter-Strike 1.6 world elite teams in Fnatic, SK-Gaming,
Mousesports, WeMade FOX and many more in their ESL IEM IV Global Finals
championship journey. Special thanks to HLTV.org and SK-Gaming.com for
pictures and videos respectively.

The five Polish players Neo, Luq, Kuben, Loord, and Taz are having a lot of trouble finding a permanent home organization in these difficult financial times, which is a shame.  They are one of the best CS teams ever assembled and have more than their share of victories to prove it.  Their passion for the game is unrivalled, and their roster has been together for a long time so their chemistry is just outstanding.  What that chemistry overshadows, however, is a very strong tactical play style that keeps their opponents off balance with coordinated aggression.  Backed by the raw skill of the players and their chemistry, this play style can end up steamrolling anybody, even the most well composed teams in the world.  At the Extreme Masters Dubai tournament, the former PGS line-up took on the German team Alternate and beat them 16-1 on de_nuke.  I will refer to the roster as PGS in this article from now on for simplicity.

CT Half

Pistol

Luq, Neo, and Kuben head to ramp room and setup for a possible push there.  Meanwhile, Loord spots the hut door from top of big ladder and Taz lurks in connector.  In the event of any early push at ramp, Kuben will throw his deadly pop flash and the rest of the team will throw grenades on top of the attackers.

Once it has been assured there’s no early pushes on the part of the other team, PGS will prepare a push of their own.  Neo hops up on the ramp box to cover his teammates who throw their grenades into radio.  Then....

From the Pro Archives:  This article was
originally
published on 4/28/08

In my last installment, I
explained the problems with the majority of our common practice
routines. In this
article, I’ll explain the benefits of the practice routines that the
Europeans have been using for years.

The most effective practice you're ever going to get, is actual
experience. Nobody starts out on top and everybody has to work their
way up from somewhere. Don't let it get you down; your time will
come. However, in the meantime, there are many steps you can take to
make your journey to the top quicker, easier and more fun. Why spend 5
hours scrimming to get the same effect of 1 hour in a server practicing
with your team? The information to get to the top is out there. All
you have to do, is use it. Below I will explain the benefits of the
practice routines the Europeans have been using for years.

LAN Tournaments - (8/10) - Competing in LAN tournaments is by
far one
of the most effective ways to practice. This is what you practice for,
so
competing itself must be the best practice available. Money and pride
are on the line, everyone has
the same computer specs, pings are even and the playing field is
level. If you lose, it was fair and square. All of the best teams in
the world compete at
every event possible because like anything else, the more you do it,
the better
you get at it.

The
problem with LAN tournaments is that unless you're at a reasonably high level,
the chances of you getting knocked out very early are high. This means you'll only get a few matches of
practice at most, and that's if the event is being played in a group play
format -- which most local events do.
However, the mental and physical game necessary for a LAN event will
really push your team forward with each and every event. The more you go to, the better you'll do and
the more effective they will be as practice.
Besides the practice itself, LAN events are very useful to teams because
they allow for you to bond with your teammates, get to know each other outside
of the game, which allows for better communication and teamwork in-game. The other problem with LAN tournaments,
especially local events, is 90% of the time that you will spend at the LAN
center, you will be standing around bored out of your mind. It's important to keep yourself occupied, and
if necessary, go over ideas and concepts with your team.