Basic CTF Strategy

[Cheesse]

As the winner of the 2017 CTF Summer Tournament, I would like to impart some of my game knowledge to you. You are reading the strategy that won my team the game, as unlikely as it would have seemed at the time.

The primary objective: capture the enemy's flag more than they can yours. How? Do it by Brute Force or Sneaking while Defending.

OK, so, how to take the flag by Brute Force? Go through the shortest route to their flag and kill anyone in the way. Take the flag and move back, killing anyone in the way. There are many ways of killing the enemy; they will be taken into account later.

How to take the flag by Sneaking? Go through the longest, hidden, or unprotected route to their flag while avoiding or sneak-attacking the enemy. Set traps along the way, and be alert for enemy traps. Take the flag and move back through an unoccupied route.

What are the effects of using either strategy? Brute Force is good against weaker players and, at the same time, eliminates some of those trying to take your flag. However, it is only useful as a defensive tactic against stronger opponents, as it just slows down their advances. We will discuss strength later. Sneaking allows you to avoid stronger players and take their flag without them stopping you. However, this strategy offers no defense, and so must be used only in certain situations. There is a chance you will be found by the enemy and killed, and your plans would be discovered.

So what about Defense? Stay near your flag and kill those who come near it, set traps, and create obstacles and favorable environment, basically. The Defense strategy counters Sneaking and weak Brute Forcing, but is futile against stronger opponents.

So which strategy is the best to use? The Brute Force strategy is the recommended one to use is most situations, since it is both offensive and defensive. Once you die, though, you have failed, and, depending on the enemy's position and tactic, you may have to change your strategy. If the enemy is using weak Brute Force anywhere, then continue using Brute Force. If the enemy is using strong Brute Force at his territory, then it is safe to continue using Brute Force, although setting up defenses first is a good idea. You could also Sneak here. If the enemy is using strong Brute Force at your territory, then it is best to quickly set some defenses, then proceed with Brute Force. If the enemy is Sneaking at his territory, then you can just Brute Force to the flag. Make sure you have set some defenses beforehand! If the enemy is Sneaking at your territory, then Defend. If the enemy is Defending, then, either Sneak to find a weak point then use Brute Force, or just Brute Force your way through. If the enemy's Defense is too strong, then a stalemate is reached.

It is important to play by these concepts at all times, as not doing so will usually cause you to lose.

[BkayB]

Solid. Another thing teams should practice on is timing.

e.g. in a 4 man team that's attacking where 2 are using Brute Force and 1 is Sneaking, the ideal play would be a sandwich: the 3 of them coordinate a push that forces the defenders to keep diverting their attention.

Let's take arena as an example: 2 defenders vs 3 attackers, 1 is Sneaking and 2 are using Brute Force. All trap mines have been defused. The best way to get the flag would be to have the Sneaker slowly go for the flag. When at least one defender focuses on that solo play, have the other attackers advance as much as possible. When the 2 defenders focus on that, have the Sneaker go forward as much as possible. Rinse and repeat until you're all near reaching distance from the flag. At that moment, choose one attacker to go for the flag. When the defenders finally commit to chasing one target, clean up. 

Easy to say but it takes good coordination and awareness to not flop the attack by blindly rushing at completely different times. Spreading out in the field as well as voice chat can optimize these kinds of attacks.

One situation you should always aim for during your attack: outnumber your opponents. The more you are, the more you can divert your opponents' attention. At the highest level, the win goes to whoever has the better attacks.

One situation you should never be in at the highest level: don't go solo against multiple opponents, except if it's to delay your opponent's push after your failed attack. The more people you're against, the more they can divert your attention :P

The rest comes with good practice. Hopefully everyone (including me ^-^) gets enough of it for this Winter Tourney!

PS: Speaking of I saw sthg about a team looking for a sub. I'm down, just don't have the perm from @XenonMan to reply on Discord. Halp!