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Counter-Strike, Team Guide to CAL

The content of this article is a compilation of 5 years experience playing Counter-strike and being involved in various team environments.

Desire:
Desire although a vague term, it sums up the team as a whole. Do all team members desire to succeed? What amount of success do they desire? Are they willing to put many hours into the team? These are all questions you should ask yourself when creating a team. If any member of the team lacks the desire to succeed you will find the team will not be successful.

Experience:
“CAL P/I++ been playing since CS Beta Version”. This is a very common statement from many players searching for teams. Frankly, you can take that statement and throw it away. League experience is often the gauge on which the value of a player is determined. Although league experience will help you determine the caliber that a player is capable of competing at, there is no way to tell if that player was successful or even played at that level. It is obvious if a player is experienced if you spend some time playing with them. Defending a bombsite, ability to use sound, deductive reasoning, and “Counter-strike common sense” are all examples. Therefore, I highly encourage all teams to thoroughly tryout any potential members. In addition, constantly evaluate your current members.

Location:
East, West, Central, Europe, Canada. Where are a majority of your team members located? A downfall of many teams is having their members spread throughout North America and Europe. The location of a player will determine their ping and their hours available. In addition, having players located close to one another allows the team to grow both in game and outside the game.

Composition:
Team composition is another important attribute. Your team should posses a composition similar to the following:

Team Leader
- The team will live or die at the ability of your leader. The leader should conduct himself as the most mature player on the team. The leader must always set a good example for members to follow. Practice/Match scheduling, public relations, and internal relations are all responsibilities of the leader.

Strat Caller
- The in-game success of the team often rests on the ability on your Strat Caller. This player should possess a keen ability to decipher the other team on the fly. In addition, the Strat Caller needs to know the abilities of your team and call strategies within those abilities. This player could also be the Team Leader

Starters
- Depending on whether your Strat Caller is also your Team Leader then you will need three or four more Starters for your team. These players should be kept playing together at all times. The chemistry of these players is extremely important. They should become a strongly forged unit and obey all commands given by the Strat Caller and Team Leader

Substitute(s)
- Although nobody likes not playing, having a good substitute is important for the success of a team. If one of the starters is not available, the substitute needs to be able fill-in. It is entirely up to the team leader to determine the amount of substitutes. I recommend one or two subs.

All of these attributes are important to the success of your team. However, another important thing to remember is to “Have Fun”. This is a game after all.

As with every new CAL season, there are quite a few new teams. Therefore, I am writing this guide to creating a successful team. The content of this article is a compilation of 5 years experience playing Counter-strike and being involved in various team environments.

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