In this article I will do a full map breakdown of the CPL map "de_contra". Although this is in my opinion one of the best competitive maps, it is not very widely played due to it's complexity. Each site has numerous ways to attack from, and even rotations can be immensely complex. This map is arguably T sided, but if the Terrorists do not have solid strats they can easily be locked down by a good CT setup. There are lots of different places for CTs to play from so a team's map knowledge must be flawless if they wish to compete. This article aims to help that, and though bits may be simple for some people, hopefully you will learn something from this.

Firstly, B bombsite.

The main entrance the CTs have to cover in this site is Box room, and I will explain why later. On it's face value this seems like a very basic position to cover, but there are 2 main problems for the CTs. Firstly, the terrorist spawn zone is very large, and if they are luckily enough to get a good B spawn, they can be entering the site as the CTs get into position. Secondly, the ease of entry flashes from the Terrorists means CTs must be near cover at all times.

However, there are still a lot of good position in B site regardless of these factors. A lot of teams play one around the central boxes :

You will be able to get to all these positions before the terrorists begin entry flashing, and you are near cover to look away. The first and third ones could be played with AWP, but I'd reccomend using rifle in case they rush.

It is not a good idea to peak T side of box room as there are 2 key spots where you may get picked from.

The first one basically splits the site in 2, preventing the CTs crossing unless they counter flash first. It is not advised to try and pick there. The second one also prevents CTs crossing, and sometimes a T will hold there while the rest of the team attack A, to prevent people pushing B. Just make sure you check both of them when pushing.

Most teams like to play 2 players in B however. The way my team likes to play is one person in the positions I mentioned above covering Box room at all times, and one AWPer playing from CT spawn entry covering Box room until Plank room is called, on which point he aims there instead.

There are also some lesser used boosts and positions in B which might be good if you have time, but otherwise aren't as widely used. I'll just put screenshots for these as there's no real explanation needed.

Next, the mid player. The Mid player has 3 main roles. His primary role in my clan's setup is to call people pushing B. He can do so in 2 ways. Firstly, he can watch crossing from CT with AWP.

He is not expected to make picks here unless they rush Sands into Plank room, and is merely giving the B players warning. However, if you watch Hyper|Sphere's Contra demo (I don't have a link, it's an old one), he manages to get quite a few picks here, so it's not impossible.

Another position the mid player can play is jumping through window and pushing sands. mOE likes to do this, and holds in connector watching plank entrance. I do not reccomend going into connector, but pushing sands can be a good idea. The other main role a mid player has is preventing the Terrorists rushing mid into either CT spawn or jumping over Bridge into sands towards A. In this position however, he must be careful as he is easily picked. There is a nice T boost at Terrorist spawn we use a lot to pick the mid awper. From this position the CT in mid can only see a sliver of the Terrorist's head, and unless he is watching and waiting for it he will not be able to pick you before you get him.

This leaves the 2 A players. There are 2 main entrances to A, referred to as Upper and Lower.

Firstly, Upper. The positioning at Upper is relatively simple, in that there are only 3 or 4 key positions to play, but they're still quite strong positions. The only concern is being picked from these 2 positions :

As long as the CT doesn't play in line of any of those positions he is free to play wherever. Here are a few suggested ones :

There are more, but those are the main ones I use. They can all be played with rifle.

Lower is more complicated. There are lots of places a CT can play in lower, but some are more expected than others. If any of you have seen Kodiak Source you will know the box-sliver position. This can be a good position if unexpected, but can be easily countered if the Terrorists all stay on the left hand side of lower as they push.

Another well known spot requires a boost from the central lower box.

This position is better but requires more time. When performing this boost, make sure you're going to either side of the gap in the middle or you will fall.

Here are a few more positions I like to play, though not all. In the last one the CT is looking the wrong way, but in that position you can cover Lower with an AWP quite effectively, as shown in the EFG promo vid.

That's my de_contra breakdown complete. It is far from perfect, but I hope it helps in some way. If there are any more questions just post them in the comments and I'll do my best to help.

Thanks, hope you liked it. Feedback rating and karma appreciated. Special thanks to Tucker and aq. for their help in providing screenshots for this article.
Felix "xiLeF" Morgan
#xilef