Complex Strategy

## Intro

This article is directed more towards registered competitive teams that consistently practice with a set roster. Many of these concepts do not apply in pick-up games. See General Strategy for information geared more towards pick-up games.

In Competitive Insurgency, rostered teams typically employ multiple different strategic set-ups, known colloquially as "set plays," that define predetermined sequences of events that individual players will execute with the goal of creating an effective team-wide strategy for that round. The primary purpose of this article is to explain the different theories as to how In-Game Leaders (IGLs) should go about creating plays, and provide a starting point for competitive team IGLs looking to create their own playbooks.

## Strategic Concepts

Strategic Concepts are the basic team mechanics used during the creation of set plays. These concepts give IGLs multiple different ways to break down and process information, as well as

### Player Positional Value (PPV)

Player Positional Value is the concept that, at any point in time during a round, every living player of a team can be given a value between 1 and 5 (or however many players are left alive), where the player assigned the value of 1 is the most strategically important asset and the player assigned the highest value is the least strategically important asset in regards to the overall team strategy. This value is determined based on a player's ability to contribute to the overall scheme of the team from their current position. While there is no specific formula for calculating this, and each IGL will think about this in different ways, a general rule of thumb, based on a player's position or ability to get into said position, is as follows:

Objective (1) > Support (2) > Anchor/Secondary Support (3) > Flanker (4) > Roamer (5).

For example, from a Security perspective on Market, the 'B' player (1) on market is seen as more strategically valuable than the Blue Bridge player (2), who is more valuable then the Barber player (3), who is more valuable then the Shops player (4), who is more valuable then the Connector/Lower Kebab player (5). The logical reasoning behind these values is as follows:

* In the event that the 'B' player dies, it would be substantially more difficult to fill that role with another player then it would be to fill any other role.
* Blue Bridge, while easier to replace than the Barber player, is far more capable of killing multiple enemies from their position, and can effectively cut the map in half if the position is played correctly. Blue Bridge will also function to keep a friendly 'B' player alive for as long as possible.
* Barber, while more difficult to fill than Blue Bridge, has far less potential to kill multiple enemies, and his limited rotation opportunities from that position. Seeing as how their primary goal is to defend Barber from an Insurgent flanker so that Blue Bridge can be used more effectively, it stands to reason that they are of lesser strategic importance than that of the Blue Bridge player.
* Shops players, while extremely powerful if effectively used to remove the opponent's support player, have far less repercussions strategically if they fail to execute their flank, thus giving them a lower strategic value.
* Roamers, typically found in connectors or lower support positions, are substantially less important than anyone else on the team, as they are essentially on standby in the event that a role needs to be filled.

It is important to understand that these values are fluid and can change throughout the round. For example, should the 'B' player die, the Barber player may rotate to B to fill that role. The Blue Bridge player may move to secure Top Barber, and the Roamer may move to Blue Bridge to take that role over. At this point, using the logic rules defined above, the PPVs would be as follows:

The former Barber player, assigned a PPV of 3 at the start of the round, is now the 'B' player with the PPV of 1. The former Blue Bridge player, assigned a PPV of 2 at the start of the round, is now the Barber player, assigned the PPV of 3. The Roamer, assigned a PPV of 5 at the start of the round, is now the Blue Bridge player with a PPV of 2. Shops does not change their lane, so they maintain a PPV of 4, and are now the least strategically important player based on position.

Understanding PPV is extremely important for IGLs who intend to make rotation calls in the middle of the round, as that PPV is used to determine WHO should rotate to WHERE. In most cases, the lower the PPV, the more flexible that player can be in regards to how they execute their task in each round. The higher PPV players tend to have more defined tasks. Again, note that different IGLs will have different reasonings for why they assign specific values to specific players based on overall team strategy.

#### Scripted Rotations

The concept of Scripted Rotations is a sub concept of PPV, wherein players have specific rotation priorities based on the assigned PPV for that strategy. For example, a Barber player may be told to ALWAYS rotate to B after a set period of time in the event that the 'B' Player dies. This is considered a "scripted rotation" when it is set as the default reaction to the loss of the 'B' player, regardless of the larger strategic situation. Typically, these rotations are defined during practices, so that the IGL does not even need to communicate the necessary rotation, and the Barber player understands their role immediately after the 'B' player calls their death, hence the "scripted" portion fo the term.

### Combined-Arms Concept

The Combined-Arms Concept, named from the real-life military concept where multiple different types of fighting forces (infantry, artillery, air power, etc.) work together to accomplish a single task, is a strategic concept wherein multiple individuals from different areas of the map work to accomplish the same goal, such as fighting the opposing support player. For example, on District, from a Security perspective, a strategy where an Apartments rush takes place in conjunction with a Apartments Stairs prefire from Dark Window and an A2 prefire from Café Pillar would be considered a Combined-Arms Concept, with the idea that the two prefires can both suppress the opponent and cover for the noise made by the rushing Apartments player. When executed correctly, Combined-Arms Concepts are extremely effective at defeating specific opponent positions that have been causing trouble for the team at large.

### Lane Flooding

Lane Flooding is a strategic concept wherein multiple individual players overwhelm a lane protected by a single opponent in an attempt to try to establish a route through which they can rotate behind the opponent and cut off their map control. Simply put, Lane Flooding is used to exploit a perceived weakness in the opponent's strategic set up and force the remaining opponents to fear being flanked from their side of the map.

### Delayed Contact Timings

Delayed Contact Timings is a concept where a player intentionally takes longer to arrive at their expected contact point with the intent of catching the opponent off-guard or overextending. Very simple in theory, it is extremely difficult to master, due to the fact that, if a player delays for too long, they may get flanked before they are able to execute initial contact. Further, if the opponent realizes what the delaying player is intending to do, they may choose to flood a lane opposite of that which is being delayed for the purposes of establishing map control before the delaying team is able to effectively counter. When this happens, the delaying team is usually left at a significant man disadvantage. Due to this, Delaying Contact Timings should only be used in specific circumstances when the delaying team has a very accurate read of the opponent's overall strategy.

## Strategic Theories

In order to apply the concepts that are used to create set plays, it is important to understand the strategic theories behind each round of Competitive Insurgency.

### Isolation Theory

Isolation Theory is an older strategic theory used by early Competitive Insurgency teams for developing an overall team strategy based on individual lanes. Despite its lack of prevalence in the upper level of more recent competitive play, it is still widely used during Pick-up Games. Simply put, Isolation Theory is the culmination of ideas that each individual player can treat their lane as a singular 1v1 or an "isolated engagement," with rotations happening on an as-needed basis following the result of each initial lane engagement. This is the primary theory used by lower level teams due to its simplicity in execution, and is largely used as a starting point in the development of more complex strategies. Higher level teams tend to avoid strategies predicated solely on Isolation Theory, largely due to their lack of flexibility and their inherent inability to effectively create Combined-Arms Concepts. It is unknown who first developed Isolation Theory, but it is considered by most successful team captains to be the fundamental basis of strategic theory that every player must be taught in order to see success in Competitive Insurgency.

### **Free Role Theory**

In essence, Free Role Theory is a strategic concept that evolved naturally from Isolation Theory in an attempt to make Isolation Theory more applicable to high level play. The idea of Free Role Theory is that, in the event that a team lacks the synergy and unit discipline to successfully execute more complex strategies, individual players can be assigned "roles" as opposed to lanes, with each role having a sequence of simple tasks to execute that fit into the overall team strategic scheme. Free Role Theory creates a high level of flexibility without substantially increasing overall difficulty, although it does require effective communications and a high degree of individual player skill to execute at the top levels. Note that the "roles" in Free Role Theory do not necessarily have to match with the player class of the same name. Free Role Theory's "roles" are defined below:

1. Objective Player: The objective player, typically referred to as the 'B' player, is the individual assigned the role of establishing a physical presence on an objective. Typically, the 'B' player's job is to get into an easily defendable position and minimize angles of exposure, allowing friendly support players to defend the objective player. In some team set plays, the objective player will actually play a more aggressive role, usually intending to hunt the opponent's own objective player. This is especially prevalent if the opponent is unable to establish effective support positions in a reasonably quick amount of time.
2. Support Player: The support player's primary goal is to establish themselves in a "power position" where they can overwatch an objective and keep a friendly objective player alive. Typically, the "power positions" on a map are elevated locations that have a great overview of an objective, while also having fairly useful cover for the support player to shelter behind. Support players must understand that they are normally in the most important strategic positions on a map, and, thus, must take extra precautions when peeking so as to minimize angles of exposure. Support players are typically more logical and disciplined individuals who understand the value of their lives in regards to the success of the overall team strategy. Very rarely will support players be executing complex rotations.
3. Flanker: The primary role of a flanker in most Free Role Theory based strategies is typically two-fold: to engage the opposing support player and prevent them from effectively supporting the objective player, or to flank outside of the opposing support player's line of sight and hunt the opposing objective player. Individuals with more aggressive or egotistical personalities typically make the best flankers, as success in the role corresponds to a player's confidence in their individual skill level. In order for a player to be an extremely effective flanker, it is important that they understand the overall team strategic concept; it is common that the flanker will have to assume the role of a secondary support player if they are able to take the opposition's native support location.
4. Anchor: The Anchor player will serve in either of two capacities: as the Anchor, providing coverage to the support player by locking off lanes that the opponents would use to flank friendly support positions (think Security-side Barber on Market), or as the secondary support player (think Security-side Trees on Embassy), depending on team strategy for that round. Anchor players are individuals that have a high degree of self-confidence, but also are extremely disciplined and not easily distracted.
5. Roamer/Flex Player: The Roamer/Flex player is the most dynamic role in Free Role Theory. Roamer/Flex players are individuals who have a high degree of game knowledge and understand situational gameplay, allowing them to effectively rotate without getting in the way of their teammates' functions. These players are also usually quite experienced, and tend to be most successful if they have played in other roles before playing as a Roamer/Flex. While not necessarily a requirement, Roamer/Flex players also tend to fill the role of IGL, due to their inherent understanding of the "big picture" of the team's strategy. These players are also known as "fill" players, due to their ability to fill in for any other role if that specific player loses an engagement on initial contact. Normally, Roamer/Flex players will vary what they do every few rounds or so to prevent the opponent from getting a consistent read on what the team's overall strategy is. These players will also be used for lane flooding concepts. While typically being the least strategically valuable player on the team at any point in time, a good Roamer/Flex player can single-handedly win entire games if they execute their rotations at an extremely high level.

Free Role Theory is a modern iteration of the original "Individual Role Theory" that introduces a further layer of player autonomy in terms of rotations and the specific tactics of playing their positions. This theory will likely be the most familiar to modern players, as the concepts of Free Role Theory are extremely effective with teams that lack unit synergy and experience, and is thusly the most prominent team strategy used in pick-up games. While limited in scope, especially when compared to Phased Round Theory, Free Role Theory is seen by many as the most useful strategic theory, due to its simplicity in regards to teaching and executing at a high level. For newer rostered teams that are looking to build familiarity with each other, Free Role Theory is the recommended strategic theory to base a team playbook off of.

### Phased Round Theory

Phased Round Theory (PRT) is a complex strategic theory that developed as a result of high level teams utilizing Free Role Theory, with the idea that the initial contact timing in a specific lane can be adjusted to confuse an opponent and prevent them from exercising their autonomy allocated to them in Free Role Theory. Essentially, a team effectively using PRT can turn Free Role Theory into a form of Isolation Theory, wherein opponents playing specific roles feel obligated to lock into their lane out of fear of being flanked, negating their ability to execute their role in a combined arms strategy. By doing so, the team using PRT turns the entire round into a sequence of 1v1s or 2v1s that they should always be in a favorable position to win. Once a man advantage is established, disciplined use of PRT will result in every engagement guaranteed to end with at least a trade, maintaining that numbers advantage to victory. If a team using PRT finds themselves in a man disadvantage after initial contact, the effective use of preemptive rotations and the rapid deployment of support platforms will almost always result in map control, allowing the team to catch the opponents "out of position," giving the team using PRT a high likelihood of evening the numbers out via firefights or capturing objectives, whichever comes first.

Developed during the later seasons of the Digital Gaming League's Insurgency Source Competitions, PRT became the predominant strategic theory for most higher end Division 1 teams. Developed initially in concept by multiple DGL Division 1 captains and defined in detail by Haze from Rizen, PRT as a theory states that every round can be divided into phases, wherein specific actions must take place for a team to be successful as a whole unit. PRT has four defined phases as described below:

1. Contact Phase: The initial phase of PRT defines the time between round start and the execution of the first rotation from either team. This phase can also be considered the "set-up" phase, where pre-fires/crosspicks, prenades, and other preliminary utility usages take place, and where players execute initial lane engagements over specific contact points. This phase is, by far, the most important phase of any strategy that intends to counter a Free Role Theory using team. This phase can be modified to a high degree, to include tactics such as delaying contact timings and lane flooding. In extremely rare cases, one team may win every single initial contact engagement, and the round will end before transition to the next phase. This is referred to as "winning/losing the round 'on contact'." This is typically only seen when competing teams have a high mechanical skill disparity.
2. Rotation Phase: The second phase of PRT defines the time between the first rotation from either team and the establishment of an objective presence for both teams, to include the establishment of effective support platforms. The primary goal of the rotation phase is to "out rotate" the opponent by moving into strategically valuable positions before the opponent can complete their own rotations. By doing so, it is usually possible to catch the opponent "out of position," or in a location where they are unable to effectively engage teammates in support positions, and also can't engage the friendly objective player. The rotation phase is also extremely variable, as most flankers will execute their flanks in the phase. It is common for the rotation phase to be a relatively short period of time where a lot of engagements take place. In some cases, this phase will result in contact being made with every surviving player of a team before the establishment of an objective presence, resulting in a round termination in this phase. This is typically referred to as "winning/losing the round 'in rotation'."
3. Standoff Phase: The third phase of PRT defines the time between the establishment of an objective presence and the eventual capture of said objective for either team. This phase typically sees the complete development of a flank, where flanking players will try to take favorable engagements against established support players to weaken the objective presence of the opponent. Whether flankers are successful or not, the Standoff phase commonly devolves into a situation where two opposing objective players are hiding in an attempt to avoid engagements, and opposing support players are actively trying to hunt the opposing objective player. Less commonly, the standoff phase devolves into auxiliary point captures for either or both teams, although a team that typically bails on the central 'B' objective is statistically likely to lose due to a lack of map control and the degree of difficulty involved in holding the opponent's native objective off of a respawn. It is normal for this phase to take substantial amounts of time off of the clock. In many cases, the objective capture ends the round, or all enemies are eliminated on the objective, and the standoff phase serves as the final phase of PRT for that round.
4. Re-establishment Phase: The fourth phase of PRT defines the time between the capture of an objective and the re-establishment of the most relevant "natively owned" positions by the respawned team, with the idea of maximizing map control. In many cases, this phase will almost immediately transition into a secondary rotation phase, where respawned players "hunt" for the remaining opposition. In other cases, if a team loses it's objective player immediately after the capture, it is common to see spawn camping occur in this phase, where the team that failed to capture the point attempts to prevent the capturing team from completing the re-establishment process.

Strategically speaking, Phased Round Theory is designed to take advantage of the adage that "the team that rotates first, takes first," with the idea that the team executing a strategy based on PRT should ALWAYS strive to control the transitional periods between phases. By executing rotations and capping objectives before the opponent, teams can establish favorable positions from which to catch rotating opposing players out of position. More often than not, PRT strategies are designed around establishing map control before the enemy can take advantage of any initial contact engagements that they may win. Teams can effectively communicate to each other what their situational goals are by expressing what phase of PRT the team believes it is in. This is usually done by the IGL, but seasoned rosters with high levels of synergy often understand what phase they are in as a team by simply checking the map occasionally and seeing what friendly players are doing.

Phased Round Theory is commonly used in conjunction with concepts such as Player Positional Values and Scripted Rotations. Both of these concepts, when understood by an entire team, allow individual players to minimize unnecessary communications while maximizing rotational efficiency and mechanical proficiency, resulting in complete control of the phase transition periods and giving that team a high probability of victory due to the proactive establishment of map control.

Please note that Phased Round Theory is an advanced team-based strategic theory that requires a high level of overall synergy to be successful. It is important to understand that, while PRT is an extremely capable tool in regards to identifying and predicting both how and when opponents will take specific actions during a round, PRT is a highly fluid theory that requires a high degree of game knowledge and extremely efficient and accurate communications, as well as an incredibly cerebral IGL to be utilized effectively. Often times, teams will not know when the opponent actually begins to execute phase transitions, and the ability for an IGL to predict opponent rotations based on situational gameplay, as well as knowing how to counter those rotations in order to establish an objective presence, is something only the most experienced IGLs will be able to do. Couple that with the fact that the opponent's end-phase rotations must be read correctly and quickly enough to be able to effectively counter, and it becomes plainly obvious that executing a PRT based strategy is extremely difficult to pull off, although highly rewarding when done correctly.

## Note

To ensure that the critical information presented here is always accurate, this page has been protected so that only users with administrator privileges can edit it. Please contact us if you'd like to suggest a change.