5v5 Capture the Flag Guide
This is a tutorial written for competitve 5v5 Capture the Flag gamemode for the game Urban Terror. Though I think it's still valid for most competitive CTF modes.
The key element with Urban Terror's version of Capture the Flag versus some other FPS games, is that it utilizes "wave respawns" for competitive CTF - The way it works is that there is a 15-second timer constantly counting down to 0 and reseting to 14 seconds. At 0, any players who had died within that timeframe will respawn regardless of which team they're on.
This essentially enables micro-moments of crucial gameplay decision making depending on whether they have the player advantage or disadvantage. The wave respawn element will be refrenced at multiple points throughout this writeup.
First of all, you should know that what you're reading is a guide to help you progress as a team
in CTF. The goal is to help you progress quickly, but don't follow this like gospel; it's very important that you eventually develop your own style. I'm just offering you what I think is the beginning.
CTF is a team game where individual achievement has no place, victory is determined by team synergy. If all players can work together and communicate properly, even with weaker skill - they will always win.
Glossary of Terms:
Aim:
Aiming ability (reaction speed, accuracy, and target lock)Att:
Attack, refers to the players responsible for capturing the flag.Cap:
Capture, capturing the opposing flag by delivering it to your own flag.Cover:
Cover means covering a corner, or someone, like in the movies. You shoot, you preshoot (shoot in areas where the enemy can escape to scare them or potentially score hits), you throw grenades, anything to prevent the enemy from getting through.Def:
Defense refers to those responsible for holding the flag.Drop:
Release the flag, to hide it, or pass it to an ally.Fear:
Scare the opponent with the aim of making them retreat or at least not advance (grenades and preshoots).Inc:
Incoming, inc means that someone is approaching. Generally, if a team-mate says inc, an opponent will soon show their face.Jump:
Jump means moving quickly by jumping.Low:
Low life, Low Heal Point (Low HP) basically means that the guy doesn't have much health left.Team mate:
Team mate, a member of your team in the game.Mid:
Middle, refers to the middle position in a map and by assimilation the one or those responsible for taking care of it. Some refer to mid as the position responsible for supporting the attack or defense depending on the circumstances.Nade:
Grenade, if we say "nade mid" it means to throw your grenade to the middle of the map.14 or long:
This is when you have 10 seconds or more before coming back to life (respawn). Long is a more accurate term and is used in English, 14 is more common in France.Quick:
For quickmedic, it's about killing someone at the wave timer of 2, 1, or 0 seconds to allow them to respawn directly.Push:
Pushing, attacking, is a constructed and intelligent push. In principle, a push is done with a return option, while a rush (below) is all or nothing.Recover:
Recover your flag from the opponent's paws.Respawn:
Come back to life.Rush:
This is a push but without any real precautions. It's about charging into the crowd in a rather unstructured way. A push is constructed, a rush is done with skill and luck. It has its uses.SK:
Spawn Kill, killing an opponent as they exit their spawn, preventing them from defending their flag. Several techniques exist!Stam:
Stamina is the energy bar that allows you to jump.Timer:
In the top right corner, you have something that counts down, it's the timer. You have the timer that shows the number of times remaining on the map, and especially the wave timer (see below) that shows the number of times remaining until the end of the wave. In CTF, what we call a timer is the wave timer; in general, it's very important.TK:
TeamKill is about killing a member of your team.Wave:
In CTF, respawns occur in waves. Every 15 seconds, everyone who was killed revives. So, if you were killed at timer (wave) 1, you'll only have to wait one second to come back, but if the timer was at 14, you'll have 14 seconds before the end of the wave.
CTF in general:
Generally speaking:
Create opportunities, gaps, every time you break the opponent's rhythm, it's an advantage. A flag being taken can be an advantage, no more flags to defend and more time? So attack! With a full push, you have chances to recover and even cap, sometimes even letting a flag be recovered can allow you to cap.If there's not enough time left and you're losing, set an ambush, let the opposing team recover, position yourself in strategic positions, and push at the same time. It's a risk, but sometimes this bait allows you to recover the opponent's flag and capture one.
Any time a player has a long spawn, it can be an opportunity. If you go 14, it's rather unfavorable, but you can sometimes get something out of it. You go long, the opponent will push. The numerical advantage and the passing time pressure will make them lower their guard. You can be sure they'll try to take your flag.
If you secure defense, put them low, then finish them off at the beginning of the next wave, with luck and skill, you'll put down a 14 or even 2. This can change the situation. A 14 on an opponent, provided you keep a cool head and push everyone at the same time, is a definite advantage; we'll come back to this.
It's up to you to create as many of these leverages to your advantage as possible and make good use of them.
A defeat is the seed of victory:
You lost? Great. A good beating, I tell you, that's how we educate CTF players. A defeat is an opportunity to learn a lot, to question yourself, to find the problem.With enough pride and humility, you will accept this defeat and make sure it doesn't happen again. There's no secret: it's by falling that we learn to run. So please don't make ANY excuses!
If you want to improve, be hard on yourself. Your opponent is never unhit, it's you who didn't connect well; your opponent wasn't very strong, you're not up to par yet; you weren't lucky, this time you reacted badly, etc. Accepting your mistakes is a step toward not making them again and progressing as a player and as a team. (It's not about arguing over who's at fault; that would kill your team. It's about knowing how to accept your mistakes so you don't repeat them.)
You don't play 5v5 for nothing:
It's a team game, the goal isn't to have the highest score or the most damage, or to make the best plays; the goal is for you to have 10 flags and them 0 at the end of the match.At all times, put the team's interests first. If you don't have enough stamina to make a direct cap, don't risk losing the flag, take the flag to your spawn, ask someone to come and retrieve it, leave it with them, and cover them. This way, you're guaranteed to successfully cap and continue to exert pressure on your enemies. Don't hesitate to drop if you can't cap in the same circumstances as a full stamina player (without stopping and quickly).
On defense, everyone covers an angle, you must not let your team mate find himself in a 1v2 situation (unless he has enough skill and you're trying to score 14s that way, he puts them low, you finish them off, it's also a very good defensive strategy).
If the mid has just taken the flag, one attacker will help him and the other must take his place. The same goes if the push was made by a defender.
In the same vein, there are five of you, so when you push, whatever it may be, never find yourselves in a 1v2 or 1v3 situation. ALWAYS (yes, always) all of you come out at the same time, not one by one. I'm going to repeat this a lot; it's important.
No meds, quickmeds:
Kill your allies when the timer approaches 0. They will revive immediately. Meds are for TS except in a few very rare cases in CTF (low ally at the start of a wave, you can always land a med hit before the opponent arrives), or on long, rarely played maps (Tombs, Casa, Rihyad, etc.) where you can't attack without meds.Be careful, though, there may be cases where it's better not to quick your partner, for example: when a defender has a sneaky position, even with 50 HP, they can create an advantage on the next wave. Similarly, wait for your team-mates to place their nades for SK before TKing them. If you need a quickmed, drop your Kevlar; it will often save you from a failed tk (team mate with few bullets, poor aim, little time to tk, etc.)
Don't quickmedicate your enemies; wait a few more seconds and kill them at 14. It's better not to kill a low opponent than the quickmedic.
Throw a nade toward an exposed corner at 4, then stand on the nade. Put your opponents low and wait to jump! Or expose yourself if you have a team mate to tk you.
Using 14s with several techniques:
The long/14 after a flag cap is one of the tastiest dishes in CTF. Successfully using a long gives you an advantage over your opponent for 14 seconds.If one of them is long, you're temporarily in a 5v4 situation, and an entire 5v4 match is a guaranteed victory. It's therefore very important (I insist) to use longs (one long in each wave is a 5v4 match, you can reasonably expect to use a long every two waves on average).
You understand the importance of this, so always keep an eye on the timer (to manage quickmeds and longs).
Here are some techniques:
- By bleed: aim legs rather than torso, 5 leg balls or better 1 torso, 4 leg/arm bleeds guaranteed, if you're REALLY good, 7 foot is impossible to cure.
- Low then finish: the most common, we try to put the opponent low when he's alone and far from his team-mates. A shot to the legs/feet at the end is a little extra, it prevents him from going for a kill. Be careful, you must signal to your team-mates that they shouldn't kill him, say it clearly.
- Nades: Nades are perfect for 14s, they allow you to kill in one hit without exposing yourself, very useful in both attack and defense. Sneaky: take positions where you are not expected, let the opponent pass, move and make sure to take him from behind, and at 14 make the kill (useful for the mid)
What to do if both flags are taken:
You must have someone bodyguarding the flag carrier, and at least one player on each branch of the map. You must always be able to see where the danger is coming from.Recovery is skill-based. If you've all managed to advance through all three branches, then exit at the same time to maximize your chances of recovery. You'll see that you won't always have a choice.
If you're winning, you can even let your opponent take your flag when you have theirs, or you can simply drag the ball out to pass the time (this is the equivalent of playing time in TS when you're leading). This should only be done in the last minute, or on hard sides against a superior team. Variations exist, although they're riskier: a full push to take their flag and pass the time.
Don't miss your covers:
We don't follow the flag carrier, but we cut the branches of the map. Someone must cover mid, 1 in attack and 2 def. We don't give the recovery any chance.
Priority of information (Communication):
"The rule is that the team that wins is the one that's best informed."Look at your minimap, damn it!:
As mentioned above, the flow of information in CTF is enormous, if you know how to read it! Even without skill (aim/jump/nade), you can sneak in back/take the flag. The Algiers Oasis position, with exploiting the minimap and general reading of the game, allows you to drive opponents literally crazy in recov and cap.Looking at the minimap allows the attacker to know when his partner or the mid are positioned, or if a defender is pushing, and thus to know when to exit. Proper use of the minimap will even tell you the precise position of your opponent.
To do this, you need to analyze the flashing arrows (shots) and the direction (where your team-mate is looking), so you will always have an idea of where to look.
This minimap also allows you, as an attacker or middle, to know when to defend before the defenders ask (reaction speed and decision-making are very important).
When you're dead for a few seconds, take advantage and LOOK AT YOUR MINIMAP!! You will be able to know where your opponents are, if you need to support another branch upon your return, etc. Do this especially if you're a leader; you'll be able to coordinate branches and maximize teamplay.
The minimap is the best, but it's not the only one:
It's extremely important to have information on your superiority/inferiority. To do this, nothing's easier than reading the "killing info" or the "team info."These two tools allow you to know just as quickly as the minimap how many enemies are left in front of you, as well as who is dead from your side. However, the information on the position from which your team-mates died isn't precise, unlike the minimap. It's up to you to juggle these different tools.
When you play, manage the flow of voice communications:
Don't tell your life story in-game; no one cares. "Fuck, he's not taking anything," "Yeah, my aim sucks today," "Do you know the story about the chair?If your goal is to progress, it's very important to have a good atmosphere, to know how to laugh, etc., but also to know that in-game you generally have to stay serious in order to respect your team-mates, who could often be distracted by you; it will always risk costing you one way or another; a flag (a distracted attacker who blows up his nade on himself instead of his opponent, a def or mid who can't sound the opponent and takes 14, etc.) be concise while being PRECISE.
"74 hp mid inc" instead of "fuck, he has 74 health points in the middle, he's coming at you guys." 10 letters instead of 52; 1 second occupied instead of 5, it allows team-mates to react faster and doesn't distract anyone.
How to call the shots (Leading):
Knowing how to take advantage of a 14:
Okay, you're in a 5v4, but if you just wait it out, it won't do you any good. In this situation, you can almost immediately assume that an attacker will be missing.Several solutions: push the defenders; move an attacker to midfield to create a surprise and eliminate the opposing midfielder (5v3 situation); do both at the same time: a defender goes through midfield, which allows you to easily get back on defense in case of trouble, and push in other ways.
Are you at risk of losing an important flag near the end of the match?
Push everyone on offense; you'll have a much better chance of recovering the flag or taking theirs (4 times out of 10, depending on the level between you).Switch:
I told you you have to know how to take advantage of a 14, do you think they don't know that, damn it? If one of your defenders takes a 14, an attacker must come back, or the mid must defend deeper.Except in certain cases:
- The opposing attackers are already low
- the opposing mid is long, yours can then help the defense by backing the attack.
- Your attackers are too deep in the opponent's defense and can't get back on defense in time.
If you're leading (capturing a flag is like recov'ing with a one-minute delay), and finally, you can give up the point and take advantageous positions.
If your midfielder takes the lead, one attacker must take their position and the other defend against their defenders to prevent the push or maintain favorable positions.
Positions aren't fixed:
If you have the possibility (I'm talking to the leaders), you need at least two strats per map, and especially if you have players who know how to play two distinct positions well (but really well), don't hesitate to swap them depending on the circumstances.If a defender has been able to advance to push the opposing flag in less than a wave and won't be seen by the attackers (parking on the turnpike when you're defending pills), tell an attacker to defend, the opposing defense will find itself attacked from three positions at once, including a very surprising one, and surprising the defense is a huge advantage.
Similarly, if the mid is very advanced, he can back the opposing defense if they're in high defense and stick two 14s, one of your attackers will then take his position. There's this kind of strategy for every map. I call it a move. Very often, it's even more effective than a 14 because it surprises and allows you to land 14s at the right time. You can do the same on Abbey with a room defender who goes down the tunnel (allows you to no longer be expected in the room, to easily land a 14, and to slow down the enemy's progress, who may come back for you). After that, it's up to you and your creativity.
On Algiers, without this technique and excellent teamplay, you'll be easy prey. Another mistake: just because you defend in pills on TP doesn't mean you'll defend Metro well (a completely different playstyle). Just like if you attack well in pillage, you won't necessarily attack well in bridge on Paris_v2, so adapt. Generally, having people play where they like works well; they always end up finding their feet because they're interested. The att - mid - def pattern isn't valid on every map. Sometimes the attack is made by what we consider att, mid, and def at the same time. It's important to understand that it's the synchronization of the different branches that will determine whether or not the attack is successful (I'm thinking of Algiers on the Red side).
So don't insist on this pattern if it doesn't seem viable to you, just as 2 att 1 mid 2 def isn't valid everywhere. On Tohunga, there are several different strategies, and the attack comes mainly from the middle, so don't limit your imagination; it's only by breaking away from pre-established patterns that you'll innovate!
Finally, for leaders and players, if a player can't hold their position, replace them, switch them with someone with a different playstyle, or sub them. Even if you replace them with someone weaker than them, the playstyle (nade/aim/jump/slow) may ensure that the position is at least held. Have you ever played rock-paper-scissors? A titanium-coated rock will have a harder time defeating paper than rusty scissors.
If you're a player and you can't manage it, let your leader know, call a timeout, take stock, and decide on the best solution. Put your pride aside; the important thing is the team.
There are never 6 of them:
To the leaders, keep track. On Abbey on the blue side, for example, if you hear your tunnel tell you that there are always two of them, your room defense that there are two, and your offense say they are two, 2+2+2 = 6. In principle, CTF is 5v5 and not 5v6.Before getting carried away with this little mental gymnastics, know that your players are generally not lying to you, and if the enemy really gains the advantage, it tends to confirm it.
Some Turkish teams, for example, send out two tunnel players tasked with preventing your push-tuns from fearing you (2v1), then one of them goes back to the room after a certain time and pushes the marble defense up.
The opposing tunnel, if they have succeeded in their assassination, will be able to push without fear, and you will find yourself in 3v2. There were indeed 2 players and 2 room players. The slight time difference made them seem to be multiplying. It's up to you to spot this, examine the strategy, and set up a counterattack. In this example, push your defenses rather than throwing nades (2v1).
Tell your player to harass them without showing off too much to distract their attention and send a defender to surprise them from the newly acquired position. Or, if you don't care about skill, launch your nades later and instruct the player to play safe. It's like playing normally, but delayed. This strategy is an excellent one that doesn't follow the 2-1-2 model, but there are others.
Rotate as you advance:
It's super effective...Multiply yourself, give your opponent the impression that you're everywhere: 3 in attack, 3 in defense, 3 mid. They'll blame each other, argue, and withdraw into themselves.
If you have the opportunity to make a tiny detour to be visible to your opponent elsewhere, do it; they'll see two guys where there should be one and be scared. This way, you're sure to hold the branch and have the advantage of choosing the moment to push. Give them the impression that it can come from anywhere. If they bite, take advantage of it, get out at the same time and alternate (3 left, 2 right, then 2 mid, 2 left, 1 right, etc.).
Are you taking a beating when there's not much between you in terms of skill?
Change your strategy. Some leaders don't make this effort, and being a leader requires a lot of skill. In general, CTF leaders aren't great in terms of personal skill because they must constantly analyze the strategy, listen to everything that's being said, SEE everything that's happening (minimum and dead in front) to command potential rushes, make the right decisions, and check morale (if someone whines too much, you have to wake them up, otherwise they'll get even worse and make your teamteam-mates whine).In short, you'll understand, you have a responsibility to your team when you have their trust to lead, so please train your leader. All of this is extremely difficult; there's a huge flow of information that needs to be managed (no leader I know is highly skilled).
Presenting this task like that is inhumane: it is. So what's done is to divide up the tasks: the mid can command a push from the attackers if he creates an opportunity, an attacker can also do so, the defense can command the return of an attacker or the mid, etc.
All players must be able to command a move. This requires everyone to make the effort to see what's happening and listen to what's being said, with the leader always more than the others in cases of major changes (another strategy or switch).
Adopt sequential strategies:
What's that? What I call a sequential strategy is pretty simple; I've already given you a few.You know the idea that an attacker will take the mid if your mid is long, or the full push if there's not enough time to prevent a cap. This is a strategy that respects what we call a sequence. It evolves and isn't fixed from start to finish.
It's made up of traps (you can easily imagine attracting defenders by providing them with a false push opportunity, locking them in the spawn to give them 14).
It's made up of reactions (the enemy has just given your entire defense a 14, you're in a 3v5, rather than pushing, you return to defend, because if you miraculously manage to recover, the other attacker will take the flag back just as quickly).
It's made up of movement and adaptation. You should know that there are dozens and dozens of possibilities, not all of which have been explored yet.
These strategies (more like teamplay than strategy, by the way) are specific to each team. It's up to you to test, create, and innovate!
By the way, I call this sequential strategy rather than teamplay to make you understand that you can think about it, think it through, it won't come naturally for a loooong time, and provided you have a core group (people who play together all the time), unless you develop strategies, the knowledge will be lost every time a pair/trio is split up.
These strategies are what gives CTF its credentials, in my opinion.
How to advance (Attack):
Building your attacks:
Don't rush stupidly like a pack of rhinos. You'll have the size but not always the strength... it's a freekill. Attack in two waves, generally in the first you weaken the defense, aim well at both. If you only have one = quickmed from the team mate.In the second wave, push or not depending on your mid. Everyone must come out at the same time, like in TS. If the mid is there, go either attack first or mid, which will scare them a little. If you attack from several branches at once (mid or push from the defense), do it at the same time: the defense will fall in almost 100% of cases.
If there are only two of you but you've weakened them, try to push anyway. The biggest mistake would be to rush unconsciously and let the defense take safer positions (metro on TP, for example).
You shouldn't rush stupidly, but you'd be as stupid not to rush at all.
Use your grenades:
Especially on offense, you're rarely surprised by defenders with a grenade in your hand since they don't have to push, and a grenade allows you to kill in one hit without taking a hit, which creates an opportunity.If you push fast enough behind the midfielder, the attackers won't be able to come back (if the timer is at 9-8 on just about any map). You're therefore in a 2v1 situation with the advantage of not having to kill your opponent.
In this situation, one player must distract by showing up and harassing the defender (the goal is to kill them but also to disrupt them). The other player should ideally just grab and leave ASAP. There's no point in finishing off the opponent.
If you succeed, you'll have a low defender in front of you, and for the next attack, you increase the chances of landing a double (a 1v1, 2 situation in the next wave). There's a good chance the defenders will push for recovery, so you'll have the advantage (the attackers and mids will rush to recover).
Grenades have four uses: spotting the enemy, limiting the enemy's movement (preventing them from pushing the flag or making them move to a corner where they don't have the advantage), and killing the opponent (early in the wave, you can even do it late to stick 14). Defenders generally don't expect these nades, which are staggered. chronologically), you quick (see No med, quickmed).
When attacking, you have to be fast:
Attacking and jumping go hand in hand, but I know firsthand that you don't necessarily have to be an excellent jumper to attack well, but generally speaking, it's very important to jump well.You have to at least be able to get back to a safe corner with two stamina bars. If we're really digging for the nitty-gritty, we could define two roles that swap depending on the circumstances: jumper or tank (for LOL players), you most often attack at the same time, not one-on-one.
Depending on your jumping ability, the noob jumper attacks slightly beforehand; he must have a good aim, try to put the defense low, but above all, attract attention to protect the jumper, whose role will be to take the flag and leave as quickly as possible, without forgetting to TK his team mate!
If your skill isn't up to scratch, play support (nade if close to the opponent's flag, jumper to divert attention if the defenders are in high defense. Keep advantageous positions, exit when there is an opportunity, etc.).
In theory, it's perfect, but you'll see that tank and jumper aren't always predefined. If your jumper is low and can no longer jump, he'll be the one harassing the opponent's defense while his team-mate takes the flag and runs. The roles swap a lot.
But really, the attack is synergistic, depending on each person's skills. If you have two good jumpers with good aim, these roles are no longer predefined, so you have to attack at the same time and take care of your team-mate.
Know how to take advantage of the opportunity:
When an opportunity arises, a defender who takes 14 with their attackers and mids too far ahead to come back, push and try, announce it to your partner.The same goes for if a defender is low due to a nade, if the mid comes back into defense, let your mid know so they can take advantage of it to take an advantageous position. Every event has its advantages, including losing a flag.
As long as you don't panic, and have a little luck and excellent teamplay, you can even win back the flag, sometimes cap, and sometimes double. Otherwise, you can always strengthen your defensive positions; in a 1v2, try to stick a 14, etc.
How to protect the flag (Defense):
Know the spots:
There are several defensive spots, regardless of the map. The goal is to be difficult to kill, if possible to have an enemy push you in a straight line, and to be difficult to hit.Spots can also be used sneakily, positioning yourself in corners that opponents don't look at, to be able to put them long. Sometimes attackers start to read your pattern, stay two or three times in the same camp then switch, be where you are not expected. Be creative and bold!
Learn the timers:
You must always be able to stop the attackers rushes. Watch the timers they come out on, and try to nade at that moment. This will make them lose their speed, frustrate them, and force them to play safer. This means they will have to attack in two waves, which means half as many attacks and half as much chance of losing the flag (be careful not to be too confident, though; quite a few attackers know how to slip between nades).If you're in a 1v2 situation, throw your grenades with a few seconds between each one to prevent pushes, gain a few precious seconds, and with luck, get a kill. If you have the opportunity to find a third grenade, it's an important asset, make sure it explodes immediately or almost immediately after the second one; they shouldn't expect it.
Try it, depending on the circumstances, you'll know at what time the attackers launch their nades, at which times you can launch yours, and when to shift; there are only a few possibilities each time. It all depends on the opponent's playing style and the circumstances.
Read the opponent's attack:
On defense, try to read the opponent's attack pattern. With a few exceptions, attackers are stupid and attack on instinct in a very repetitive manner. As long as you really try to read your opponent, you can easily find the right time for your nade, the right time to shift, the opponent's main movement lines, and overwhelm them after just a few moments. Don't let them read your game; adapt faster than them, and you'll have won.Some attackers, when they take the flag, will start again through the middle, or through your attack.
Others always launch their nades at the same time, in the same way. Take advantage of this and push them while they have a nade in hand.
Being pushed by a defender at the start of a wave is surprising. If you adapt quickly, you'll never be surprised.
How to play the centre position (Middle):
The mid's reading of the game can literally turn the tide of a PCW/CW. His job is that of an investigator, studying information, making decisions, and acting.The Mid, a Key Position:
The middle is a position that allows you to easily press left or right (let's not talk about attack or defense, that doesn't make sense).Therefore, it's a crucial position for creating shifts, and as mentioned from the beginning (there's a reason for that), shifts are the lifeblood of CTF.
If you beat your midfield opponents, you have control of the zone. You can back the opponent's attack, the opponent's defense, take a sneaky position to regain control for 14 more seconds. Don't hesitate to take advantage. If necessary, hide, let the opponent pass, ask an attacker to take your position, surprise the defenders, and cap.
The mid, a 14-man machine!:
The mid has the advantage of being able to show up where you least expect it, like a slightly annoying friend who always shows up!Don't hesitate to move around, back up the defenders when they're preparing to face a new wave of 14-man attackers, stick them long, and send an attacker to your position.
Do the same with the opposing attack: back up them, stick the 14, and send a defender to the mid.
You can create this surprise and force everyone to watch the mid in addition to their positions, making them more vulnerable to your team-mates; be everywhere.
Mid, often TS:
I've noticed that this position is very similar to 1v1 TS. The mids of maps are often closed (abbey, tp, algiers, bejing), so it's all about sound. Don't expose yourself unnecessarily, seize the moment (if the opponent has a nade in hand).The goal is to eliminate the opponent to take control of the mid, which, remember, is a key position in all maps.
Mid is all about managing the flow of information:
Once mid is taken, we're always wondering what to do. To know this, we need to read the game, the opponents' positions (is it possible to defend from behind or from the back, does our defense need help?), and we need to analyze the Voice Comms as well as that of the remaining enemies and the minimap.The flag is taken; no one gives you any indication, so no one sees it. You don't see anyone arriving at mid, so you must be able to determine for yourself, based on the flag carrier's remaining health, the presence or absence of reinforcements, the position of your team-mates, the time remaining on the timers, and the opponent's playstyle, whether the flag carrier is hidden, if so, or, if not, where is the flag carrier leaving mid? Right? Left?
A good mid who analyzes this information well will often know, depending on their luck, where the flag is. For example, if no one sees him, it means the defense doesn't see him, which means there's very little chance he could have gone that way. You don't see him mid, there are 6 seconds left on the timer and at 10 hp.
So he's either still at the flag waiting for the mid to free up, hidden somewhere, or he's going through the offense. You return to your flag, you don't see anyone and there's 1 second left, the defense still doesn't see him. He's either hidden or gone through your attack branch. However, he only has 10 hp, so it's unlikely.
Look in known hiding places and take the opportunity to give him 14.