This Week's Tip Jar: There's not a Flag on the Play. It is the Play.
Welcome back to the Tip Jar, the place you go whenever you need a tactical pick-me-up. Or when you’re on the toilet with nothing better to do. Whichever it is, we’re glad you’re here and pleased to present this week’s Tip Out on Capture the Flag for Modern Warfare Remastered. The classic game mode has made its triumphant return to Weekly Warfare and brought a little 2XP with it. Most of you probably know how to let your freak flag fly, but here’s a little refresher course so you can skip the warmup match and jump right in the action.
Speed Kills
I know. It’s hard. When you get your hands on that flag all you want to do is mash sprint with all your might, dash back to base and plant that sucker for the score. But you gotta play it cool, play it confident, play it like all you’ve got in your hand is your primary. Would you just go sprinting into the warehouse on Vacant willy nilly in any other mode? Then don’t do it now. What would you do to some dingbat running across the bog in Bog? Probably cap him. Long and the short: don’t let that beautiful flag go to your head - watch your corners, stay out of open areas, move from cover to cover and try to pick up any cover fire you can.
Killer Speed
This is mostly a game of fire and maneuver, with a big emphasis on the maneuver. Agility is key, so we highly recommend a Stopped-Up SMG as your main course with a side dish of Extreme Conditioning for all you hopeful flag bearers out there. You’ll be hoppin’ and poppin’, duckin’ and divin’, shootin’ and scootin’ your way to victory.
Exit Strategy
If you’re getting down on a Weekly Warfare, chances are you play a lot of MWR and know the maps pretty well. And if you don’t, Capture the Flag is one of the best modes to learn a map’s layout. Check the minimap in the prematch and familiarize yourself with the flag locations. Once you know where you’re going, figure out how to get back by plotting out your ideal escape route should you be lucky enough to snag the flag. You know the spots that play into your strengths, so use them.
Escort Service
Want the secret to winning CTF? Cover your buddy’s back when he’s got the flag. It’s that simple. Granted it can seem like a bit of a thankless job since he gets twice the XP for every kill while holding the flag and chances are you’re gonna get fragged, but when he wins, you win. So scratch his/her back and he/she’ll scratch yours with that match win bonus XP. How you ask? When making a flag raid, try to run three deep and imagine you’re in the Secret Service. Get a homie on point who’s quick on the trigger, followed by President Flagman in the middle and then homie #2 with head on a swivel bringing up the rear making sure you don’t take it in the rear.
I’m Not Camping. I’m Defending.
This is a hotly debated topic. When is it camping? When is it defending? Is there a difference? Is camping really bad? Is ‘camping’ just a term coined by the tactically challenged? Whichever camp you land in, if your favored approach is to grab an LMG, plant your ass behind some cover and mow down whoever comes for your team’s flag, you friggin’ do it. Just be prepared for some choice words from the other team. Think of it as reverse psychology praise: let every 4-letter-word be a badge of courage.
This is the most surface level breakdown on how to raise the flag of victory in Capture the Flag. There’s some seriously good times to be had if you’re down with CTF, with thrills, chills, spills and some high-octane, high-flying, high-scoring game play. Always play into your own strengths, but try to let one of those strengths be teamwork because the team that flags together, brags together.
Or, another way to put it: the team who frags together, shags together.
Wait. That came out wrong. Go with the first one.
Thanks for reading the Tip Jar. Join us next week for something… really great. Maybe mind-blowingly great. Maybe just great.