TagPro Offense Guide

TagPro Offense Guide by ooInfinityoo

Intro

This is going to be my attempt at condensing the mass amount of information that I’ve learned while playing mostly offense in pubs, pugs, and MLTP. I realize that most maps have specific strategies to them, so a lot of this information is very broad.

Basics

I want to start by saying that one of the best ways to figure out what works and what doesn’t work as an offender is to play defense. I know its lame, but watching how offensive players attack the flag, and figuring out how they make it out with the flag will give you tons of insight into how you should play. Besides that, heres a few things you should look to master:

• Mechanics: Take the time to figure out things like, how long it takes to accelerate to full speed, how long it takes to change directions, how close you can circle a spike with out dying, how close you can turn around a corner without hitting a wall, how close you can get to the flag without picking it up (hit circles are in the majority of the pixel perfect texture packs), and how to boost on to the corner of a tile to give you some spin (yes spin is a thing, use it to your advantage and download some pixel perfect texture packs with spin userscripts). Momentum is key and angles are everything. If your teammate bumps into you, use it to your advantage.
• Map Layout: Another thing that goes with mechanics is learning each map. This really only comes with playing the game more and more, but obviously a good TagPro player knows exactly which parts of the map balls frequently travel, where the boost lanes are, where the power ups and bombs are and what the respawn time is for each (boosts included), and where the choke points are. Once you learn which routes players use the most, use it to your advantage and anticipate where you will run into your team and your enemy. Most maps have a certain flow to them with boosts leading to other boosts, bombs, the flag, and sometimes spikes. Personally, I hardly ever look at my ball. I’m constantly looking at the environment, primarily whats in the direction I’m headed. The only time I look at/near my ball is to avoid near collisions with spikes, to line up boosts, and while micro juking.
• Communication: First, see this fantastic Guide to communication by Curl. To emphasize, communication is what brings TapPro to the next level. Being able to strategize with your teammates, letting them know where you as the flag carrier (FC) is, where the enemy FC is, how many enemies are in your base, which powerups are available and where, etc., are just a few of the beneficial things that make communication crucial. I will likely point out common communication tips below given certain scenarios while on offense.
• The Grid: One final thing I feel worth mentioning under basics is the concept of the map as a number line. The best map to use as an example is Boombox. If you were to draw a straight line from one base to the other, and number one side as “1” and the other as “10”, you would get something like this. This is where the importance of “staying in-between the flag carrier and their flag” for defenders comes into play. Since all balls top out at the same speed, if a red team FC is on the way back to capture the flag at 1, and is about at a 5 on the number line while all four blue defenders are at a 7, then we refer to the FC as “having all four beat”, and essentially “a caparoonie”, since there is no way for a blue team member to catch up unless they use a boost/bomb, or the red FC slows down. Its up to you as the offender to use this to your advantage in deciding when to grab and how to navigate back to the base. The grid works for every map, but on boombox it is easiest to tell if the FC has someone beat given its linear nature.
• Positions: This isn’t something you should look to master but I thought it deserved to be under “basics” as a quick review of offensive positions since I say them over and over below: Generally in higher level of play, teams split with 2 going on offense and 2 going on defense. Just as there are two distinct roles on defense, there are two different roles on offense: the Flag Carrier (FC) who is responsible for carrying the flag and capping; and Offensive Support (OS), or Support Offense, who assists the FC in grabbing and navigating back to the base to cap.

Grabbing

Grabbing can be one of the most difficult things to do as an offensive player. Heres a few techniques to getting a clean grab and avoid being the flaccid master:

1. Power-ups: As the game begins, both offenders should immediately go for any neutral or team power-ups (pups) that their defenders don’t request. If you have time, especially early in the game, try to pick up pups on the way to your destination, as opposed to back tracking, losing momentum, and losing time with the pup. All pups, besides top speed (debatably), can be used to make getting a clean grab much easier. Sometimes pups can offer as a distraction, making the choice of going for pups or guarding/grabbing the flag difficult for offensive and defensive players, like on Colors. Choose wisely.
   • Rolling bomb: A rolling bomb (rb) is best used by the FC or OS to clear out enemy defenders away from the flag, therefore it is best to detonate the rb as close to the enemy flag as possible. So naturally, the instinct of an enemy defender is to detonate the rb as far from their flag as possible. Use the OS or some juking skills toavoid early detonation. One exception to this rule of detonation is if the position of yourself during the rb detonation causes the defender to perform a “double tap” as you grab the flag. Adjust accordingly so that the defenders fly into open spaces. Bonus gif: No wall necessary
   • Tagpro: A TagPro (tp) is best used by an OS to guide out the FC and escort him back to cap. One thing a lot of people struggle with is accidentally grabbing the flag with TagPro, ruining the escort. The best way to avoid this is for the FC to follow the TagPro OS as closely as possible as the OS circles the flag without grabbing as closely as possible (pixel perfect texture packs with hit circles on the flags come in handy). This should ward off any defenders near the flag and create an opportunity for the FC to get a clean grab. If the defenders surrender the flag and head straight to the enemy base making the escort useless, then the OS should kill himself in order to get back to the base to clean up for the cap.
   • Juke Juice: Juke juice (jj), or “grip”, can be used by either the FC or OS. Use the faster acceleration to knock enemies around and set up blocks. Juke Juice also works well for the .25 seconds of invulnerability you have after grabbing the flag to accelerate away faster than the enemy.
2. Grabbing Techniques: If you don’t have any pups to help you grab, you’ll just have to do it the hard way. First off, DON’T BE A HERO & wait for a buddy. If there are more than 2 defenders guarding the flag, don’t try anything flashy. You are just wasting opportunities that you could spend with your offensive partner to get a clean grab. One term to learn is a Hand-off, which is when the OS grabs the flag, knowing he will die, but heads as far away from the flag respawn as he can, and if possible, away from the direct route back to the base (in the boombox case, that would be away from the number line, towards the outside edges of the map). Even if the OS can’t get away from the flag and is popped immediately, often enough the energy from his pop pushes the defenders far enough off the flag to get a grab. These hand offs are great for defenders looking to get back to base quickly. Once you do make a grab, sometimes the best thing to do is to head away from the escape path (into the enemy base) instead of towards it. This can confuse the defenders and cause them to lose momentum. Here are a few techniques for grabbing:
   • Backboard: One technique that defenders often use to get a quick return is to sit on the flag, waiting for an attacker to come charging to knock them off. Then, at the last second, the defender moves off the flag towards the direction the attacker is charging, allowing the attacker to grab and popping him immediately. The subtle move at the last second gives the FC just over .25 seconds with the flag, making the invulnerability void. If two (or one) defenders are on the flag, the OS can position himself against the two defenders, opposite the the FC, pushing just enough to have the two defenders pushing back to prevent a grab, but not enough to actually grab the flag, like this. This creates a backboardfor the FC to run into the opposite side between the defender(s) to grab with the .25 seconds of invulnerability while the OS keeps the defenders from making any last second moves.
   • Boosts: Using boosts is probably the easiest, but sometimes the riskiest way to grab the flag. Taking advantage of the .25 seconds of invulnerability if both defenders are on the flag, often results in a hand-off where the OS boosts, grabs, knocking the defense away, and dies. Be careful of defenders positioned in a boost lane behind a flag to get a quick return without moving. Another way the OS can help the FC is to give him abackboard while the FC boost-grabs.
   • Swiping: Swiping is another technique used against one or two defenders, but better demonstrated using two. If both defenders are on the flag, you can think of an imaginary line connecting them, leaving a bit of an indention on their sides. Both the FC and OS position themselves at opposite sides, and opposite poles of the defender line, each taking turns swiping at the flag. After one attempt to swipe at the flag, generally the defenders push toward the attacker swiping, to counter the push and prevent a grab. This leaves the other attacker thebrief opportunity to swipe in the opposite direction and get a grab. 2v1
   • Bomb Grabs: Some maps, like GeoKoala, have bombs placed in the bases that are perfect for attackers to line up and use similar to boosts for grabbing and escaping from base. Be sure to keep track of when they spawn, and try to keep the enemy defenders from detonating them before you can use them.

Escaping

Once you have the flag comes the tricky part, getting past the defenders and escaping the enemy base. Besides using good old fashioned jukes (covered later), there are a few ways to slip passed the defenders using the OS for help:

1. Blocking: One of the most obvious ways to help the FC escape that comes to mind is blocking. Most of the time in public games, blocking for the FC to escape is highly frowned upon because it rarely works. Generally, blocking in pubs makes it hard for the FC to predict which direction the defenders are headed, and ruins their escape path. This is because of the lack of communication and partially because of skill. Once the flag has been grabbed, the FC should make it clear how he intends to get out of the base/by the defenders. The OS has a few options:
   • Screen/Pick: This is a difficult block to pull off because its purpose is to essentially keep one defender from moving, allowing the FC the opportunity to dance his way past the other. It is also worth noting that sometimes, defenders will see a screen being set up and will go out of their way to basically over commit to counter the screen, leaving the best bet for the FC to ignore the block; or the option of the OS to switch the direction in which he is blocking, morphing the screen into a snake block.
   • Snake Block: The snake block is when the FC nestles in right behind the OS who is blocking a defender in the path to escape. As the defender tries to push on one side of the OS to reach the FC, the FC should nestle on the opposite side. To compensate for the change, the defender will likely switch directions, prompting the FC to do the same. All together this motion makes the three balls involved look like a snake winding back and forth.
   • Gates and Buttons Some maps have a “high-risk, high-reward” route from base to base, often with spikes, or in the case of GeoKoala, a gate, making it a difficult path to take. If the FC has the flag and has indicated that he is going through the gate, most likely one or both of the defenders will book it straight towards the button of the neutral gate. YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK! As the OS covering the button, charge towards them! This should buy the FC some time to make it through the gate. IT CAN. BE. DONE.
2. Using Pups: This is mostly a continuation from the scenarios above that involve grabbing with pups:
   • Rolling Bomb: If the OS has a rolling bomb, be extremely careful in how you detonate it in order to help the FC escape. Think: “Will this send defenders straight into my FC? Will this send my FC into the defenders or spikes?” If both of those are unavoidable then Seppuku might not be a bad option.
   • TagPro Escort: Another escape option that looks similar to the snake and is a continuation of the grabbing scenario above. If the OS has a TagPro, the FC should tuck in behind the OS as close as possible as they both make their way to the exit. As the OS, be aware of defenders boosting/bombing/juke juicing their way from behind to tag the FC. Respond accordingly by ducking behind the FC.

Carrying:

Lets say you’ve managed to grab the flag, and escape the base without being popped. Kudos, now comes the fun part. Once you’ve made it out into the open, blocking from the OS becomes less beneficial. For the friendly defenders and the team as a whole, this is the time that communication is most crucial. As the OS, this is the part that requires the most decision making and for the FC, the most mechanical skill.

1. Juking: The heart and soul of the desire to play offense. The satisfaction from the sound of broken ankles, and the whif a close shave brings never gets old. As the FC, its important to remember that the level of the juke you should use on an enemy should be gauged on the skill level of said opponent. I cant tell you the amount of times I have been absolutely wrecked by Some Ball 9 as I try to use a pump-fake to get by and he doesn’t even flinch. Another thing you should keep in mind when juking is that usually high risk = high reward. As an International Relations major, I can’t help but find elements of TagPro that relate to Game Theory in the political science realm. Besides the most obvious similarity to Stag Hunt, Chicken also finds draws some parallels to flag carriers waiting until the last second to juke. One thing to remember is that the ease of your juke (as in how close you come to being popped while performing a maneuver (tiles vs pixels)), is almost directly proportional to the delay time your opponent has in mirroring your move. Mirroring, is when your defender or chaser performs the exact same move as you (pressing the same arrow keys/WASD) at the exact same time. In this gif, I make an educated guess that the FC, close to being cornered will attempt to make a direction change/juke. It may be hard to tell, but I slow down at the same time he slows down. This causes him panic and fear of being popped, so he heads full speed in the original direction. Unfortunately for him, I knew that was one of his only options and (I’m not sure if you can tell) actually put the pedal to the metal before him, closing the gap and getting the return. This is every FC worst nightmare. Since there is no delay time between his moves and my moves, there is no room for an escape. All that being said, here are a few common, muddily defined moves you should familiarize yourself with and eventually fuse and/or string them together:
   • Fakie: AKA a basic juke or as I call it, “The ole’ Fakie”, is probably one of the first jukes you picked up as a TagPro Player. As a young ball FC you probably realized the best way to juke a defender is not by going in a straight line (although /u/PrivateMajor would probably disagree). One player put it this way, “you zig when they think you will zag, and zag when they think you will zig.” To perform the Fakie as the FC, head in one direction long enough for the defender to commit to heading you off in said direction. Once it seems that the defender has now committed full force to pop you in this direction, slam on the breaks and book it away from him. If the defender has over-committed, this should leave you some room to skate by the defender.
   • Pump Fakes As the skill level of the defenders increases, so must the level of juking. Defenders are quick to pick up on fakies and correct their tendency to over-commit. One way to counter this is to perform a pump fake which in my opinion is one of the most important jukes to master, since it can be the most efficient at causing your opponent to lose momentum. I was going to write a description of a pump fake in basketball and draw the parallels, but if you cant youtube “basketball pump fakes” and see the similarities to tagpro yourself, then I’m sorry. A pump fake in TagPro is as follows: The FC travels one direction gaining speed. He then slams on the breaks, signaling to the defender that he could be trying to perform a juke or fakie and change direction. In response the defender also breaks in order to avoid over committing. As the defender is slowing, the FC puts the petal to the medal, going full speed in the original direction, leaving the defender in the dust. Pump fakes are perfect for FCs trying to test the waters of commitment and delay time of defenders as they try to make their escape. If it is apparent that the “pump” wont work, you can easily use the momentum from slamming on the breaks to back track away from the defender and back into base. Another scenario that pump fakes come in handy is to avoid being sniped. As an enemy lines up behind a boost or a bomb to zoom to your doom, find some cover behind a wall or a spike. Bait the enemy sniper into taking the shot by easing out of cover and going back in (Fakie). If they don’t bite, try using the pump fake.
   • Dips & Counter-Dips: The dip is really just using a fakie around a fixed object like a wall or spike. As a FC its important to use the scenery to your advantage. Ring-around-the-spike is a great way to shake off a defender and buy some time. However, once two enemies are on your tail, its time to pull some moves. The best example of using a dip I can think of is on Bombing Run. As you the FC runs into one of the four corners, from the base side headed towards middle top or bottom, you loop around one of these four walls. With two enemies chasing you, most likely one will follow you, and the other will head to the other side to cut you off. Upon coming around the corner, most defenders will assume you will head straight and end up over committing, giving you room to slow down, cutting the corner andperforming a dip . However, just like fakies, defenders will start to correct for this as their skill increases by mirroring and doing what I call a counter-dip, leaving the best bet at higher levels of play to pump-fake or AKA: JUST GO STRAIGHT.
   • Splits: When two defenders are containing you or closing in on you, some times your best bet is to shoot for the path right in-between them. The fact that this move is such high risk in executing is what makes it work in the first place. Since defenders rarely expect a FC to go towards the middle of them rather than trying to escape to either side, they tend to leave a sizable gab in between them. If they do suspect the FC to attempt a split, they often leave too much room on either side.Here is a textbook example of a split done by Lambda.
   • U-Turn/Looping: Looping is a good maneuver to use when you suspect an enemy chasing you is about to make the return. Often times this move has a “slinging” feel to it, and can morph into a plant & roll and vice versa. Essentially, you use scenery or the close distance between the chaser and yourself to sling him into your “projected” path, only to disappoint your chaser by pulling a 180 back the direction you came. You can also do quarter loops (which are essentially exaggerated fakies), and a half-loop which results in a U-turn. Also, if you do a U-turn, followed by another U-turn in the direction which wouldn’t make a loop, you get what looks like a “S” shape and is really just an exaggerated pump-fake. Heres Harry doing a bit of a quarter loop, slinging xile to his death.
   • Plant & Roll AKA Rotten Thompson: As defenders think more and more about what the FC is likely to do, some times the best move is no move. The plant & roll (orRotten Tompson) is usually when the FC is chased into a wall at an angle. Often times the FC will use the wall to his advantage and bounce off of it going more or less in the same direction. As defenders respond to this, they start to head towards where the FC will bounce off the wall. To avoid being cut off by anticipating chasers, the FC should plant into the wall (instead of bouncing (but maybe a baby bounce is okay if the enemy will allow it ;)), and roll back the direction they came (or the other way depending on the chaser’s anticipation), letting thedefender shave by. Here is a P&R I pulled on Anne Frank, and here is a nice single and double P&R from Anne.

Think of these maneuvers as colors on a painting, they can easily blend together to create something in-between with no set boundaries.

General Tips (Mostly for Carrying):

As a FC, it is important to make your way, not so much to your base astowards your base. Sometimes the best route is the longest and toughest. Again, communicate with your teammates: “Is there a power up I can use? Where is it? How many enemies are in base? Where are they? Can I boost in?” These are all examples of what should be continuously said. Use the answers to pick your path, and use your mechanics to lose defenders along the way. Also, Just because you choose one route, doesn’t mean you have to stick to it! Take your time and don’t rush into a base full of defenders (a hot LZ). Allowing time to pass gives defenders an opportunity to use pups/bombs to clear the base or to force the enemy to grab the flag to get a quick return. A few things to consider as you journey back to the base:

• First Rule of TagPro Club: Don’t Type During TagPro!!!Everytime you stop to type and let the FC blow past you to cap, LuckySpammer thinks about charging a yearly subscription fee to play TagPro
• Delay your flight: If you are the OS on re-grab in an empty base, and the FC gets popped and you make the grab, take your time leaving the base. Immediately you have 4 enemies in-between you and your journey to cap, making the enemy base the safest place at the time. Some times its not a bad idea to wait until you see at least one enemy re-spawning to head off, leaving one less defender to get by.
• Move b!tch, get out tha way: Seriously though. Nothing is more frustrating than carrying the flag and running into your teammate, allowing your chaser to catch up and pop you. Make sure as the FC that you let your team know where you are and where you are headed so they can stay out of the way.
• Leave a trail: As the FC makes his way back to the base, its important that he takes as many boosts and pups he encounters along the way. Leaving a boosts gives the defense an opportunity to snipe or get ahead of you on the grid. Every pup you leave is possibly one the enemy will pick up and cause you grief if not immediately, then within the next 20 seconds. If the FC does see a TagPro, make sure its called out to your teammates for the possibility of an escort. If theres no time, (enemy is right behind you), then take it for yourself. Its better to go FlagPro (TagPro FC) than to give a TagPro to the enemy. Another thing that really separates the skilled from the amateur balls is the awareness of the OS in using boosts to block the enemy. One example is on Smirk. As the FC makes it out of the base heading towards the bottom, defenders wait patiently to line up snipes with the team boost. It is up to the OS to block them from using the boost, or at least throw off their aim, to allow the FC to escape. If the OS can’t block the enemy from sniping, be sure to watch the enemy, anticipate the boost path they will take and duck accordingly.Bonus gif: Anticipation² -swerve’s revenge
• Go diagonal: Fact: you go faster when you go diagonal using a combination of keys as opposed to just one direction using one key.
• Dr. Strangeball or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Rolling Bomb: As a FC, debatably the best power up you can come across is the rolling bomb. Aside from the fact that it basically gives you a one time immunity from being popped while blasting away anyone around you, it also allows you to switch roles from running to chasing. Use the rb to your advantage and seek out the enemy FC and pop him (unless of course he has a rb as well), turning a 1-2 man chase into a heavy 2-3. Or use the rb to get rid of your own chasers, blasting them into spikes, gates, or friendly TagPros.
• Take the inside: Its important when turning to take the most inner route, just like in every racing sport ever. Hug the walls, but don’t let them slow you down. If you don’t take the inside, your chaser will.
• Bullying: While the FC is carrying, the OS should be bullying as many enemies as possible. Bullying is anything from trying to ram the other team into spikes, to blocking the enemy as they spawn while waiting for re-grab. Bullying slows down the enemy from chasing and buys your FC and defenders time.
• Power-up Battles: When collecting power-ups, all too often there is pesky enemies trying to do the same, pushing you out of the way to get it for themselves. These pup battles are tricky because you don’t collect the pup if you are directly on top of it when it spawns. This makes all 8 tiles surrounding the one the pup spawns on prime real estate. Try bullying the enemy away from the pup area in general, and don’t forget to use team tiles if they are available. If that doesn’t work, try keeping him on the pup tile. Remember, bullying is always easier with a buddy.
• Use the boosts & walls: Walls are under-rated. Really. Besides the fact that they give you spin, you can use walls to bounce off of by using boosts to get by defenders. Most of the time defenders will have to figure out what angle you are going to bounce off the walls, if you bounce off them at all. As a FC use this to your advantage and try to get your chasers to take boosts at their inconvenience.
• Count the Balls: Its extremely beneficial to know how many enemies you just juked passed, how many are on your tail and how many are waiting for you at your base.
  1. One Chaser: If its just one enemy chasing you, then it is likely that there is at least two, but probably three enemies waiting for you in your base. If this is the case, be patient. It shouldn’t be to hard to lead one defender on a wild goose chase to allow the rest of your team to clean base to make capping easier. Circle any obstacle, whether its a wall, spike, or even your teammate. Just as long as you can circle faster than your chaser can.
  2. Two Chasers: If two enemies are chasing you, and two are waiting for you in your base, your chances look grim. Go ahead and try to weasel your way into base to cap, but definitely let the OS know to get ready for the all-so-often “taboo” re-grab. If you get popped, your OS will have a free clean grab, and likely be able to escape fairly easily, depending on how far you led the enemy defenders from their base. Once you respawn you have a few options. You can help your defenders set up blocks and clean the base for the OS (technically now the FC) to cap, OR you can head straight back to the empty enemy base in anticipation of the new FC to die. This is called getting re-grab and could start a re-grab train that can cycle endlessly causing the opposing team tons of frustration. The reason this option is more popular than helping defenders is because it also doubles as playing offensive defense, preventing the the enemy from capping.
• Home Alone: If you, as the FC, ever find yourself in your base all alone with your flag gone, sit on the flag stand! You will be surprised at how often the FC will just miss an opportunity to cap had he not moved from the flag stand. Again pups can be tempting, so use your best judgement. If your base has a gate guarding it, sometimes its best to sit on the button instead. Communicate with your team. If your team is close to getting a return, sit on the flag stand. If not, hold the button. Once you see your chasers closing in, its time to decide between booking it and leading them on a chase, or letting them pop you if your teammate has an advantageous re-grab.

Capping

After a clean grab, daring escape, and an epic carry to the doorstep of your base comes capping. Again, don’t rush in! This is where your teammates get their chance to shine by blocking, bombing, or tagging out the enemy to create a path for you to cap. Use the above methods for pup use and juking moves to dance around the other team and get their flag to yours. Incase you are unfamiliar with how to cap, here is a step-by-step how:

1. Cap: Simply roll over your flag hit-circle while carrying the enemy flag.
2. Check Score Board: Check the bottom of the screen to make sure the cap registered and that by not some miracle of LuckySpammer the enemy popped you at the last second.
3. Celebrate: Give your teammates some praise for the hard work.

One thing to remember is that when you pop, you exert a little bit of energy, knocking back other balls like a mini rolling bomb. If there is a enemy TagPro keeping your FC from capping, it could be in your best interest to sacrifice yourself along with your teammates to knock the enemy TagPro out of position, allowing your FC to cap, especially if he is the only enemy in your base and the rest of his team is on the way.

Offensive Defense

Some times while attempting to grab the enemy flag, the enemy attackers will have beat you to it. As soon as your flag has been taken you should stop all attempts at grabbing the flag, communicate with your defenders, and start playing offensive defense (OD). If the enemy FC slips past both your defenders, you have now become the teams last line of defense. Grabbing the flag and getting popped back to your base is the worst thing you can do. “Is he contained? Is he out of the Base? Which way is he going? Does he have any pups? Does he have an escort? Is he boosting in?” These are all questions that should be asked and answered. The most important thing to remember is to stay in-between the enemy FC and their flag! If the enemy does make it past your defenders, and you find yourself without any pups, you should position yourself based on a few bits of information so that you can capsize:

1. Solo FC, no pups: If the enemy FC just slipped by your defenders and has no pups, one of the best options is to leave the FC (or OS) in the enemy base either covering boost lanes,(LEARN THEM OR PAY THE PRICE) fighting for pups, and controlling button, but not grabbing the flag. The OS (or FC) should communicate with your defenders chasing the enemy FC and head to the nearest choke point to cut him off. Optionally, its normal to see just one defender chase the FC if the enemy has left an attacker in base for a re-grab. Leaving a defender behind to cover the attacker waiting for a re-grab prevents re-grab trains.
2. Solo/duo, FC with Rolling bomb: This is where decision making on OD becomes tricky. As I mentioned earlier, for defense, its best to detonate a rolling bomb early, away from the flag. That being said, if the enemy FC is not speeding into the base and not likely to blow past you, it is in your best interest to head towards him to detonate the rolling bomb. If he is booking it straight into base, you have a few options to choose from:
   • Position yourself to where as the rb FC is about to cap, he detonates on contact with you, sending you flying into grabbing the enemy flag, preventing a cap and buying time for the return. This is the safer option, but it is tricky to line up correctly.
   • A riskier option is to grab the enemy flag and dance around and possibly escaping until the rest of your teammates arrive to get the return. Besides risking a flaccid grab, you also runs the risk of being popped by the enemy rb FC himself, making every enemy a chaser.
3. Solo/duo, FC with Juke Juice: This situation is a tough one to gauge. Since the Juke Juice gives the FC higher acceleration than the OD with no jj, sticking close to the flag with the risk of getting blocked out isn’t your best bet, but neither is heading out of the base to meet the FC due to the probability of him to fly past you. In my opinion, the safest option is to head to the nearest choke point and/or travel with but ahead of the FC as he rolls into base, slowing towards his direction (similar to jockeying in soccer/football).
4. Duo, FC with TagPro Escort: Now your chances of preventing a cap are starting to look grim. The best bet is to wait until the last minute to grab the enemy flag hoping that the TagPro escort will have timed out, giving your team a chance to pile in to get a return.
5. Rolling Bomb/Juke Juice/TagPro FC with TagPro Escort:Now your chances of preventing a cap are next to none. Try to make a clean grab and get out ASAP or try and set off a bomb to stop the FC from capping. If you fail, it might be time to employ Dino Strats.

Final Thoughts

It takes a lot of decision making to be an effective attacker, and the more you play, the easier it will be to know where to be and to make the right decisions. If I missed anything you guys can think of, please let me know in the comments and I’ll try and add it into the appropriate section. HUGEshout out to lambda and Anne Frank for helping me get this guide glittered with glorious gifs. Also, thanks to asdf, Felix, poopv, xile, rk, RealDuck, Cahru, and Shaka for helping to horribly act out some of these scenarios. I think its safe to say that we had a good time. ;)