Best CS2 Economy Strategies

Continuing from our latest article on the basics of the economy, this CS2 in-depth economy guide will provide a deeper dive into the strategies to help you manage the in-game economy in CS2. Deciding when to buy or save can determine whether your team flourishes economically for the remaining rounds in the half or plunders into a pile of unrecoverable debt. Learning strategies such as eco, force, and bonus and when to employ them is perhaps the easiest way to gain an edge over your opponent. To learn more about the basics of the CS2 Economy, including how money is earned and what to buy, refer to this article!

Communication is Key

Before we even start on the strategies in this CS2 in-depth economy guide, one key point must be established: communication is key. An uncoordinated buy is the worst thing for your team and is an almost guaranteed loss for the current round and the rounds to come. Having your team’s economy in sync ensures that everybody will have rifles in future rounds, providing a sure way to secure those rounds. Even if your team makes a wrong economic call, it’s better to stick with them than go solo and get out of sync.

On the theme of communication, teamwork is also crucial to building an effective team economy. Your money is your team’s money! If you have extra money in one round and a team member is in need, consider dropping a weapon, as it not only provides your team more firepower that round but also boosts team morale!

Key Strategies to Master CS2’s Economy

To master CS2’s economy, you’ll find four economic strategies at all levels of CS2, whether in pro games or casual ones. Depending on the current state of your economy, you will be able to call these strategies out to coordinate coherent buys with your teammates. 

Full Save: This is perhaps the least enticing option, but it is crucial to set you and your team up for success in the subsequent rounds. Suppose you are expecting the enemy team to be equipped with rifles and utility while your team does not have nearly enough funds to put up an equal fight. In that case, your best option is to save all your money so that you can buy rifles with full utility the following round. While you should not expect to win this particular round, killing opponents, taking away their guns, and getting that kill reward should be your main priority.

When full saving, the bare minimum amount of money you should aim for the next round is $3700 (AK with Kevlar and Helmet) for the T-side, and $3550 (M4A1-S and Kevlar) for the CT-side. If you can meet these thresholds and have perhaps an extra $500 for utility as well, consider coordinating with your teammate to all throw nades (known as a nade stack) to an area you know the enemy may be, giving you a chance to win the round. If you started the round with 1-2k, however, you still may not have enough for a full buy, forcing you into an eco round.

Eco/Light Buy: A light buy, often known as an eco round, has the same purpose as a full save: garner enough funds to fully buy the next round. Buy options for eco rounds include SMGs, light rifles, or even powerful pistols such as the Deagle, which allow your team to put up a formidable fight and maybe even win the round. The key point here is to ensure enough for the following round, take down as many enemy team members as possible, and perhaps save an opposing rifle when possible.

Force: Force buys are only implored in desperate times, when a team is on the brink of losing or the half is about to end. With not enough funds to muster up a full buy but need to win the round, such as when down 10-12 match point, your team is left with the only option of spending all your funds to buy light rifles such as the SSG 08/Galil, or SMGs to try to win that last round.

Full Buy: These are the fun rounds. Armed with the best rifles and decked out with utility, your team has the best chance to win. These rounds are often the determining rounds of a game near the middle of each half, with both teams equally equipped and ready to dominate the site. When going all out, it is critical that you buy the necessary utility to protect or take a site, not just your rifle and armor. And always remember, don’t be a loser, buy a diffuser!

Analyzing Your CS2 Economy Round by Round

Pistol Round: Pistol rounds are perhaps the most crucial round for your CS2 economy, giving your team the potential for an invaluable economic advantage. Accordingly, how you spend the $800 given is critical to winning the round. No matter how you spend it, the key is to spend this money to gain whatever little advantage you can. If you’re unsure what to buy, explore! But a safe bet is to stick with Kevlar.

Pistol Round Win: After winning the pistol round, you can almost guarantee another win due to the significant economic advantage given by the early lead. A good buy consists of SMGs or even a light rifle, with purchasing Kevlar and a helmet also advised. Even if you can buy an AK or M4 this round with Kevlar carried over from the pistol round, it’s a risky buy as they don’t offer that much of an advantage against the opposing pistols compared to SMGs, and dying and giving over a rifle is simply a risk not worth taking.

• After winning this second round, it’s best to stick to your sub-par weapons or not even buy if you died last round (this is called a bonus round), even though enemies will have the advantage of a full buy if they saved the second round. The aim of this round is to try to take away their rifles so that the opponents can’t full buy the following round while your team can, securing another win.
• If you lose the second round after buying, it’s time to full save until a full buy.

Pistol Round Loss: If you lose a pistol round, the best option is to go on a full save. The enemy will likely have SMGs or light rifles, so try to take as many guns away from your opponents as possible.

• After most likely losing this second round, you will have enough funds to fully buy the third, which should be a win given that the opposing team sticks with its sub-par weapons from the second round.
• If you are on the T-side and manage to get a bomb plant in the pistol round, however, your team can force buy, purchasing power pistols or SMGs in an attempt to win against the similarly armed CTs. You often see professional players do this.

Economy Tips

Lastly, let’s conclude with some tips for managing money in CS2. Though they may be obvious, new players still often overlook these money-saving tips. To begin with, don’t rebuy Kevlar! Replenishing armor does not provide any more protection, and as long as you have any fraction of Kevlar remaining, there is absolutely no need to buy it again. And to save even more money, you should almost never buy a backup pistol unless you are maxed out with $16,000 in the bank or are using an AWP. Just save money wherever you can.

Wrapping Up!

Mastering the economic strategies in this in-depth guide is crucial for achieving consistent success and gaining a competitive edge. A good call on when to force versus save is just as important as a team’s mechanical skill! With that, stay learning, stay strategic, and have fun out there!