36 CS2 terms, defined plainly.

eDPI

Effective DPI — your DPI multiplied by in-game sensitivity. The standard "intensity" metric for comparing sens between players. Pro range is 600–1200.

ADR

Average Damage per Round. Pro tier ~80–100; high-frag stars exceed 100. Better metric than KD because it captures damage on non-killing hits (trade-fragging).

KDA

Kills / Deaths / Assists. CS2's standard scoreboard format. KD ratio above 1 means net positive — most ranked players hover around 1.0–1.1.

MR12

Maximum Rounds 12. CS2 competitive format: first team to 13 wins, max 24 rounds total. CS:GO ran MR15 (first to 16, max 30) for most of its lifespan.

HRTF

Head-Related Transfer Function — CS2's 3D positional audio system. Lets you locate enemies vertically (above/below) on Nuke and other vertical maps within ~10ms accuracy.

RPM

Rounds per Minute. Weapon fire rate. AK is 600 RPM; M4A4 is 666; MAC-10 is 800 (highest in CS2). Higher RPM = more bullets per second but typically more recoil.

FOV

Field of View. CS2 has fixed game-FOV but viewmodel_fov is adjustable (default 60, pro-standard 68). Higher viewmodel FOV pushes the weapon to the edge of the screen.

cm/360°

Centimeters of physical desk motion needed to turn 360 degrees in-game. The "physical sens" metric — independent of DPI. Pro range is 25–35 cm/360°.

TTK

Time to Kill. Hits-to-kill × 60_000 / RPM. Critical for trade-fragging math — short TTK weapons trade better in close range.

Sub-tick

CS2's server architecture that timestamps every input and processes it at the exact moment it happened, not at the next tick. Replaced CS:GO's 64-tick / 128-tick model. Same feel regardless of tick rate.

Volumetric smoke

CS2 smokes are 3D volumes that bullets / HE / mollies interact with. A bullet temporarily carves a peek-hole; an HE briefly clears; a molly pushes the smoke up. Replaced CS:GO's flat-billboard smokes.

Tagging

A bullet hit slows the target temporarily — proportional to weapon damage. AK rounds tag heavily, P90 rounds tag lightly. Why you can't simply sprint through a hold.

Peeker's advantage

Network latency means the peeker sees the holder slightly earlier than vice versa. CS2's sub-tick reduced this advantage but didn't eliminate it. Aggressive peeking still has measurable upside.

Lag compensation

Server-side time-rewinding — when your bullet should hit, the server checks where the target was when you fired (not when the packet arrived). Makes online play feel like LAN.

AWPer

The team's sniper. Holds long sightlines, opens picks, anchors retakes. Usually highest-paid role and AWPs every round.

IGL

In-Game Leader. Calls the team's rounds — reads economy, opponent tendencies, tempo. Often plays a less mechanically demanding position.

Entry / Entry-fragger

First through the door on a site take. High-tempo aim role; often dies for trade-frags by the second player. Star entries (rain, hampus, NaF) get paid for the first kill.

Lurker

Lone-wolf at the off-site. Cuts CT rotators, plays clutch scenarios, picks lone players. s1mple, kennyS, and shox are canonical lurkers.

Support

Throws the team's utility — smokes / flashes set up entries. Plays trade-frag positions. Lower frag ceiling but high impact on round outcomes.

Jump-throw

Releasing a grenade at the apex of a jump. Required for most precise smoke / flash lineups. Most pros bind a key to do it consistently.

Jiggle peek

Quickly stepping into and out of an angle to test for an AWPer or pre-aim. Bait the shot without committing to the duel. Combined with counter-strafing for instant retreat.

Shoulder peek

Showing a small slice of your character to bait an AWP shot, then counter-strafing back to cover before the AWPer can re-fire. Costs you the round if mistimed.

Pop-flash

A flashbang thrown to detonate the moment it appears in the enemy's vision — minimal "look away" reaction window. Common from corner peeks like Inferno banana → top.

Counter-strafe

Tapping the opposite movement key (D after A) to instantly halt momentum. Essential for "stop-shooting" — you stop, fire, your bullet has full standing accuracy.

Spray transfer

Spraying onto one target, then dragging the spray onto a second target without releasing fire. Tests recoil control + crosshair-placement + snap timing simultaneously.

Wallbang

Shooting through a wall to hit a target. Surfaces have penetration values; weapons have penetration power. AK > M4 > pistols. See /wallbangs/ for spots.

Prefire

Firing at a corner before you can see the target — based on common camp angles. Effective when your information says they're holding. Bad when they aren't.

Smurf

A player at a higher skill level using a lower-rank account. CS2 has a smurfing problem at every rank level; Premier vs comp ranks help isolate.

Eco round

A round where the team intentionally saves money to afford a better buy next round. Typically held with pistols and minimal armor. Pistol-round losers often eco round 2.

Force buy

Buying a budget rifle (Galil/FAMAS) + armor + nades when you can't afford a full buy. Risky but can win against full-buy opponents through map control.

Clutch

Winning a 1vN round as the last surviving player. The 1vX bonus pays extra cash per killed enemy. See /clutch/ for tactical scenarios.

Baiter

A player who positions behind teammates to safely trade-frag without exposing themselves. Pejorative in pugs; legitimate strategy in pro play if executed by support roles.

Whiff

A missed shot that should have hit — usually an open angle or short-range engagement. The most-streamed CS clip type.

Major

Valve-designated CS championship — the flagship tournament. Two per year typically; gives souvenir-package drops to viewers. See /majors/ for the full archive.

LAN

Local Area Network event. Pros all play in the same physical venue, same network — eliminates ping advantages and external interference. The "real" competitive tier.

Pug / pug-stomping

Pickup-game. A casual organized match between unrelated players. Some pros pug between events to stay sharp; "pug-stomping" = a pro destroying public lobbies.