Diabotical 3v3 Playbook

Macguffin is a chaotic meat grinder and fresh spawns are free health and position. Avoid fragging people into a better respawn e.g:. From their base to yours when you’re on a run. Know when to dmg them but not frag them and when to just run away. Additionally, don’t be afraid to die when it would be better to get a fresh spawn. If you’re lucky you can even spawn at the enemy base before they have arrived with the macguffin and take their blue armor away which helps keep them weak even if you die with it. If you have the powerup you can even frag yourself to pass it to a teammate with more health (a strategy that works as a ghost in extinction as well). As you cultivate your deathwish, don’t forget a final hammer swing or shotgun blast before death can really pack a punch.

Defense and carrying phases are the best times for claiming item control. Attacking is the hardest phase because it’s so counterintuitive and so many teams waste time trying to coordinate an attack. Instead of spending valuable time grouping and waiting for major items, try just grabbing a gun and running in. Think about it: if you wait to get a stack and the attack works then cool but it costs that time. If you wait to get a stack and then attack fails however, not only did you lose or give away the items but you wasted all that time as well. Even if you are running in one at a time, as long as you split your damage between the enemy team and don’t frag them they will still be weak when your next teammates arrive or they will have to come off the base to look for health and give you an opening. That’s not to say there’s no strategy involved. As you are attacking you might notice which routes they are defending more heavily and which routes might be better to attack from. Having one teammate sit back and PNCR while you make these dives could also be a good strategy, but keep in mind that time is so precious you won’t be able to decide who that player is until they spawn. Unlike CTF where you can have dedicated defenders and attackers, in 3v3 macguffin your role is decided mostly by where you spawn. So if you are spawned by the pncr and your teammates are throwing themselves at the enemy base, then you might decide to sit back and support from a comfortable angle, at least until you get fragged and have to find a new way to help.

Don’t be afraid to stall when the enemy team has powerup or is camping your base to avoid instant retakes and build up coins. Likewise, don’t be afraid to give them powerup if it’s the only way you can get the macg from their base. Don’t just be attracted to the powerup like a magnet, try and see how its spawn is going to affect the enemy players behavior and use that to make a play. For instance, maybe you catch them at an item trying to stack up before the powerup even spawns and that’s the play.

Speaking of which, notice that the beginning of every mcg match is pretty much the same, the red armor is usually taken right away so it respawns before or with the macguffin and there will be big fights over the 2nd red right before the macguffin spawns. All you need to know is that people will be fighting over that red armor, and you can try a variety of plays to get in a good position to either grab it or punish the players going for it. Spam is very effective in macguffin so don’t be afraid to blind fire at items or onto areas where the enemy is likely to go. Look for windows and other spots on the map that offer good angles for spamming important items and bases. You can also go from macguffin spawn to mega for extra stack when you pick up or hold with a team.

Strong Opener : Get the red armor right away, get rail and deal chip damage, control the red and grab it before spawn. Cap the magcuffin as fast as possible and circle back for powerup. If the enemy is split can stay with 1 other person with the macguffin carrier and the other controlling mid items and the position over/ advantageous to the vindicator spawn

Delayed Opener : One team mate goes for the blues at both bases and slow weaball or rail on sunken, holds ledge above rail to catch ppl at rail or red. One teammate grabs shotty and kamikazes trying to keep the enemy low but not kill them until less than 3s before macguff spawns. Let them grab it while low, then 1 person clears them out while the other 2 lurk on their base side.

Out of Control Opener : If they grab red and take macguffin. Use rail and stack to frag them and if we can’t get it, play for 2nd major item spawns (:53ish red, 1:12ish mega), and grab powerup to attack their base.

Before the Cap: make sure the base is clear, don’t rush to cap unless the carrier is in danger, use the time to time and grab major items. Have non-carriers clear the base and then deliver.

After The Cap: if base is not hot, have the person with the most stack stay to defend and the other 2 circle out to check items and engage/weaken the enemy before they can get to base. If engaging an enemy at their base or out of position, don’t kill them or they might get a better spawn.

During Enemy Attack: defender calls incoming location, other 2 circle back to spam point and/or cut off escape. If carrier location is unknown and no powerup is incoming, go directly to their base to intercept and grab their blue before they get it.

Powerup Incoming: all 3 go for powerup, make a judgment if you can win the fight, if it’s 3 on 3 and we’re going to lose powerup, anyone left alive or respawning should go straight to their base to capture the macguffin before they get back.

No Powerup Incoming: attack in waves, don’t waste any time, just grab the nearest weapon and rush in, shotty is an excellent choice, mg if necessary, picking up any minor/major items on your way but not waiting for them or going out of your way. Attack the enemy on their base from within the circle if you can, fight on the circle as much as possible and prioritise dodging. If your teammate is on the circle looking for spam angles to help them, there are windows on sunken and marina that overlook each point that are great for spam. If they are high ground attacks from high ground routes so you aren’t punished. Make a call whether you think you will die or not during the attack. If you are going to die, don’t kill the defenders, split your damage between them, so they are weaker for the next teammate coming in. if you pick up the macguffin and are going to die, throw it as far away from their base as possible to stall, or look for a teammate to pass to.

Powerup Claimed: support the powerup holder and spend a bit of extra time stacking up and grouping up to go in, play close so you can grab the pup from them if they get fragged. Non-powerup holders with stacks should try to grab the macg if possible. Give major items to pup holders. When attacking with it powerup should not be first in which might make lose control of it and can get good rail damage to support other players.

Enemy Claims Powerup : recognize if they are going to claim powerup as early as possible, and rush to their base to claim the macguffin, worst case scenario is they make it to base to defend with powerup. In that case all 3 need to attack pup together OR hide and control major items to force the pup off the base.

Quick Run Works best if all 3 enemies were defending base. Carrier delivers as fast as possible and teammates fight enemies in chokes so they can’t chase or run behind the carrier to body block them. If you are fighting defenders left at their base DO NOT KILL THEM so they don’t respawn ahead of you near your base. Try to path towards your teammates and or major items.

Slow Run works best if you have major item times or intuition that they are coming up. If the carrier is safe, delay the delivery and check both items. This will give the enemy time to get to your base, so when the carrier gets to the lift/pad or spot before the base make sure the other teammates go in first to check and clear a path to deliver. If you are a carrier always call your intention to deliver and make sure your teammates are positioned to support or else delay until they are.

Stall (Enemy Powerup) If enemy powerup has not gotten to base yet and you manage to claim the macguffin, get away from the base as quickly as possible using comms to avoid enemy team but DO NOT CAP, have your teammates rendezvous with the enemy at your base and attack the powerup holder there while you hide and stack up. Either you manage to get the pup back and can deliver, or you stall. Another situation is when they have stack advantage and holding your base

Stall scenario 1: the powerup is still active but they have finally left your base to hunt your carrier who is hiding. Once they have left, the carrier can deliver if they find a safe route and the powerup should be nearly over (but even if they reclaim it you have banked the coins from hiding and it should expire by the time they run it back to their base)

Stall scenario 2: wait out the whole powerup until it ends, get major item times or grab the items themselves, deliver and bank 10 coins.

Circle to their base blue and pull people away from your own base then clear it out and re-attack

Know Their Path
By Themselves (Need more info)
Their Team (Need more info)

Don’t Know Their Path Go to mid close to a major item and listen in to where they are moving. Then if they are on the opposite side and or crossed set up around the choke points where they might be going. If they have not crossed or they are close to your side, communicate and push and get some damage on to the item or the carrier while your team sets up for them coming through the chokes on to their base.

Your Overtime ~99 To ~99 calls when you reach 90. Engage the enemy wherever you can find them on your way in to defend. Use your advantage to claim major items and weaken the enemy in the middle of the map. Stand in the hardest to shoot positions on your point, whether it’s the high ground or on top of small boxes to avoid rockets. Use knockback weapons to keep them away from the zone. Try to weaken them and make them jump on the point in 2s, don’t let them stagger their attack and keep resetting the timer. Try to double/triple frag instead of one at a time.

Your Overtime ~90 to <75 you can afford to let them take mcguff in exchange for major item control if you need to. You can also go to powerup since you have time and they don’t. If they chase to contest powerup they are out of position so try to bait them to contest instead of going to reset your OT. If they are smart and you grab powerup, they will NOT deliver it right away so you can’t just camp their base you need to hunt them in the likely places.

Their Overtime call when they get past 75 and prepare for OT, the more time to prepare the better. learn your spawns and the fastest route into their base. You can’t afford to pick up anything that isn’t on your route. Going for powerup is very risky unless it’s right on your way. This is the only scenario where you can make the call to ignore powerup completely and focus on taking the mcguff. Stay near your teammates but don’t attack together. One person fights on point at a time while the others shoot on the way in. if you watch winz he is very efficient about resetting the overtime timer. even one moment inside the circle will reset the timer so position carefully and die on the zone if you have to. keep playing the staggered OTs dealing chip dmg until they are weak enough to kill. If you grab the macguff, throw it as far as you can ahead of you and keep throwing it as you run so you can buy the maximum amount of time for your team.

Start Of Round Throw to higher ground when lots of people contesting the spawn of the macguffin(Need more info)

When Carrying When you are about to die or to a teammate in a position that can’t be reached by jumping or to chain it (Need more info)

They have 3 people without armor vs 2 with armor: Split them and move quickly cause they will have respawns pretty quickly

Reverse of the above: try and hide with a 2 and the third go and feed to clear armor of the enemy and then respawn quickly with armor so then you can change the advantage

3vs your 1: Hide till 2 then go get armor then the other 2 do the above with 3v2

Reverse of the above: split and heaps of comms to cover and find the last as well as hearing where the next player will spawn but try to not commit by yourselves

2 vs >2 with armor: split so you dont get rolled at the same time then try to do a reverse roll