The reading order for a competitive broadcast, written for first-time viewers
If you have never watched a competitive esports broadcast, this is the reading order. By the end of it you will know what the cast is talking about, what the analyst desk is reading for, and which number on the screen is the one that matters.
The eight-step reading order
Each step is one thing to look for on the broadcast. None of them are the kill feed.
The two team names at the top of the screen
The first thing to register. Two team names, two regions, two rosters. The cast will introduce them in the first thirty seconds but you can read them from the scoreboard before the cast catches up.
The format of the series
Bo1, Bo3 or Bo5. The format determines how much room there is for an upset. A Bo1 is the most volatile; a Bo5 is the most stable. The cast will name the format in the first minute.
The map veto
The order in which the two teams ban and pick maps. The veto tells you what each team is afraid of and what each team is confident on. The cast will run through the veto once it's done; the analyst desk runs through it before it starts.
The pistol round
Round one. The winner of the pistol usually takes rounds two and three. Track who wins the pistol and you have a third of the read on the half.
The economy curve
The amount of money each team has. The economy is the cleanest read on momentum. A forced save is a deliberate round loss to bank money for the next two rounds. The cast will name every save. The analyst desk reads the curve.
The timeout
One per half, two per map. A timeout after a lost pistol is panic. A timeout at 8–4 is recalibration. Read the timing, not the number.
The clutch
A 1v2 or 1v3 is not a single moment. It is a five-second read of utility, positioning and map control. The desk breaks it down twice: once live, once on replay.
The post-match press conference
The losing IGL speaks first, then the winning IGL, then the cast. The press conference is the only place in the broadcast where the macro story of the match gets named out loud.
What to read alongside the broadcast
Three things the desk publishes that pair well with a first watch.
Reading a single map
The six things the analyst desk watches on every map. Pairs with the live broadcast.
Reading a bracket
What each format rewards and how to read it. Read this before the next playoff.
Reading a patch
How a single operator rework ripples through the cast. Read this the morning of every patch.
Start reading the broadcast like the desk does.
Get started with the desk
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Glossary of broadcast terms
A short reader's dictionary for the terms the cast and the analyst desk use on air.
Trade
A trade is when a player kills an opponent and is killed immediately by a teammate. The trade is the foundation of macro play — every death should be traded, and a team that trades consistently wins the round even when the entry duelist loses.
Utility
Utility is everything a player uses besides their gun — flashes, smokes, molotovs, recon, etc. The support player is the utility carrier. A team with good utility wins rounds by clearing angles and creating space, not by out-aiming the opponent.
Execute
An execute is a planned take on a site. The IGL calls the execute; the team runs the execute. A clean execute is the IGL's signature — the team takes the site in a single coordinated push, with utility, with trades, and without losing a player on the entry.
Default
The default is what a team does at the start of a round when they have not committed to a take or a fake. The default is usually a spread across the map, with one player on a site and the rest in mid. The default lasts 20–40 seconds before the team commits to a take or a fake.
Fake
A fake is a committed-looking take on one site that the team abandons in favour of a real take on another site. The fake is the cleanest read on the IGL's macro skill — a well-timed fake pulls a rotation and creates a 5v4 advantage on the real take.
Retake
A retake is when a team loses a site and rotates back to take it. The retake is a numbers-down play — usually 2v3 or 3v4. The retake is one of the most team-dependent plays in the game; a well-coordinated retake is one of the most satisfying rounds to watch on the broadcast.