Investigating NA FACEIT #1 "nocries": A Demo Review of Suspicious Gameplay

# Investigating NA FACEIT #1 "nocries": A Demo Review of Suspicious Gameplay ## Match Context * **Date & Event:** September 15, 2024 (NA FACEIT PUG). * **Map:** Dust 2 (01:15 - 11:15) and Mirage (11:15 - 18:35). * **Round Phase & Score:** Variable. This video is an investigative compilation of demo highlights rather than a continuous chronological match. * **Economy:** Variable depending on the specific round highlight. * **Match Situation & Stakes:** Professional analyst/player STYKO is conducting a demo review of "nocries," the #1 ranked player on NA FACEIT. The objective is to determine if the player's extraordinary stats are legitimate or the result of external assistance. The review exposes egregious mechanical flaws, detrimental utility usage, and inhuman tracking that heavily point toward radar/wallhacks. ## Players & Roles * **STYKO:** Match Analyst / Reviewer. First appears at 00:00 on the webcam overlay to break down the suspect's gameplay. * **nocries:** The central suspect, playing primarily as an AWPer and rifler. He holds the #1 rank on NA FACEIT but displays fundamentals contradictory to his rank. * **Equipment:** Uses an M4A1-S | Black Lotus (01:21), AK-47 | Bloodsport (02:02), a bright green AWP (05:28), Desert Eagle (11:42), and a Glock-18 (15:44). * **Visual Identifiers:** Exhibits extremely poor mechanics, characterized by the analyst as "sliding nonstop" (01:47) instead of counter-strafing. He routinely stares directly at walls with poor crosshair placement, only snapping to enemies when they are about to peek. * **Team PeliMonster & Team _-LOUD:** Random PUG teammates and opponents visible in the scoreboard and killfeed (e.g., PeliMonster, NERIQ, hayden5502, LOUD, \_pun1sher\_, Ethan_G). ## Utility & Resources * **Detrimental Grenade Usage (Dust 2):** * **01:16 & 01:29:** `nocries` repeatedly throws blind flashbangs from CT spawn toward A Long doors, resulting in egregious team flashes. * **02:50, 02:56 & 03:04:** Throws three consecutive, uncoordinated flashbangs from CT spawn toward Mid doors, completely blinding his own teammates and visibly frustrating the analyst. * **Failed Map Control Utility (Mirage):** * **10:04:** Attempts a crucial T-spawn Window smoke lineup but aims his crosshair far too low. * **10:13:** The flawed lineup causes the smoke to land uselessly near Top Mid/Catwalk, entirely failing to obscure Window. * **16:23 & 16:26:** Throws a smoke while pushing up A Ramp that lands on top of the A Site box, providing no tactical cover for the execute. * **Economy & Impact:** Despite a fundamental inability to throw basic utility, the suspect maintains massive round impact. The analyst concludes this discrepancy is solely because the player relies on illicit external information to secure raw entry kills rather than using utility to systematically open space. ## Strategy & Tactics * **Strategies:** * **02:08:** Employs a hyper-aggressive, repetitive "W-key" default on Dust 2 T-side, pushing Top Mid every round. The analyst compares this raw aggression to professional player "donk," but notes it is fueled by perfect illegitimate information rather than superior game sense. * **07:39:** The overarching lobby strategy is labeled as heavily "puggy [and] not tactical," lacking structured defaults or layered executes. * **08:30:** Utilizes a cheat-driven "strategy" of standing on boxes near T-spawn simply to track a CT moving toward B site through the map geometry. * **Tactics:** * **01:47:** A catastrophic mechanical tactic where `nocries` pushes A Ramp while "sliding nonstop" (failing to counter-strafe), winning fights purely through unnatural aim assistance. * **11:42:** Employs a blatant tracking tactic near Top Mid on Mirage, using a Desert Eagle to trace and fire at a CT directly through impenetrable walls. * **12:57:** Holds a tight angle under Palace on CT Mirage, perfectly anticipating a T pushing out with zero human reaction delay and zero visual/audio information. * **Formations & Coordination:** * **07:30:** Eschews standard defensive crossfires on Dust 2 B Site in favor of highly exposed, aggressive angles near Window/Doors, relying entirely on his wallhacks to win the timing duels. * **15:42:** Executes a disjointed T-side pistol push onto Mirage A Site without any synchronized formation or utility layering. * **10:31:** The analyst explicitly points out a total absence of voice communications, making the perfect timings even more highly suspect. * **Adaptations & Transitions:** * **03:34:** Makes a tactically sound mid-round reposition on Dust 2 A Site, falling back from Short to the default boxes based on x-ray tracking of an approaching enemy. * **08:25:** Executes a perfect micro-dodge outside Dust 2 B doors, stepping back into cover precisely as an enemy peeks. * **16:40:** Seamlessly transitions from holding a post-plant angle at A Main to instantly tracking a silent flanker from CT spawn/Jungle through the wall. ## Decisions & Critical Moments * **01:35 - 01:57 (Dust 2):** * **Decision:** Aggressively pushes down A Ramp on CT side without stopping. * **Outcome:** Secures a multikill by tracking enemies through geometry. * **Mistakes:** Running and spraying ("sliding") is a massive fundamental error that would get a legitimate player killed immediately. * **02:04 - 02:15 (Dust 2):** * **Decision:** W-keys Top Mid on T side. * **Outcome:** Secures an entry kill by pre-aiming the exact CT positioning. * **Mistakes/Alternatives:** Fails to clear common off-angles. A legitimate player must methodically clear angles and use flashes to take Mid control. * **03:20 - 03:45 (Dust 2):** * **Decision:** Repositions from an exposed angle on A Site to a deeper angle behind default boxes upon "sensing" an enemy push from Short. * **Outcome:** Gains positional superiority and wins the duel. * **Turning Point:** This specific "micro" choice is praised by the analyst as the correct play conceptually, even if triggered by illicit info. * **08:22 - 08:29 (Dust 2):** * **Decision:** Holds an exposed angle outside B doors waiting for an enemy to peek. * **Outcome:** Perfect, inhuman millisecond dodge to step into cover exactly as the shot is fired, winning the duel. * **Mistakes:** Reacting to the underlying game engine rather than visual stimuli. * **10:04 - 10:14 (Mirage):** * **Decision:** Attempts a standard T-spawn Window smoke. * **Outcome:** The crosshair placement is completely wrong, missing the essential tactical lineup entirely. * **Mistakes/Alternatives:** Faking competency. A legitimate top-tier player must know pixel-perfect essential utility. * **11:41 - 11:49 (Mirage):** * **Decision:** Traces an enemy behind Top Mid geometry with a Desert Eagle. * **Outcome:** Fires directly into a solid wall, cementing the analyst's conclusion of cheating. * **16:37 - 16:50 (Mirage):** * **Decision:** Suddenly abandons an A Main post-plant hold to lock onto a completely silent flanker from Jungle. * **Outcome:** Pre-fires perfectly, winning the round. * **Alternatives:** A legitimate player would trust their original angle or use a jiggle-peek, lacking any sound cues to justify a 180-degree snap. ## Practical Takeaways * **Lessons:** * **The Power of Mid-Round Repositioning:** When an enemy closes the distance on an initial aggressive hold (03:34), falling back to a deeper off-angle provides a massive positional advantage. * **Leave Space for Reaction Time:** The suspect's tight-angle pre-fires (12:56) are impossible for human reflexes. Legitimate players must place their crosshairs slightly away from the wall's edge to allow for standard reaction time against swinging enemies. * **Anti-Patterns:** * **Detrimental Spawn Utility (01:18, 03:04):** Never throw utility over the heads of rushing teammates without explicit voice comms, as it usually blinds your own entries. * **"Winging" Crucial Lineups (10:04):** Do not guess essential map control utility like the Mirage Window smoke. If you don't know the exact pixel lineup, drop the smoke to a teammate who does. * **"Sliding" During Engagements (01:47):** Never spray an assault rifle while moving. * **Improvement Areas:** * **Crosshair Discipline:** Keep your crosshair at head height where enemies will actually appear on screen, rather than lazily tracking their anticipated pathing through walls (11:42). * **Tactical Site Executes:** Break away from disjointed "puggy" rounds (15:42) by coordinating with teammates to layer sightline smokes and entry flashes. * **Situational Rules:** * **Post-Plant Defense (16:37):** If assigned to hold a specific lane without info of a flank, hold your ground. Do not expose your back unless given explicit communication that the flank is active. * **Drill Ideas:** * **Counter-Strafe Deathmatch:** Jump into a Free-for-All, unbind 'W' and 'S', and play using only 'A' and 'D'. Focus entirely on tapping the opposite movement key to come to a dead stop before firing to fix the "sliding" issue. * **YPrac / Map Training:** Load into a practice server and throw the T-spawn Mirage Window smoke 20 times consecutively until the exact pixel lineup is pure muscle memory. ## Conclusion While the focus of this video is investigating a cheater, it holds massive educational value through stark contrast. By juxtaposing `nocries`'s perfect positional knowledge against his catastrophic mechanical fundamentals (missing basic utility, team-flashing, sliding while shooting, and holding exposed angles), legitimate players are shown exactly what *not* to do. It reinforces that at the highest levels of Counter-Strike, raw reaction time is not enough; structured defaults, pixel-perfect utility, crosshair anticipation, and flawless counter-strafing are the true hallmarks of elite gameplay.