Warzone streamer IceManIsaac breaks down “how to win in sweaty lobbies”

Theo Salaun
warzone streamer icemanisaac how win sweaty lobbies

Winning in Call of Duty: Warzone is already a difficult feat, but winning in a sweaty lobby is an entirely different beast. Fortunately, streamer and pro IceManIsaac has broken down the top tips to outduel Verdansk try-hards.

It’s very insightful to watch streamers play Warzone, but their gameplay often has to be taken with a grain of salt. Like 5’9” Isaiah Thomas, unable to crack an NBA roster but capable of dropping 81 in an amateur league this summer — a game’s best can do different things when they’re playing against the less-talented.

Fortunately, IceManIsaac has taken a break from pubstomping streams to break down how players should act against lobbies of their same skill level, if not higher. And, to do so, he used footage from a Customs tournament, where his team faced off against the world’s very best.

From dropping, to fighting, to regaining, Isaac broke down how his team was able to succeed in a lobby full of sweats. And, in doing so, he reveals how more casual players can still win when SBMM puts them in the blender.

How to win in sweaty Warzone lobbies

Drop with a plan

Warzone TV station
TV Station has always been a fairly popular landing spot, while less hot than Superstore.

As Ice explains, “this will be like a 3 K/D lobby. We are playing against people that are insane.” So planning your drop is critical.

They chose to drop at TV Station which, while hotly contested, has “lots of places to rotate out of,” as well as vehicles, cash, and a buy station (usually).

But it is, like we mentioned, hotly contested — so Ice’s team was forced into a regain. That’s something that most are used to in sweaty lobbies and the next step in Ice’s breakdown.

Regain with a plan

Gulag communication and patience

As you can see in the video, Ice’s team are forced into the Gulag early. There, he was lucky enough to have comms from a teammate while fighting, but he explained a critical part of 1v1’ing in a difficult lobby.

Instead of going around guns blazing, Isaac is facing top pro Tommey, so he doesn’t hold is angles for too long, proceeding to “chall away” and refusing to “re-chall.” That way, he’s not punished for peeking and gives himself more chances to surprise Tom — which eventually worked out.

Regaining post-Gulag

The next step is to come back with a patient vengeance. Ice drops immediately on a Bertha for mobility and some toughness, then tries to find random clumps of places where people are unlikely to initially drop at — in hopes that they would be un-looted.

Further, Ice’s team reveals a strategy for public loadouts. You want the public loadout to spawn in safety when you’re regaining, away from the action, so they drive all the way to the outskirts of the map so it drops further away from densely contested areas.

Conclusion: Communicate, coordinate, and fight… with a plan

Last, but not least — how to fight in a sweaty lobby. While Ice notes the importance of communication throughout a match, he also highlights positioning and coordination.

Warzone map
Mastering cover is critical to winning in Warzone.

As far as positioning, Isaac makes a simple point for sweaty lobbies: “If you feel like you’re not that great of a player, and even the average player is better than you, you can still outplay them with positioning.”

And, by that, he means things like securing high ground and “headies,” while also not getting too greedy for kills (taking shots, then dipping for cover instead of continuing to thirst).

Coordination is a bit simpler, as Ice basically explains that you need to talk about team firing: “Try and coordinate these team fires against good players, the second they get shot they’ll snap behind cover. With good players, you can get them if you team shot.”

Overall, if you want to win in sweaty lobbies — these specific tips should be helpful, but the mantra above all else is that you need to plan things out as a team instead of simply flying around recklessly.

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About The Author

Théo is a former writer at Dexerto based in New York and built on competition. Formerly an editor for Bleacher Report and philosophy student at McGill, he fell in love with Overwatch and Call of Duty — leading him to focus on esports for Dex.