CS2 Smokes: The Lineups You Actually Need (and How to Use Them)
Updated October 10, 2026 · MyCS2Guru crew
Smokes are the most important utility in CS2. A well-placed smoke takes away the CT's best angle, splits a site in half, or buys your team precious seconds. A badly placed one blocks your own entry and gets your whole team killed. And honestly? You don't need 200 lineups. You need 3 or 4 per map that your team actually uses.
This guide explains how smokes work in CS2 (they're very different from CS:GO), the essential smokes for each active duty map, how to practice them fast, and the mistakes that make smokes useless.
How smokes work in CS2
CS2 introduced volumetric smokes, and they behave very differently from the old flat smokes:
- They fill the space. Smokes expand to fill doorways, corridors and rooms naturally. A smoke thrown into a tight hallway spreads along it.
- They react to bullets. Shooting through a smoke opens a small temporary hole you can see through.
- HE grenades clear them. An HE explosion pushes the smoke away and opens a big gap for a couple of seconds. This is a huge tactical tool.
- Lighting matters. Smokes are affected by light, so they can look different on different maps.
- Duration: about 18 seconds once fully bloomed.
What this means for you: one-way smokes and pixel-perfect gaps are less reliable than they used to be, but HE-plus-smoke combos and shooting holes in smokes are real strategies now.
How to practice smoke lineups
Load a private match and paste this into the console:
sv_cheats 1; sv_infinite_ammo 1; sv_grenade_trajectory_prac_pipreview 1; mp_freezetime 0; mp_roundtime_defuse 60; mp_buy_anywhere 1; bot_kick
The trajectory preview shows exactly where your grenade will land before you throw. Now:
- Stand in the exact spot for your lineup (use a corner, a wall edge or a mark on the floor).
- Aim at the reference point.
- Use the right throw: left-click (full throw), right-click (short underhand), both (medium), or jump-throw.
- Throw and check where it lands.
- Repeat 10 times until it's automatic.
Pro tip: write down or screenshot your lineups so you can review them before matches.
Throw types explained
| Throw | Input | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Full throw | Left click | Long |
| Jump throw | Jump + release left click | Longest, higher arc |
| Medium throw | Left + right click | Medium |
| Underhand | Right click | Short |
| Running throw | Moving + left click | Adds extra distance |
| Walking throw | Shift + left click | Slight extra distance |
Essential smokes by map
You don't need everything. Here are the smokes that matter most on each active duty map, the job each one does, and which side throws it.
Mirage
| Smoke | Side | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Window (mid) | T | Blocks the AWPer in Window so you can take mid |
| Connector | T | Cuts rotations from mid to A |
| Jungle | T | Blocks the CT Jungle position on A take |
| CT spawn (A) | T | Blocks CT rotation and the CT spawn angle on A |
| Stairs | T | Covers the Stairs position on A execute |
| B short / Kitchen | T | Isolates B site during a B execute |
| Top mid | CT | Slows down mid control and blocks Ts crossing |
Inferno
| Smoke | Side | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| CT (B site) | T | Blocks the CT rotation and retake angle on B |
| Coffins | T | Blocks the deep B site position |
| Moto / Library (A) | T | Isolates A site positions |
| Arch | T | Cuts the mid-to-A rotation |
| Pit | T | Blocks the long Pit angle on A |
| Banana deep | CT | Delays early Banana pushes |
Dust2
| Smoke | Side | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox | T | Lets Ts cross to catwalk / short |
| CT mid | T | Blocks the CT mid angle |
| Long corner / cross | T | Lets Ts cross from long doors |
| B doors / window | T | Cuts CT rotation into B |
| Long doors | CT | Slows down a long push |
Nuke
| Smoke | Side | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Outside cross smokes | T | Lets Ts cross outside to Secret or A |
| Heaven / Hut | T | Blocks A site positions |
| Main / Mini | T | Covers parts of A site |
| Ramp (CT) | CT | Delays ramp pushes |
Ancient
| Smoke | Side | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mid (CT side) | T | Blocks the CT mid angle |
| A site (CT / Temple) | T | Isolates A for an execute |
| B cave / short | T | Covers B entry |
| Donut | CT | Delays Ts at donut |
Anubis
| Smoke | Side | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| A connector | T | Blocks CT rotation |
| Heaven (B) | T | Blocks the elevated B angle |
| Mid doors | T | Covers mid crossing |
| Water / Canal | CT | Delays mid control |
Train
| Smoke | Side | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Ivy / Main | T | Covers A site angles |
| Connector | T | Cuts rotations |
| B site (sandwich) | T | Isolates B |
Lineups change slightly when maps get updated, so always check them in a private match after a big patch.
How to use smokes in a round
Executes (T side)
An execute is when your team uses utility together to take a site. Smokes should land at the same time, followed by flashes, then everyone swings. A typical execute: two to three smokes block the CT positions and rotations, two flashes blind the remaining defenders, a molotov clears a corner, and the team enters together.
Retakes (CT side)
Smokes are just as useful for retakes. Smoke off the Ts' post-plant positions or the bomb itself (to stop them seeing the defuse) and swing together.
Defensive smokes (CT)
Early in the round, CTs can smoke chokepoints to delay a push and buy time for rotations. A deep smoke in Banana or Mid can stop a fast T rush.
The HE + smoke combo
Throw a smoke, then have a teammate throw an HE grenade into it right before you peek. The HE blasts the smoke open, giving you a brief window to see and shoot defenders who think they're safe.
Common smoke mistakes
- Smoking too early. If smokes land before your team is ready, they fade before you finish the execute.
- Smoking yourself off. A smoke that blocks your own entry path does more harm than good.
- Throwing without communicating. Call your smokes so the team knows when to go.
- Forgetting HE can clear smokes. CTs will do this to you. Be ready.
- Learning 50 lineups badly. Learn 4 perfectly instead.
- Wasting smokes on eco rounds. On full buys, utility wins rounds. On ecos, save it unless you have a plan.
A smoke learning plan
| Week | Goal |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 smokes on your best map |
| 2 | 4 smokes on your second map |
| 3 | 2 CT smokes for each map |
| 4 | Execute practice with friends |
Learn smokes with your stack, not alone. Utility only works if everyone knows the plan. After smokes, check our flashbang guide and molotov guide to complete your utility game.