Free CS2 Lessons: Plays You Can Run Tonight

These lessons are step-by-step plays you can run with your stack or in pugs. Each one covers positions, utility, timing, common mistakes and a practice drill. No theory overload, just plays that work.

How to use these lessons

1. Pick one lesson per map. Start with the maps you play most.
2. Practice the utility first. Load the map offline and learn every smoke and flash in the lesson.
3. Run it with friends. Plays work best with communication.
4. Adapt. If the CTs counter it, change it up.

Lessons by map

Mirage

Mirage is the most played map in CS2. Our Mirage lessons cover the A execute, mid control and holding B on CT.

Inferno

Inferno is about chokepoints and utility. Learn to hold B on CT.

Dust2

The classic map. Learn to take Long A control.

Ancient

Mid decides Ancient. Learn to hold mid on CT and execute B on T.

Nuke

Nuke is vertical and complex. Learn to take Outside on T.

Lessons by side

T side

• Mirage A execute
• Mirage mid control
• Dust2 Long control
• Nuke Outside take
• Ancient B execute

CT side

• Inferno B hold
• Mirage B hold
• Ancient mid hold

What makes a good strategy

Every good play has the same ingredients:

• Clear roles. Everyone knows their job.
• Coordinated utility. Smokes and flashes land together.
• Trading. Players move in pairs.
• A post-plant plan (T) or a retake plan (CT).
• Communication. Calls before and during the play.

Building your own playbook

Once you've learned a few of these, start building your own:

1. Pick a default for each side.
2. Add one execute per site.
3. Add a fake.
4. Add an eco round rush.
5. Practice and refine.

Related guides

• Smokes guide
• Flashbang guide
• Callouts
• Communication
• Roles

How to study a CS2 strategy (the right way)

Most players read a strat, try it once in a pug, watch it fail and decide it "doesn't work." Strategies almost never fail because the idea is bad. They fail because the execution is sloppy: utility lands at different times, someone peeks early, nobody trades, or the team forgets what to do after the plant. Here's a process that turns a lesson on this page into a play your team can actually win rounds with.

Step 1: Understand the purpose

Before you learn a single smoke, ask what the play is trying to achieve. Is it isolating one part of a site? Splitting the CTs' attention? Winning map control so you have options later? If you know the purpose, you can adapt when something goes wrong. If you only know the steps, you're lost the moment the CTs do something different.

Step 2: Learn the utility solo

Load the map in a private match with our practice config. Learn every smoke, flash and molotov in the lesson until you can throw each one ten times in a row without a miss. Use sv_rethrow_last_grenade to check landings from the target area. Do this alone so you're not wasting your team's time.

Step 3: Walk it with your team

Get your stack in a private server. Walk through the play slowly: everyone goes to their position, the IGL counts down, utility goes out, players move. Do it three or four times at walking speed before doing it at full speed. It feels silly, but this is exactly what pro teams do in practice.

Step 4: Run it in a low-stakes game

Try the play in a casual or unranked match first. You'll find the gaps: someone's late, a flash blinds a teammate, the post-plant positions overlap. Fix them before taking it into Premier.

Step 5: Review and adjust

After a match, watch the round where you ran the play. Pause at key moments. Did the smokes land together? Did the entry wait for the flash? Did someone trade? Write one thing to fix and try again next session.

The building blocks every lesson uses

Every play on this page is built from the same core ideas. Understand them and you can design your own strategies.

T side fundamentals

Defaults

A default is a spread-out setup at the start of the round where your team gathers information and looks for picks before deciding where to hit. Most professional rounds start with some form of default. In pugs, a simple default is: one player each on the main entrances, one in mid, one lurking. Wait for info, then call.

Executes

An execute is a coordinated site take with utility. Smokes block the main CT angles and rotations, flashes blind remaining defenders, molotovs clear close positions, and the team enters together. Our Mirage A execute and Ancient B execute are good templates.

Splits

A split hits a site from two directions at once. CTs can't look both ways, so a well-timed split is hard to stop. You usually need some map control first, like mid on Mirage for a Connector plus Ramp split. Learn the setup in our Mirage mid control lesson.

Fakes

A fake makes noise and uses utility at one site to draw rotations, then the team hits the other. Fakes work best when the CTs respect your utility. If you throw fake utility on a site and the CTs don't rotate, hit that site instead.

Eco rushes

On eco rounds, a fast rush with all five players into one site can catch CTs who aren't set up. Pistols are strongest at close range, so pick tight sites and go together.

CT side fundamentals

Setups

A setup is how many players you put on each site and where. A standard setup on most maps is two on one site, two on the other and one in mid or rotating. Change your setup every few rounds so the Ts can't predict it.

Holding with utility

CTs win time with utility. Molotovs on chokepoints, HE grenades on grouped Ts and smokes to block pushes all delay the Ts long enough for rotations. Our Inferno B hold shows a classic utility-heavy hold.

Aggression

Sometimes CTs push forward to get early information or catch Ts off guard. Aggression works when it's coordinated and occasional. Our Ancient mid hold shows controlled aggression in mid.

Retakes

When a site falls, CTs regroup and retake together with utility. Don't trickle in one by one. Our Mirage B hold covers the retake from Market.

Lessons by skill level

Building a pug playbook from these lessons

You don't need a 40-page strat book to win pugs. A small playbook your team knows well beats a big one nobody remembers. Here's a compact playbook you can build from this page:

For Mirage

• T default: take mid control with a Window smoke.
• T execute: A execute with CT, Jungle and Stairs smokes.
• T eco: fast B Apartments rush.
• CT setup: two A, one mid, two B, rotating based on mid info.

For Inferno

• CT setup: utility-heavy Banana hold, one player at A Apartments, one in Pit or Library.
• T default: contest Banana with smokes and flashes, then decide.

For Dust2

• T default: Long control with two players, one on Catwalk.
• T execute: A split through Long and Short.

For Ancient

• CT setup: strong mid player with utility support.
• T execute: B with smokes on CT and Cave.

For Nuke

• T default: take Outside with cross smokes, split B through Secret and Ramp.

Common strategy mistakes in pugs

1. No plan at all. Five players running in different directions loses to almost any team with a plan.
2. Too many plans. Calling a new strategy every round means nobody gets good at any of them.
3. Utility at different times. A smoke that lands five seconds after the flash is useless.
4. Peeking before utility. Wait for the flash. Every time.
5. No post-plant plan. Taking the site is only half the round.
6. Retaking one at a time. Group up, use utility, go together.
7. Never adapting. If the CTs stack A every round, stop hitting A.

How the IGL should use these lessons

If you're calling for your team, use these lessons as templates. Before the match, pick one default, one execute and one eco play per side for the map. During the match, track what works. If the CTs keep stacking one site, fake it and hit the other. If the Ts keep rushing Banana, stack it with utility. Our communication guide has tips on calling clearly.

What's coming next

We add new lessons regularly, covering more maps and situations: pistol round strategies, anti-eco setups, retakes on every site and solo-queue friendly plays. Bookmark this page and check back.

Practice tools

• Practice config for lineups and drills.
• Smokes guide for utility basics.
• Flashbang guide for pop flashes.
• Molotov guide for post-plant and delays.
• Callouts so your team speaks the same language.

What you'll learn in each lesson

Mirage A execute (T)

The classic Mirage site take. You'll learn the five positions (two on A Ramp, one in Palace, a support thrower and a lurker), the three core smokes on CT, Jungle and Stairs, how to time the flash over A Ramp so your entry swings on the pop, and where to sit after the plant. We also cover the fast A and A split variations for weaker buy rounds, and the five mistakes that make this execute fall apart in pugs. If you only learn one T-side play on Mirage, make it this one.

Mirage mid control (T)

Mid decides Mirage. This lesson teaches you how to take it with a Window smoke and a Short flash, how to trade the opening fight, and what to do once you own Connector or Short. You'll get a simple decision table: own Connector, split A; own Short, split B; own both, fake one and hit the other. It's the play that turns a predictable T side into one the CTs can't read.

Mirage B hold (CT)

B on Mirage is small and close to the Apartments entrance, which makes it scary to hold. You'll learn the best positions (Van, Bench, Market, Kitchen), what each is good and bad at, the Apartments molotov and HE to stall rushes, and how to fall back and retake with your rotator instead of dying alone.

Inferno B hold (CT)

Banana control is everything on Inferno. This lesson covers early molotov and HE usage on Banana, re-peeking with a flash, positions on B site and how to rotate them between rounds, reading the Ts from Banana sounds, and when to fall back to CT. It also covers the B player's utility budget so you can always afford the key nades.

Dust2 Long control (T)

Long A is the most iconic fight in Counter-Strike. You'll learn the five-player setup, the Long Doors pop flash, how to trade the first contact, clearing Pit and Long Corner, and what to do once you have Long. There's a table for adapting the plan to full buys, force buys, ecos and post-pistol rounds, plus what the CTs will try to stop you.

Ancient mid hold (CT)

Mid on Ancient opens both sites, so holding it well makes your whole CT side easier. This lesson covers the mid positions, early HE and molotov usage, the flash-assisted AWP peek, when to give mid up, and how to communicate mid info so your A and B players can set up for the hit.

Ancient B execute (T)

A full B execute with smokes on the CT side and Cave, a molotov for Pillar, flashes onto site and a Cave split. You'll learn timing, post-plant positions from B Main and Cave, and the mistakes that cost the round.

Nuke Outside take (T)

Most pug teams on Nuke only play Ramp and Lobby. This lesson teaches you how to take Outside with two cross smokes, push into Secret with a flash and molotov, and time a split with your Ramp players. You'll also learn the variations, like faking Outside and hitting Ramp, and what the CTs will try.

Map-by-map strategy notes

Mirage

Mirage rewards mid control and clean utility. On T side, win mid early and the CTs have to spread out. On CT side, the Window and Connector positions decide most rounds, and B needs fast help because it's close to T spawn.

Inferno

Inferno is a utility map. Chokepoints like Banana and Apartments mean a single molotov can stop a push for seconds. T sides need plenty of smokes and flashes to break through; CT sides need to budget utility so they still have some when the execute comes.

Dust2

Dust2 is about duels and timing. Long control and mid control are the two big opening fights. Strategies are simpler than on other maps, but trading and crossfires matter even more.

Ancient

Ancient flows through mid. Whoever controls it has options. Tight spaces like Cave and Donut make molotovs and HE grenades very strong.

Nuke

Nuke is vertical, with two sites stacked on top of each other. Sound and rotation timing matter more than on any other map. Outside control opens up options most pug teams ignore.

Frequently asked questions about strategies

Do I need a full stack to use these lessons?

No. Many of these plays work in solo queue if you call them clearly and your teammates follow. The Window smoke on Mirage, the Banana molotov on Inferno and the Long Doors flash on Dust2 help no matter who you're playing with.

How many strategies should my team know?

For pugs, one default, one execute and one eco play per side for each map you play. That's enough to win most games at most levels.

What if the enemy team counters my strategy?

Good. It means they're respecting it. Use a fake or hit the other site. Every lesson includes a "what the other side will try" section to help you adapt.

CS2 strategy glossary

New to strat talk? Here are the terms you'll see across our lessons and hear in pro matches.

Watching pro matches to learn strategy

Pro matches are free strategy lessons if you watch them the right way:

1. Watch from one player's POV, not just the caster's camera. Pick the player whose role matches yours.
2. Pause at the start of each round. Where is everyone? What utility do they have?
3. Watch the radar more than the action. It shows positions, rotations and timing.
4. Note the utility. Which smokes and flashes do they use on executes? Most of them are in our smokes guide.
5. Watch the losing team too. Seeing why a strategy failed teaches as much as seeing it work.

Pick one map you play, watch one pro half on it per week, and write down one idea to try. Over a month, your team's playbook will look completely different.

The mindset that makes strategies work

The best strategy in the world fails if your team doesn't commit. A few mindset rules:

• Commit to the call. Even a bad call executed together often beats a good call executed halfway.
• Do your job. If you're the smoke thrower, throw the smokes. If you're the entry, go on the flash.
• Talk after the round, not during. Save the feedback for buy time.
• Stay patient. Not every round needs to be fast. Slow defaults that find picks win games too.
• Trust your teammates. Assume they'll trade you, and make sure you trade them.