Regardless of the map you’re playing in CS:GO, there will be factors that will separate you from the rest of the lobby. Your aim and knowledge of the map can allow you to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Throwing a quick grenade toward where you’re headed can help you free up some space, and there are also some grenade or smoke spots that allow players to toss throwables to essential locations on the map without showing themselves to the enemy team.
While you’ll mostly need to rely on yourself in one-vs-one situations, you can give your team an advantage by throwing a few key grenades or smokes that can catch your enemies off guard. Landing these smokes, grenades, and flashes require experience and practice. Even after thousands of throws, we still make mistakes from time to time while executing the following strategies in our ranked matches.
The following grenade spots in Dust 2 can allow you to cover for your pushing teammates or flank the enemy players as they’ll help you rotate as well.
The must-know grenades and smoke spots on Dust 2 in CS:GO
The xbox smoke
After one of the latest major updates to the map, where mid AWP duels are more difficult to take on due to vision from T-spawn to middle being blocked, the dynamic of taking middle has changed. Therefore, when you’re playing the attacking side, it’s worth smoking off the xbox at bottom mid which allows you to take short more freely.
It’s a fast and easy-to-execute smoke grenade. Simply stand by the edge of a wall on the T-spawn and aim at the middle of the little window at the building in front of you. Once you do that, simultaneously jump and release the grenade, which should shortly land directly in the middle of the xbox, blocking the visions of counter-terrorists watching the position.
The long A-corner smoke
If you’re planning to push toward the A-side, you’ll want to use the long corner smoke to increase your chances of getting through the long doors. With that properly executed, you’ll block CT’s vision and will be able to push through the long doors unscratched—as long as the enemies don’t blindly spam through it.
This smoke is located in the T spawn, and you’ll want to move toward the right side of the building close to the outside long.
There will be a pipe on the wall, and you’ll need to aim at the second valve. Jump while throwing the smoke, and it should land between the side pit and Blue, covering the vision of anyone peeking from long A.
The long A flash
While smokes are tremendous at blocking enemies’ vision and securing ground to establish control, sometimes it may not be enough. All in all, enemies may see some of the upcoming smokes and may reposition, or simply spam blindly through the smoke, which isn’t tough to do on long while playing CT.
Therefore, it’s best to follow smokes with flash grenades, which will disable opponents’ vision for a few seconds. Furthermore, they are also hugely helpful in eco rounds, particularly if your goal is to quickly rush towards A via long.
Similar to the long A smoke, flashes thrown from the location below will also land at the same spot and blind enemies who are trying to peek through the long doors. Make your way to outside long and aim at the top edge of the wall behind the car. Jump while throwing the smoke and start running toward the long doors to make the most of your flashbang.
The deep CT cross smoke
You’ll need to think quickly after winning long A as the T side. Chances are, the CT players around the B side will start running toward A, and you’ll need to block their vision towards car and ramp.
This smoke will allow you to cover the line of sight below the short A. Make a left after passing the long doors and aim at the middle of the tiles before looking right. You’ll then need to aim behind the antenna and throw your smoke without jumping.
The cross smoke
The cross smoke is an alternative version of the deep CT cross smoke. This one may work better when you also need to push alongside your teammates since you won’t need to stop like the previous one.
Take out your smoke after passing the long doors and aim at the edge of the crosswalk. Start moving toward the long A and jump throw the smoke.
The B door smoke
In most cases, the CT team will have a backup player in middle who will have the space to assist both A and sites depending on where the T pushes. The B door gives a clear line of sight to this player, and this smoke makes sure that they don’t get an accessible peak.
Make your way to the upper B tunnels and look at the ceiling while standing next to the box near the door. Throw your smoke in between the gap at the right bottom corner.
The B entrance smoke
The B site on Dust 2 is one of the tougher ones to retake, especially if you don’t have the manpower advantage. Players retaking from CT will have a bunch of positions to check while always having to worry about the entrance to the site where an enemy or two may wait for the right moment to pop out.
To prevent the CTs from making a move while you’re checking the site itself, or to simply flush them out, it’s best to smoke their vision. To do so, stand outside the window position and aim at the edge of the middle part of the wooden crane.
Once you’re ready, throw the smoke, which should deploy in around two seconds.
Middle CT smoke
Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. If you’re playing an eco, or simply want to surprise enemies by aggressively taking mid or lower tunnels control, you will need some cover, mainly from the top mid. Therefore, it’s wise to smoke the T’s vision so that enemies won’t be able to spot you from top mid or right side mid.
This smoke is easy to execute. Once you leave CT spawn towards middle, simply turn right by the wall and place yourself at the corner. There, aim your smoke at the top left of the ladder, and throw the smoke.
A site Molotov
In most cases, while taking the A site, one opponent will be camping directly at the site, waiting for you to come close enough so they can take you by surprise. You can easily lure them out with a Molotov.
When you’re pushing via short, stop by the left wall and aim at the bottom of the last stair, like in the picture below. When you’re ready, start pushing, and jump-throw the nade when you hit the box in front of you.
These are some of the most tactical smoke/grenade locations on Dust 2, but you can also throw more effective ones by using your imagination and a little bit of physics.
In most cases, you’ll need to make decisions on the spot so there will be times when you may benefit more from a simple CS:GO grenade throw instead of a complicated one.
