6 Helpful Ancient Smokes for Counter-Strike 2

Six of the most effective Ancient smokes to use in Counter-Strike 2

Valve has added one of the biggest fan-favorite maps in CS2, Ancient. The CS:GO community has had its mixed opinions about the map but regardless it remains an iconic battlefield for players to fight on. The map follows a very basic layout similar to Mirage and Dust II. Thus there is high emphasis put on positioning and gun-fights. Combined with the tons of hiding spots to get some cheeky kills here and there and the very defensive sites, proper utility is crucial. As the map is much newer compared to Dust II, Inferno or others, the number of utility set-ups is very limited.

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But as Valve has added the map in their newest CS2 limited test, players are scouring for better and more efficient lime-ups. Due to the changes and graphical improvements to the map, previous line-ups no longer work. So we have come up with a list of six very helpful Ancient smokes for players to utilize in CS2.

A-Site Triple Ancient Smokes Lockdown

Outside A-Main to Temple/CT/Donut Entrance

Being a very difficult map for the Terrorist Side, it is vital to have absolute control over a site in Ancient before pushing or planting. As there are so many avenues for the CT players to work with, especially on A-Site, it is necessary to block these off. The avenues allow the Counter-Terrorists to make life difficult for the T-Side as they have the option to take control of the entire map very easily. The layout and pathways facilitate fast rotations and heavily fortified defenses.

Credits: NartOutHere

For this reason, this triple smoke setup for the Terrorists can be used as a default to prepare for the push toward A. Pro-player Robin “ropz” Kool has been seen using these with his teammates in FaZe Clan. With these utilities in play, nothing can stop the Terrorists from walking in other than some very risky quick-retake plays. And even that will be hard to accomplish as the map is far too wide to allow the CTs to play close to each other without letting the sites be completely undefended. With this setup, the Terrorists can force players out of A and isolate anyone willing to take unfair fights against a heavy push heading toward them.

Immediate Effects

All entryways for the CT side will be shut down. The volumetric smoke physics in CS2 allows the smokes to expand enough to completely cover wide pathways. The entirety of CT and Temple will be covered. If the opponents decide to lurk or rotate through Donut, they will be blocked off as well.

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The A-Site will be locked down, with no way in or out other than A-Main through which the Terrorists will be flooding out. Due to the passive positions on defense and long angles normally held by the CT players, the smokes will push them back out of the site. For anyone looking to stay inside and fight head-on will be alone and outnumbered. This can be played as a very simple default setup for the A-Site in Ancient.

Available Options

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• Burst out of A-Main.
• Open plant bomb for a passive post-plant situation.
• Default plant in triple to hold behind Big Box or A-Plat headshot angles.
• Flash through into Donut for extra map control.
• Flash through Temple as players from CT and Donut cannot support them.
• Pair setup with flashbags and Molotovs for an effective default entry strategy.

B-Site Triple Smoke Lockdown

Ruins to B-Site Cave/Short/Long

Very Similar to A, the B-Site has multiple avenues for the CT to play from as well. If they are fast enough, Counter-Terrorists can push up to Cheetan and even hold passively from Cave. Again players from B-Short and B-Long can peek and kill off the players trying to enter from B-Main.

As there is only one path for the T Side to walk in from, they can be concentrated and bombarded with utility denying their entry. In those scenarios, a lot of teams will be forced to enter Cheetah or Mid where they will get picked off by AWPs. There is also the possibility of counter-pro-activeness from the CTs where they will double down on the T Side who are already on the backfoot after being denied entry to B.

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So it is necessary to get into the B-Site with efficient and proper utility. Smoking off all relevant avenues and blocking off all outside support for the players defending B. This setup will allow the T players to get into the B-Site without any interference from the CTs. As most of the regular positions in the site are reactive and deep in cover, it is easy to smoke them off from a safe distance.

Since the players will be unable to see and access the site without risking their lives, it is unlikely to face resistance from their end. Any kind of counter utility and fast retake will also be denied as the rotations will take quite long and the bomb can be planted before the players arrive. Overall this is a very effective way to enter the B-Site and get the bomb down for whatever post-plant setup the team has planned for.

Immediate Effects

This setup contains three smoke grenades all thrown from the same spot outside of B-Doors in Ruins. As it is just outside the T-Spawn, terrorists can access it quickly and use it for both fast and slow executes. One of the prime spots for AWPers to play, both Short and Cave will be smoked off. Thus allowing the players from the T Side to get in without any issues. Due to the lack of vision and information, these players cannot attempt to find picks.

Credits: NartOutHere

The secondary spot while entering is the B-Long position. This is a prime spot for AWPer to nest in and will be blocked off as well. The specialty of the smoke here is that it leads out into the site a bit, giving the player in the smoke that it expands out in the site quite far. When in reality it is quite close and thus exposes the player outside the smoke.

One more useful thing about this setup is the potential for a lurk through Cave, if the timing is right a Terrorist can walk up to the player in Cave while his back is turned and kill him. Thus expanding map control and taking down a crucial spot for the post plant.

Available Options

• Push into Site.
• Default plant for aggressive site hold.
• Open plant for utility-heavy passive post-plant.
• Flash into Cave for post-plant.
• Late lurk into Cave from Construction.
• Flash and push into Short/Long for extra kills.
• Bait out the player in Long to peek and get an easy frag.

We hope this guide helps you get a better understanding of Ancient and teaches you a couple of smoke line-ups to help you and your team during your matches. Make sure you check out more CS2 utility guides to assist you with other maps.