Mirage is one of the puggier maps in the map pool, where most players will still have enough utility knowledge to quickly organize an A or B go with a few smokes and flashes to support your entry players. However, there is still room for improvement, as there always is, and I think most people know the most crucial smokes already, which is why I am showing you a bunch of flashes in this guide. I'll sort them by area of the map (A, Mid, B) and faction (CT, T) before giving the line-ups a difficulty rating ranging from very easy - which means that the flash is throwable without any practice - and very hard - which indicates a line-up that takes practice and a fundamentally-sound player to execute.

To make it even easier for you to know as much as possible about the line-up on a first look, I'll also include a small Dos and Don'ts section, where I'll try to contextualise the line-up and give you a first idea of when to use it, followed by a Pros and Cons list. I hope you'll find what you're looking for!

CT-Side

A
Palace Popflash

Difficulty: Medium (requires good timing)

Dos and Don'ts: Use this one to flash a CT that's close to Palace into Palace. Great as either an early-round aggression tool to seek out as much information and map control as possible or as an information-giving tool late-round, when the Ts are trying to keep you guessing where they're going.

Pros:

Undodgeable flash for the positions it intends to flash
Grants you entry into a highly-contested area in the higher ranks of CS:GO
Denies a crucial path of entry into A, once you've gained control of Palace
Great re-aggression and late-round tool, something that a lot of CT-sides on Mirage are lacking

Cons:

You can't flash every strong position in Palace
Especially more defensive T-positions are left untouched
You might flash your buddy straight into his death on more than one occasion

Stairs Popflash

Difficulty: Hard (press both mouse buttons and let go of them at the same time)

Dos and Don'ts: Great as a delay and aggression tool right in the middle of an A execute, you'll be sure to blind at least a few of the Ts trying to gain ground. I'd advise to peek together with a teammate below Stairs, swinging wide while you try to peek them from above at the same time.

Pros:

Great off-beat line-up
Not well known
Quickly deployed from a popular position, once you've learned the line-up
Good at disrupting the Ts, no matter what you intend to do with the flash
Can be used to push smokes

Cons:

Hard to get right
If you misjudge how far the Ts are already, you might get caught off-guard
Good T players tend to flank through Connector at the same time you have to fend off an A push

B
Balcony Self-Popflash

Difficulty: Very easy

Dos and Don'ts: Perfect for a solo-hero-play at B-Apps. You can even play B alone and still be effective when you haven't played out this card of your deck already. Although it is kind of a one-trick pony, you'll be guaranteed two kills when you'll pop this one at the exact time the Ts are trying to execute. Chances are good that you'll even make it out alive after this one!

Pros:

Very easy
Fast set-up time
You'll stand in a strong Mid-Late round position anyway
Can be round winning on its own

Cons:

A lot of Ts will molly the balcony you're standing on
If you're unlucky and a T turns the corner right after you've used this line-up, chances are good that you'll get one-tapped before getting a kill
Your right-click deployment of this flash will give away your intention and plan if the Ts are listening

Short Popflash

Difficulty: Easy

Dos and Don'ts: A great tool to peek Short when you've been pushed away or your Short player has died already. You should be sure that Apps isn't pushing you at the same time so you won't be caught out from the side. This one really unfolds its potential when your Short player pushes back to B as he sees aggression Short, followed by one of you watching Apps as you use this flash.

Pros:

Easy to use
You're safe when deploying this flash
Fast to set up from some popular spots on B
Really not dodgeable

Cons:

Hard to find the right timing with Short and Apps as two potential points of contact
Depending on your position, it might take some time to set this one up

Mid
Short to Mid Popflash

Difficulty: Easy

Dos and Don'ts: Great in tandem with the flash below, this one will catch anyone in Mid who's waiting for the Short push. As a bonus, you can use this flash to have a teammate reliably re-peek from Window, as you'll give him an advantage even if Top Mid is only flashed for a second.

Pros:

Easy to use
You're pretty safe
Great to have anyone peek Mid
Barely visible and makes no sound

Cons:

You have to move away from your more typical position if your Short player is the player you want to flash into mid
The Ts may be too close already and won't get flashed anymore

Connector Popflash

Difficulty: Easy

Dos and Don'ts: Great as a re-aggression tool after your teammates have been pushed away from Mid, it can also be used to draw attention to Connector when a CT is about to peek from Short to retake Mid control.

Pros:

Easy to use
Safe to set up as long as Ts don't push without utility
Quickly deployed from a popular position
Flashes players close to Connector and top Mid if they're waiting for a Connector push
Barely visible and doesn't make noise

Cons:

You CAN get caught out when setting this flash up
You won't flash players at the wall of Short

T-Side

A
Main Supportflash

Difficulty: Very easy

Dos and Don'ts: The strength of this flash doesn't lie in its non-dodge ability since it is definitely dodgeable, however, it's effective due to the fact that your teammates are allowed to freely exit A-Main as players on A and close to A-Main either have to turn around or get flashed, granted your teammates a huge advantage that is even bigger in the early-round, when the CTs are still trying to get to their position and haven't settled yet.

Pros:

Incredibly easy to memorize and use
Great early-round flash
Doesn't require your teammates to watch out for it

Cons:

Easy to dodge
If the push in itself isn't strong enough, this flash also won't help too much
CTs in CT won't get blinded either way

Palace Support Flash

Difficulty: Easy (with jumpbind/double-key jumpbind)

Dos and Don'ts: This line-up opens up a new way to guarantee a favourable peek out of Palace from an AWP or a star player, giving him a great advantage against the Stairs player who'll be unlikely to dodge this flash. This means that you can use this flash whenever your Palace player feels like peeking, ranging from early-, mid- to late-round.

Pros:

Easy
Can be used whenever you feel like it
Great effectiveness against a strong CT position
Not dodge-able for Stairs players

Cons:

A CT may see the flash flying and can call it for the Stairs player
Only really effective against one position
If your teammates peeks as the flash pops, he may be greeted by a preemptive AWP shot

B
Apps Support Flash

Difficulty: Easy (with jumpbind/double-key jumpbind)

Dos and Don'ts: This line-up works especially well in a full team, however, it can also be used in your next PUG. Just use this flash when your teammates are advancing towards B, as you'll flash a variety of strong positions, ranging from Benchcorner to Van to B-Site. This one can be used either preemptively when you think contact is about to commence or right as the first contact has been made, allowing your teammates to keep pushing while the CTs have to look away or get flashed.

Pros:

Easy to use
Even when you dodge this flash, you'll still have a big disadvantage against the incoming Ts
As long as the Ts are inside of Apps, they can't get blinded
Fast set-up
Use-able in early-, mid- and late-rounds

Cons:

If you misjudge your timing, your teammates may be out of Apps as the flash pops
You'll have to stay back and can't trade your teammates when using this flash line-up

B-Rush-Flash

Difficulty: Medium

Dos and Don'ts: A one-trick-pony that only allows for it to be used early-round when the CTs aren't quite in the perfect position yet and you're trying to overrun them early, as it's otherwise easy to dodge.

Pros:

Great B-rush asset
Blinds some great early-round (in-transition) CT spots
Causes chaos since you'll still be running when this flash pops

Cons:

Easy to miss
If you're one of the two first Ts in the rush, you'll be left without a gun in your hand if a CT peeks you from Van

Mid
Mid-Cross-Flash

Difficulty: Easy

Dos and Don'ts: Especially useful in the earlier sections of a round, this flash will help you cross to Cart and comes to fruition with a cross smoke at Top Mid, reliably blinding the Achilles tendon of every Mid cross, which is the CT players pushing up Mid to catch you off-guard. If you have a read on the enemy and you know he'll try to push Top Mid and not have any further defences in Mid, you can even use this flash to obliterate that plan before it has a chance to come to fruition.

Pros:

Easy to use
You're safe when you throw this flash early in the round
Great support tool
Good in the early round

Cons:

Won't blind Window or players playing from inside Connector
Your teammates will have to look away, which gives the CTs a small window to get a favourable duel

Connector Popflash

Difficulty: Medium (hard to memorize)

Dos and Don'ts: As a truly effective Connector flash, this line-up opens up new avenues of map control as you'll be allowed to peek Connector against pushed-up CTs more freely. Of course, even this flash will benefit greatly from a smoke top Connector, however, it really isn't necessary if you are sure that CTs are in front of or inside Connector. Due to this, you can use this flash at any time in the round.

Pros:

Easy to throw
Blinds even the strong box-position inside Connector
Great for mapcontrol or a strong A-Split
You're safe when throwing this flash

Cons:

A lot of CTs won't even hold for the first contact and wait for a flash or steps before peeking
Sometimes, AWPers like to hold Connector from CT/Ticket

Conclusion

As always, trying to be prepared for any situation and to be ahead of the enemy is the best way to be successful in CS:GO. No situation will be like the other, which means that you'll need a big arsenal of possible plays and utility line-ups to use in every game. Trying to switch it up and to be a step ahead of the enemy is the way to go!

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