Smokes are the quintessential utility, having many uses: executes, ninja defuses, putting out molotovs, etc. In this article, we will discuss the art of the freeform smoke, which does not cover all the above uses. Freeform smokes serve as a deterrent for pushing, a vision impairer, cover for repositioning, and a tool for extremely dangerous mind games, as best exemplified by either Snax or Stewie2K.

BASICS:

Let’s get the basics out of the way. Smokes, available to both CT and T side, cost $300 and last for about 18 seconds before fading for about 5 seconds. You can only carry one at a time and they will not bloom until they land on the ground. Inside the smoke, you have absolutely zero visibility. They are pretty much opaque except at the very edges, which comes in handy later. As the smoke fades, it starts to shrink in size before dissipating completely. In this case, pay attention to radar and screen, which will display their name in red, as sometimes you’ll see this before you see the actual person.

It is imperative that you know how to throw smoke grenades first. There are three throw distances which correspond to your clicks. It is up to you to master the art of throwing these smokes on your own time combined with jumping, walking or running. Jump in a server and try it out for yourself. If you need a basic tutorial, I have attached a video below for you to experiment with. I have also attached a link for setting up your server after downloading the appropriate map.

CONFIG AND VIDEO:

Helpful Practice Config

USES:

The basic uses of a smoke can be boiled down to in some way hiding. Whether it be hiding an angle or a person, smokes are used to hide something that you do not want your enemy to see. If you ever have a smoke still in your inventory at the end of the round, it better be because you picked it up off a dead body or the round ended so fast that you did not have to use utility.

Block off Angles

Let’s say you have to enter a bombsite as a T or you don’t want to pay attention to an angle you’re holding as a CT. What you can do is promptly smoke off an area that you don’t want them to see. If you smoke off certain angles, you eliminate angles you might have to check as a T or devote your attention to one angle as a CT. Occasionally check the smoke and listen for sound clues because people will push through them from time to time, though they will usually alert you to this with a flashbang. Smoking off angles does give away your position, so be careful. This is the most fundamental usage of using a smoke.

Allow for Better Positioning

Say you are stuck on a bombsite as a T or there is an angle you would be uncomfortable pushing as a CT. Simply block off their sight and use that smoke to play mind games by either staying in your current position or pushing to a new position. This will allow for you to outmaneuver your opponent and trick him into thinking you might be in a different position and regain the element of surprise. Positioning is oftentimes underrated when it comes to taking duels, so make sure to use a smoke to maximize your chances of winning your duels!

Conceal Yourself

This is related to the above two. If you want to play even more mind games, you can hide in the smoke and try to hear sound cues and wait. This is the most relevant to any bomb defusal situation. If the CT tries to ninja, he can lay down a smoke and fake the defuse before repeeking the T pushing onto site. If a T has laid down a smoke, he can lie in wait until he hears this defusal sound and then push out to kill the man. Hiding in general is a good tactic. If a T/CT pushes, you can also hide in a smoke and use your sound cues to emerge in the smoke behind them. However, be careful with this tactic as you can get lost in your smoke and lose your sense of timing. In this case, make sure to refer to your map or any relevant callouts by your teammates.

Pushing Through Smokes

This is by far the most dangerous part of smokes and combines all the above principles into one. People will always see you coming through a smoke faster than you can see them. The key to pushing through the smoke is timing. Stewie2k made his name as the smoke criminal by pushing smokes, but people fail to realize his unique sense of timing and mindlessly aggress through smokes. The key is to push people when they least expect it. Stewie2K pushed through his own smokes, something so uncommon at that level, but he would do it with timing or when he knew the opponent would not watch or spray through the smoke. Let’s say I smoke market door on Mirage. Since that is part of the execute, most people will try to fight out the window of Market and forget about the door because people don’t want to spend their time staring into a smoke. In this case, you can push through your own smoke and kill the people in Market. Again, be careful with this tactic as some people will spray the smoke and if you push through carelessly, you will get killed.

Illustration of Peeker's Disadvantage

One-Way Smokes/Smokes with Gaps

CSGO’s smoke physics allows you to look through the edges of a smoke while your opponent can not. This is important as you can set up a duel in which you can see your opponent while your opponent cannot see you. One-ways are relevant and there are countless guides online to set up your own one-way. However, the more common one is the smoke with gaps as they don’t require setup knowledge. You can purposely set your smoke up with gaps for you to peek through. If you smoke off an angle and “accidentally” botch it, you can watch the corner of the smoke and kill people who peek this or cross carelessly. Try not to do this on executes as you will indirectly kill your teammates as the opponent can apply this strategy. Use gaps to your discretion and realize when there are gaps in your smoke.

CONCLUSION:

Smokes are extremely important in CSGO. Knowing your way around the multiple uses of smokes is valuable to know. Make sure that you know how to use them properly and abuse them to the best of your ability. Good Luck!

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