Dust 2 is most likely the single most iconic video game map ever, spawning a variety of clones in basically every single shooter and even other games as well, which means that there is little innovation to have on such a map. This is not just because it is old. It is also probably the most played map in CS (not looking at exclusively pro matches). If it wasn't for for the rather recent change to open up a part of the roof in B Tunnels, you would be unlikely to find useful and new line-ups that haven't been tried out in some form. However, with the aforementioned change, I took it upon myself to take a look at new possible line-ups on B and, of course, also included line-ups that most people already know but are incredibly important to play Dust 2.

In this article, you'll get shown five smoke line-ups per side and you will find an embedded video at each line-up showing you how to properly throw the smoke.

I will also provide you with a rating of each line-up ranging from the difficulty of very easy (intuitively throw-able with no practice) to very hard (you will need to invest time and be mechanically sound to throw the smoke reliably) in order to help you evaluate the line-ups properly, as well as list pros and cons of the line-up in a small list.

T-Side

Tunnel to Car

Difficulty: Easy

Usage: You can use this smoke whenever you have control of B-Tunnels, which should be most of the time you're playing Dust 2 as a T.

Pros:

• Easy to throw
• You're quite safe from the throwing position
• Can be set up quite fast, although not fast enough to play a B rush
• Removes a strong position from the CT's arsenal
• Takes away the need to walk completely into the open to check all the way into the corner of Car

Cons:

• People can try to hide in the smoke
• People can try to play around the smoke and surprise your team
• Not fast enough for a B rush

Tunnel to Sniper's Nest

Difficulty: Medium, Hard if done with barely any or no stopping

Usage: Pretty good early round smoke that can also be useful in the later sections of the round

Pros:

• Takes away one of the most powerful AWPing positions on B
• Is thrown pretty swiftly once you decide to throw this smoke
• You are safe when throwing this smoke if you have Tunnel control

Cons:

• Can be hard to get right the first few times. After that, the line-up is easier
• In the heat of the round, people tend to miss walk-throw smokes when they need to be thrown quickly
• Even if you throw this smoke perfectly without stopping, the smoke won't pop before you rush out towards B in a B rush

Tunnel to Door

Difficulty: Easy

Usage: Can be used in every type of B execute but is especially useful when the CT numbers are thinned out, since people then tend to play Mid and B with only one guy holding from Door, which is exactly where this smoke lands.

Pros:

• Easy
• Quickly thrown, once in position
• Smokes off a crucial position for the CTs, even blocking off the view of a potential AWPer holding B cross through the doors from CT
• You are safe once you have crossed to the position of this line-up
• CTs tend to smoke off Tunnel, giving you the opportunity to cross into the corner without much risk

Cons:

• Crossing to the position needed for this line-up can be quite risky
• Not very fast, unless you are already in the necessary position

T-Spawn to Xbox

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

Usage: This line-up is useful whenever you have a T in T-Spawn. However, it is pretty noticeable how this line-up fits well into a set piece or default set up with an early Xbox smoke, almost not even wasting a full second setting this one up.

Pros:

• Easy
• Easy to remember, too
• Useful in almost every single Dust 2 round on T-side
• Really good to take away information of the CT holding Mid, no matter if you want to go Short or not (keep the potential Short player in mind, though!)
• You're safe when throwing this smoke

Cons:

• I have no idea, it's literally the most important smoke in the early round and safe to throw, too

Xbox to CT

Difficulty: Very Easy

Usage: Especially useful when you try to execute B, but also good as a general map control gain tool to probe and peek around CT-Mid in the mid-round when you haven't decided where to go yet.

Pros:

• Incredibly easy to throw and remember
• You're pretty safe once you're in the intended position to use this line-up
• Useful in every kind of Dust 2 game
• Good for faking B aggression when you really intend to go A

Cons:

• You can get blindsided by Tunnel or Short aggression by the CTs if you're unlucky and without sufficient map control, especially against proactive CT sides
• Does not take away positions around Mid-Door that are hard to clear, like the corners right next to Mid-Door or the corner to the left after entering CT-Mid
• A hard position to get to if the CTs have a strong Mid presence

CT-Side

B Scaffolding to Tunnels Deep

Difficulty: Medium to Hard (with jumpbind/double-key jumpbind)

Usage: Really good when you're playing with only one guy at B, but you want to support him with the utility from the Mid player. Also helps to suggest that there are multiple people on B, especially late-round when your B player has already used his own smoke.

Pros:

• Relatively safe
• Relieves the stressed B anchor a bit
• Keeps most of the Tunnel exit visible, allowing your B anchor more control over said exit and allows him to dodge flashes easier compared to a smoke at the end the exit.

Cons:

• You need to leave Mid a bit to throw this smoke, which means that a T may creep out
• Can be hard to get right, especially the first few tries
• These barely-run and jumpthrow smokes don't get easier in the hectic nature of a close round

Car to Long Doubledoors

Difficulty: Easy (you should still jump into Dust 2 and look how far exactly you need to aim to the right of the roof corner to the left)

Usage: Can be used earlier in the round to block off any Long rush or used later to (re)gain mapcontrol at Long.

Pros:

• Easy
• If you didn't lose Short control, you're safe when throwing this smoke
• Can be used basically anywhere in the round
• Can allow you to cut off Ts already out Long from their reinforcements and turn the tide in your favor

Cons:

• Depending on the kind of round you're in, it can be hard to get to Car as a CT
• If you set this smoke up too late, the Ts can already push you and blindside you pretty easily

Xbox One-Way

Difficulty: Easy

Usage: Since this is a trick smoke, its success counts on the carelessness of the T-side and tries to suggest that you either miss-smoked Xbox or that one of their teammates silently smoked Xbox, making them enter Mid carelessly into your AWP.

Pros:

• Off-meta and not known to most people
• Easy to throw
• Not hard to get into the intended position
• Can give you an early pick with little risk

Cons:

• Needs opponents that are a bit gullible to work out properly
• If you focus too much on the top part of Mid, a T may push through the door and catch you off-guard
• You can get picked off by an AWP in T-Spawn

Mid Cross

Difficulty: Very Easy

Usage: Useful when trying to cross to B without getting picked off by an AWP in the earliest sections of the round.

Pros:

• Allows you to cross safely
• Very easy to throw and remember
• A basic need for every team and player, especially B anchors

Cons:

• You can still get wallbanged by a well-timed, but lucky AWP shot
• You never know pain until your teammates block your runthrow and you misthrow the smoke oH MY GOD PURPLE

Short Cut-Off

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

Usage: Great against teams that like to go Short later in the round to push the boundaries of available map control as well as a tool to draw the attention to Mid when you get aggressive elsewhere.

Pros:

• OK in regard to safety
• Easy to throw and to remember
• Can be used against a variety of teams in a variety of situations
• Great when you have trouble holding onto Short, a serious problem on the CT-side

Cons:

• If the Ts are fast or more aggressive than you expect, you can get caught pants down
• The Ts aren't unlikely to bunch up Lower Tunnels and nadestack you on Short after they've seen you use this smoke

Mix it up for maximum success

Having a few select smokes that you like to use over and over again is nice, but having a wide variety of utility line-ups to be prepared for every kind of opponent and in-game situation is key to be adaptive and dynamic in a high paced and ever-changing game such as CS. You should always keep your eye on the prize, but your mind should be ready to analyze what your enemy does and what you need to do to overcome him.

If you want more utility to add to your arsenal, you can check out my Overpass Molotov Guide or my in-depth Vertigo Smoke Guide.

Want to show us how you make use of the line-ups in this article or simply say hi to the DIG team? Head over to our #Digscord or if you want to keep up to date on my articles, feel free to follow me on my personal Twitter account.