Every shooter has its rituals. In Counter-Strike, grenades aren’t just accessories — they’re the difference between a clean site take and watching the kill feed light up against you. Some folks tweak every little detail in their cs2 cfg before hopping on a server, and it pays off when their smokes land pixel-perfect every single time. The thing is, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are a handful of grenade spots that have been shaping matches for years, and knowing them makes you harder to play against. Simple as that.
Why These Lineups Still Matter
Grenades don’t make the highlight reel. They don’t get the Twitch clip or the bragging rights in voice chat. What they do is keep your team alive long enough to get those things. Think of grenades as the setup crew in a heist movie: no spotlight, but without them the plan collapses in two minutes.
When people talk about “must-learn” utility, they usually mean the same short list. Here’s what tends to come up most often:
- Smokes that cut off snipers.
- Molotovs that flush out corners.
- HEs that punish rushes.
- Flashes that blind the defender before he blinds you.
That covers most of it, but the details matter.
The Core Spots You Should Learn
Below are ten grenade throws that pay dividends at every rank. Some are old classics, others are newer — all are worth memorizing.
1. Dust2 – Long Corner Smoke
When it comes to playing Dust2, controlling long is one of the most critical factors in winning rounds. Many newer players struggle here because of the ever-present CT sniper holding the angle. That’s where this smoke comes in:
- Purpose: Block AWP vision on long.
- Throw: From T spawn, hug the wall, aim just above the antenna, left-click throw.
- Result: A long fight becomes manageable instead of suicidal.
Once you land this consistently, Dust2 stops feeling like target practice for the other team’s sniper.
2. Mirage – Window Smoke from Spawn
On Mirage, mid control determines who dictates the pace of the game. If CTs have it, they can pressure cat, connector, or even underpass with ease. But if you deny it early, you make life much harder for them. Here’s the smoke that does the job:
- Purpose: Deny mid control to CT snipers.
- Throw: Run a step, aim above the building corner, jump-throw.
- Result: Mid is playable without immediately donating an AK.
This one separates the players who know Mirage from the ones who just run mid and hope.
3. Inferno – Banana Molotov
Finally, Inferno has its own brutal choke point: Banana. If you don’t deal with CTs tucked in deep, you’ll eat utility and bullets every round. A well-timed molly changes the entire fight:
- Purpose: Force CTs out of the deep corner.
- Throw: From T side, line up against wall, aim at roof tile, throw.
- Result: Flushes out campers and denies early aggression.
Banana is basically a knife fight without this molly. With it, the fight becomes fair.
Other Must-Knows
The previous three are bread-and-butter throws. But the game isn’t only about classics — there are a few that win rounds quietly, without anyone even realizing why the site feels easier to take.
4. Nuke – Squeaky Door HE
Blows open the door and chips anyone rushing out. Toss it half a second before contact and suddenly their push feels like a bad decision.
5. Overpass – B Short Molotov
One molly that clears out water. It’s a cheap insurance policy against a fast rush that would otherwise crush your anchor.
6. Vertigo – Mid Smoke
If you don’t throw this, mid is basically CT property. Get it down, and suddenly you can peek safely.
These three don’t look flashy on paper, but they save more lives than most players give them credit for.
Old but Gold
Not every lineup is about the current pool. Some are from maps benched or rotated out, but still worth knowing in case Valve shakes things up again.
7. Train – Popdog Molotov
The map may be gone from the pool, but this throw was legendary. Forces lurkers out or denies a push altogether.
8. Ancient – A Lane Smoke
A lineup you see in almost every pro match now. Without it, the A push feels like running into a meat grinder.
9. Anubis – Mid Molotov
Control mid or lose the round — it’s that simple. This molly buys space when the CT rifles want to peek early.
10. Inferno – Coffins Smoke
Yes, another Inferno classic. Without this smoke, B site retakes are a nightmare. With it, you can actually plant.
Sometimes the old tricks never stop working — Inferno has been proving that for years.
Quick Reference Table
For anyone who prefers a fast lookup instead of long explanations, here’s the compact version:
| Map | Spot | Grenade | Goal |
| Dust2 | Long Corner | Smoke | Block AWP vision |
| Mirage | Window | Smoke | Mid control |
| Inferno | Banana Corner | Molotov | Force CTs out / deny aggression |
| Nuke | Squeaky Door | HE | Damage + stall rush |
| Overpass | B Short (Water) | Molotov | Stop fast rushes |
| Vertigo | Mid | Smoke | Deny CT early peek |
| Train | Popdog | Molotov | Force lurkers out |
| Ancient | A Lane | Smoke | Enable A site push |
| Anubis | Mid | Molotov | Space + control |
| Inferno | Coffins | Smoke | Safer B site plant |
Tables don’t replace practice, but they do give you a quick way to check what’s missing from your routine.
How to Actually Learn Them
Reading about lineups is one thing. Landing them in an actual match is another. It takes repetition, and a little discipline, to make them automatic. The easiest way is to jump into a private server and practice until you stop thinking about the crosshair placement. Many players even use cs2 configs or a custom cs2 cfg to set up their practice environment quickly, which saves time and keeps settings consistent.
If you need a checklist before loading into practice mode, it might look something like this:
- Load the map.
- Buy a full set of grenades.
- Pick one lineup and throw it ten times in a row.
- Watch the result and adjust.
- Don’t move on until it lands right every time.
It’s boring work — no one’s streaming grenade practice for fun. But when you hit the lineup mid-match without hesitation, it feels worth it. And if you’ve done your homework, the other team will start wondering why every smoke, molly, and nade seems to land exactly where it hurts. For those who want to replicate pro setups or train faster, you can even download config cs2 files that streamline the whole process.
FAQ: Utility Questions People Actually Ask
Do I really need to practice these in a private CS:GO server?
Yes. CS:GO isn’t forgiving when you miss a lineup. If your smoke lands short on Mirage window or your Inferno banana molly bounces wrong, you don’t just waste utility — you hand the other team control. Ten minutes in a private server is cheaper than losing five rounds.
What’s the easiest CS:GO grenade lineup to start with?
Dust2’s long corner smoke. It’s been around forever, and for good reason. Land it, and suddenly your team can contest long without serving themselves up to the AWP holding the angle. Miss it, and you’ll learn the hard way why every guide lists it first.
Are jump-throws really necessary in CS:GO?
Absolutely. Without a jump-throw bind, half the classic smokes — Mirage window, Overpass A site, even some Inferno setups — just won’t land properly. CS:GO maps are built with those mechanics in mind. “Winging it” usually ends with your smoke floating somewhere useless.
How many CS:GO lineups should I actually memorize?
You don’t need every single pixel-perfect throw in the game, but you should at least have a handful per map. Three or four well-practiced lineups — like Dust2 long, Mirage window, Inferno banana, and an Overpass molly — put you ahead of most matchmaking lobbies. CS:GO punishes sloppy utility more than sloppy aim.
