CS2 Grenade & Utility Lineups Guide 2026: Every Smoke, Flash, Molly, and HE Spot That Wins Rounds

There's a specific feeling when you throw a smoke from T spawn on Mirage and it lands perfectly on jungle, blocking the CT AWPer, and your entire team walks onto A site uncontested. It's better than getting a kill. It's the feeling of having a plan and watching it work. This guide is every grenade lineup that has won me rounds, organized by map and utility type.

How CS2 changed grenades from CS:GO

Source 2 made three fundamental changes to grenades: volumetric smokes, grenade-smoke interaction, and the follow recoil crosshair option that makes lineup alignment slightly different.

Volumetric smokes: Smokes now fill 3D space. They expand through doorways and corridors, fill rooms unevenly, and react to the environment. A smoke thrown in a tight hallway (like B apps on Mirage) expands differently than the same smoke thrown in an open area (like A site). This means GO-era lineups don't always work. You need CS2-verified lineups.

Grenade-smoke interaction: Bullets carve temporary sightlines through smokes. HE grenades and molotovs disperse smoke clouds briefly. This is huge tactically. If a CT smokes off banana on Inferno, one HE grenade from the Ts can pop the smoke open for a split second. Your AWPer needs to be ready to take the shot. This is not a gimmick — it's a coordinated tactic that top Premier teams use.

Crosshair alignment: CS2 added a "follow recoil" crosshair option. If you use this, your crosshair moves to track spray patterns. Fine for aiming, but it means your crosshair is in a different position than where your grenade will go. For grenade lineups, turn off follow recoil or use a static crosshair.

The universal lineups: works on every map

Before map-specific stuff, here are lineups you use on every map:

The pop flash through smoke: Line up a flashbang so it pops just as it exits the far side of a smoke. The enemy team sees the smoke, then a flash pops out of it with zero time to turn. This is the most reliable way to push through a smoked choke point. Throw the flash slightly above head height through the smoke. It needs to travel about 2-3 meters past the smoke edge before detonating. Practice the timing in an offline server.

The jumping HE grenade: Jump and throw an HE at the peak of your jump for maximum distance. Used for early-round damage on predictable rush paths. On Dust II T side, a jumping HE toward B tunnels at round start can tag multiple Ts stacked up for the B rush. 30-50 damage to multiple players before the round has even really started.

The running molly clear: Throw a molotov while running to clear common hiding spots without slowing down your push. The molly lands slightly short due to the running momentum — account for this by aiming slightly higher than a standing throw.

Mirage grenade lineups

T-Side A Execute Smokes: You need three smokes for a clean A execute on Mirage: jungle, stairs/CT, and ticket. The jungle smoke is the most important one. Stand at T spawn, against the trash pile. Aim at the top-left corner of the Palace window frame. Jump-throw. Lands deep jungle, blocks CT rotation. Second smoke: stairs. Stand at the same spot, aim at the top of the right antenna on the A site building. Standing throw. Lands on top of stairs. Third smoke: ticket/CT. Stand at A ramp, near the box. Aim above the ticket booth sign. Jump-throw. Blocks CT aggression through ticket booth. Three smokes, one execute, free A site if your entry fragger hits their shots.

T-Side Mid Control: The window smoke from T spawn is essential. Stand at the corner of T spawn near B halls entrance. Aim at the gap between the two buildings in mid. Left-click throw. Lands in window, blocks the CT sniper position. Now you can cross to top mid and take connector or short control.

CT-Side Mid Window Pop Flash: From window, aim at the top of mid boxes. Right-click (short throw) the flash so it bounces off the ceiling and drops in front of the boxes. The flash will pop at head height for anyone in top mid. Peek immediately after it pops. Free kills on blinded Ts.

CT-Side A Site Retake Molly: From jungle or CT, molly the default plant spot behind triple box. Aim at the top of triple box. Standing throw. The molly lands behind triple, forcing the planter to move or burn. Time this with a teammate pushing from palace or ramp and the T has nowhere to go.

Inferno grenade lineups

T-Side Banana Control: Two pieces of utility win banana every T-side round. First, the deep banana smoke from T roof. Stand at T roof, on top of the small wall. Aim at the dark smudge above the archway at the bottom of banana. Left-click throw. Lands deep banana, near car. Second, a molotov at the bottom of banana, thrown right after the smoke lands. The molly lands in front of the smoke so CTs can't push through without burning. Congratulations, you now own banana.

T-Side A Site Execute: Smoke off library from top mid with a jump-throw aimed at the library window frame. Smoke off pit/graveyard from second mid, aiming above the pit edge. Molly the default plant spot behind the double box. Flash over the arch into A site. Four pieces of utility, four different players. This is how coordinated teams take A on Inferno.

CT-Side Banana Defense: The CT molly at the bottom of banana is standard. Stand at car or CT-side banana entrance. Aim high toward top banana and left-click throw. The molly lands at the narrowest part of banana. Any T rush has to wait 7 seconds or lose 40+ HP. Combined with a teammate's smoke at the top of banana, you can hold off a five-man rush solo.

CT-Side Mid Pop Flash: From arch or library side, bank a flash off the wall so it pops around the corner at top mid. Right-click to shorten the throw, aim at the wall about head height. Peeks from the Ts at top mid get blinded. Step out of cover and take your free kill.

Dust II grenade lineups

T-Side A Site Take: Smoke off CT spawn from A long. Stand in pit, aim at the top-left corner of the building above CT ramp. Jump-throw. Lands deep CT, blocks the rotation. Second smoke: cross/ramp from long, aimed at the top of the ramp wall. Standing throw from pit. Flash over the long A doors blind anyone holding the A site from goose or ramp. The entry fragger walks out of long doors while the flash pops and clears the site.

T-Side Mid to B Split: Smoke off CT mid from top mid. Stand near the right wall of top mid. Aim at the gap between the buildings just above and left of mid doors. Left-click throw. Blocks the CT AWPer watching mid. Then smoke off the B window from mid-to-B connector. Walk up to the edge of the window area and drop a smoke that lands inside the window. Now B site defenders can't see the B doors push.

CT-Side B Retake Molly: From CT ramp to B, molly the default plant spot behind the big box. Aim at the top of the big box. Standing throw. Forces the T off the bomb. Coordinate with a flash through B doors from your teammate rotating through tunnels.

CT-Side Long A Pop Flash: From A site, bank a flash off the pit wall. Aim at the right wall near pit. The flash bounces and pops in front of anyone in pit or near long doors. Peek from ramp or goose and clean up.

Nuke grenade lineups

T-Side Outside Control: The outside smoke wall is mandatory for taking yard. Smoke off CT red/garage from T red. Aim at the top of the big garage door. Jump-throw. Lands on top of garage/CT red, blocks one angle. Then smoke off secret from T red, aiming at the top-left corner of the secret building. Two smokes, yard is now traversable without dying to a CT AWPer sitting garage.

T-Side A Site Execute: Smoke off heaven from outside main roof. Aim at the gap between heaven's roof and the wall. Jump-throw. Lands inside heaven, blinding the CT playing there. Flash into hut through squeaky door. Molly hell to clear the under-position. Execute onto A site through hut and main.

CT-Side Ramp Control: Molly the top of ramp from the CT-side ramp entrance. The molly lands at the choke point where Ts funnel through. Any T rush down ramp has to wait or take burn damage. Combine with a smoke at the bottom of ramp to completely stall the push.

Ancient grenade lineups

T-Side Mid Control: Smoke off the CT mid window/door from top mid. Aim at the top frame of the wooden door in mid. Standing throw. Blocks one CT angle. Then flash through the smoke or around the donut corner to blind the other CT positions. Mid control is everything on Ancient — win mid and you split either site.

T-Side B Execute: Smoke off CT from B lane. Stand against the wall in B lane. Aim at the top of the CT entrance. Jump-throw. Molly the default plant spot behind the pillar. Flash through the smoke into B site. Two players push cave, two push lane, one holds flank from donut.

Anubis grenade lineups

T-Side Mid Control: Smoke the sniper window from top mid. Aim at the top of the window frame. Standing throw. This blocks the most common CT sniper position. Then molly the canal area to clear CTs playing close mid.

T-Side A Execute: Smoke off CT from A main. Stand at the entrance to A main. Aim at the top of the temple entrance. Jump-throw. Smoke off heaven by aiming at the gap above the A site building. Flash into site from A main. Standard A execute.

Train grenade lineups

T-Side A Execute: Smoke off CT from A main. Aim at the electrical box above the CT entrance. Jump-throw. Smoke off ivy from the same position. Two smokes, the site is isolated. Flash between the trains into A site. The entry clears behind the trains while the second man clears pop dog.

T-Side B Execute: Smoke off connector from B main. Aim above the connector doorway. Standing throw. Smoke off CT from the same general area, aimed at the top of the CT ramp. Two smokes cuts off all CT support. The B site retake is now delayed by 15 seconds.

General grenade principles worth remembering

1. Don't save your nades for next round. They don't carry over. If you die with a smoke in your inventory, that smoke did zero for your team. Throw it. Even a poorly thrown smoke is better than no smoke.

2. One grenade lineup mastered is worth ten lineups half-remembered. Pick two smokes per map and drill them until you can throw them with your eyes closed at 3am after losing five rounds in a row. You're more likely to remember one reliable lineup under pressure than five different ones.

3. Call your utility. "Smoking CT" before you throw it tells your teammates what's happening. "Flashing A main, peek in two seconds" lets your teammate get ready. Silent grenades are wasted grenades because nobody plays off them.

4. Practice lineups in an offline server with sv_grenade_trajectory 1. This console command shows the trajectory of your grenades as colored trails. It's the single best tool for learning and verifying lineups. Once you hit the lineup three times in a row with the trajectory on, turn it off and do it three more times. Now it's in muscle memory.

5. The right-click (short throw) is underused. Most players default to left-click throws for everything. Right-click throws are faster and put the nade closer to you, which is perfect for pop flashes around corners and close-range molotovs. Get comfortable with both throw types.