Ancient is one of the most tactical maps in CS2 — tight angles, heavy CT control, and early-round utility battles decide almost every round.
Learning the best Ancient smokes (especially Ancient smokes CS2 variants like Instant Elbow, Mid, or A/B entries) gives you a massive advantage in both ranked and Premier.

If you’re already familiar with Ancient callouts.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

The most essential T-side Ancient smokes
Fast early-round smokes to break CT control
Lineups for A, Mid, and B
How to use smokes with jump-throw binds
Bonus pro tips to improve utility consistency

1. Best Ancient T-Side Smokes (Must-Know)

Ancient is notoriously CT-sided, so your early smokes decide if you even make it out of spawn. Below are the most impactful smokes every T must know.

1. Instant Mid / Elbow Smoke (Ancient Instant Elbow Smokes)

Purpose: Prevent the CT AWP from taking early Mid control.

Throw From: T Mid Ramp
How It Works:

• Stand at the ramp pillar
  
• Aim at the top-right edge of the temple brick
  
• Jump-throw
  

Benefits:

• Blocks Elbow vision instantly
  
• Lets Ts safely take Mid space
  
• Reduces early chip damage from M4 spam
  

This is the strongest early-round smoke on Ancient and pairs well with a player scaling into Top Mid.

2. T Side Mid Doors Smoke

Purpose: Safely scale into Mid without being spotted from Donut or A Doors.

Lineup:

• Hug the left side of T Mid Ramp
  
• Aim slightly above the roof edge
  
• Jump-throw
  

Why It Matters:
Controlling Mid opens pivots into A, Donut, and the backlane toward B Lane, giving Ts multiple split routes.

3. A Site Donut Smoke

Purpose: Cuts off the Donut AWPer/anchor and isolates A Site fights.

Throw From: Outside A Main
Lineup:

• Stand in the corner near the A Main stone
  
• Aim at the leaf intersection
  
• Jump-throw
  

When to Use:

• Full A executes
  
• Fake A → hit B
  
• Mid → Donut → A splits
  

Pairs well with a Temple smoke for a full A choke.

4. A Site Temple Smoke

Purpose: Blocks the deadliest CT anchor position.

Throw From: A Main
Lineup:

• Align with the stone wall
  
• Aim at the top of the vines
  
• Jump-throw
  

Tip:
If you’re doing an A split from Mid, this smoke becomes even more powerful.

5. B Lane Smoke (CT Lane Cutoff)

Purpose: Denies early CT aggression from Cave/Lane.

Throw From: Outside B Ramp
Lineup:

• Stand next to the boxes
  
• Aim at the mid-height branch
  
• Left-click throw
  

Why It Works:

• Gives Ts room to take B Ramp
  
• Delays CT flanks
  
• Enables fast B executes
  

6. B Site CT Spawn Smoke

Purpose: Isolate CT rotates and force site duels.

Throw From: B Ramp
Lineup:

• Stand on the ramp stone
  
• Aim at the top of the site pillar
  
• Jump-throw
  

Use When:

• Running a fast B exec
  
• Splitting with Cave players
  
• Delaying CT retakes
  

2. Best Ancient CT-Side Smokes

Even though Ts rely heavily on utility, CTs also need key smokes to fight off early map control.

1. CT A Main One-Way Smoke

Purpose: Slow T A Main pushes and get early info.

Throw:

• Bounce off the A Main stone
  
• Land at the corner
  
• Gives CTs a slight height advantage for peeks
  

Warning:
Use sparingly — good Ts will prefire this after seeing it once.

2. Mid Elbow Defensive Smoke

Purpose: Stop Ts from flooding Mid early.

Throw From: Elbow
Lineup:

• Aim at the top of the tree limb
  
• Left-click throw
  

Why It Helps:
Gives your AWPer space to reposition or hold passive angles.

3. A Site Ancient Smokes – Full Execute Package

Below is an easy and reliable A Execute utility combo for your team.

Smoke	Purpose	Difficulty	Throw From
Donut	Cuts off rotation	Easy	A Main
Temple	Blocks anchor	Easy	A Main
CT Spawn	Stops rotates	Medium	A Main
A Site Stairs	Removes peekers	Easy	A Main

Recommended Combo:
Donut + Temple + Flash over + Molotov Under Balcony → Go.

4. B Site Ancient Smokes – Full Execute Package

Here’s a simple lineup set that works in both PUGs and team play.

Smoke	Purpose
B Lane smoke	Stops CT pushes
CT B smoke	Blocks rotation
Cave smoke	Prevents spam & angle fights

Pair this with a Ramp molly, and you’ll consistently get bomb plants.

5. Mid Control Smokes (Essential for Winning Ancient)

Taking Mid opens the entire map.
Here’s the strongest T control combo:

Instant Elbow Smoke

Doors Smoke

Donut Smoke (Situational)

This gives you:

• Donut split access
  
• A Main crunch potential
  
• B backline rotations
  
• Control over CT rotations
  

Mid control wins Ancient more than any site rush.

6. Pro Tips for More Consistent Smokes

Use a jump-throw bind

It’s basically mandatory now.

Practice with smoke-training commands

Use smoke practice tools to refine height, distance, and wall-dings.

Know your crosshair placement

If you want pro-level consistency, upgrade your crosshair.

7. When to Use Ancient Smokes

Use your smokes:

• Early → to take map control
  
• Mid round → to isolate fights
  
• Late round → to delay retakes or run fakes
  

Advanced teams time their smokes with economy strategies, so pairing this with a basic economy understanding helps too.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the most important Ancient smokes in CS2?

The must-know smokes on Ancient are the Instant Elbow smoke, Mid Doors smoke, Donut smoke, Temple smoke, and B Lane smoke. These give you early map control and make site executes much safer.

2. How do I throw the Instant Elbow smoke on Ancient?

Stand on T Mid Ramp, aim at the upper edge of the temple brick, and use a jump-throw bind. This blocks the CT AWPer from peeking Mid early.

3. Which smokes should I use for a full A Site execute?

For a clean A hit, throw Donut + Temple + CT Spawn smokes. These isolate A Site players and block rotators, letting your entry fraggers move in safely.

4. What smokes should I use for a B Site execute on Ancient?

Use a combination of B Lane, Cave, and CT B smokes. This prevents CT aggression and cuts off rotations while your team scales onto the site.

5. How can I practice Ancient smokes consistently?

Use a jump-throw bind, load into an offline server, and enable smoke practice commands. This gives you unlimited utility for refining every lineup.

Final Thoughts

Ancient is one of the maps where utility > raw mechanics.
You don’t need to be ScreaM or NiKo — you just need clean smokes and confidence.
If you want to improve your overall game sense, crosshair, or consistency, you might find these useful:

• How to Get Better at CS2
  
• S1mple, ZywOo, etc., pro settings (in case you want inspiration)
  
• CS2 Beginner Guide
  

With these Ancient smokes and lineups, you’ll take space faster, execute cleaner, and win more rounds instantly.