Although Nuke saw its re-entry into the competitive map pool in the February of 2016, Nuke still doesn't get played too often in the pro scene, PUG services, or even Matchmaking compared to the other active-duty maps like Mirage or Inferno. Nuke is characterised by its rather unusual layout, placing the two Bombsites above each other with nothing that resembles a "middle" in the classical sense. Due to its atypical nature for a CS:GO map, it is hard to find smokes, molotovs, and flash line-ups that work and are relevant on the most recent version of said map.

In this article, you will find line-ups mainly for smokes, but also for molotovs/incendiaries and flashes, some of which I sat down for hours to find specific line-ups that I didn't use yet in my matches or that I wasn't even able to find in pro matches, trying to give you the material to work on Nuke in a new light to create the meta of tomorrow! As always, I will start off by describing the line-up and then embed a video that you can view to make sure you understand the line-up and can learn the line-up properly.

Let's start with the T-side

The current meta of the T-side on Nuke revolves mainly around Outside. Teams take Outside pretty much every round, not needing too much utility to actually execute on the Bombsites, making sure that the CTs always use at least one but mostly two players around Secret and Outside. I will start off by showing you the most common smokes thrown, which are the three smokes needed to cross safely towards Secret. Then we will move on to rather new smokes that can be used for a different approach to Nuke's Outside.

Smoke: First Cross



For this smoke, stand at the first fence coming from the T-spawn towards Outside and stand centralized in front of the first segment before placing your crosshair near the top of the electricity pole in the far distance. Run until the right line of your crosshair meets the top part of the fence in front of you and throw.

This smoke will land between the big red container (called Red in this article from now on) and the small blue one, allowing you to cross and not allowing an enemy AWPer to snipe you through that gap that the smoke now covers. Although this smoke generally favours the T-side, I'd like to point out that it is entirely possible that a sneaky CT will come out of Main and walk up close to the smoke to catch you from behind. Although this isn't a play they can do whenever they want, you should keep that in the back of your head.

Smoke: Doublecross



To smoke off Doublecross in a competitive game mode, you need a player to help you out. For the first line-up, for the smoke that lands close to Red, you need to find the angled shadow near the T-Spawn exit towards Outside and then aim above the edge of the protruding, grey plate resting on another protruding grey plate on Marshmallow in front of you and pull up until the left line of your crosshair meets the second screw on the left, blue container. For the second line-up, you need to place yourself at the right pole of the fence-door next to the fence with white panels and aim below the most left light of the lamp-pole in the distance behind Secret before throwing your smoke.

These smokes help you to cross the long way from Red towards Secret without being spotted or shot (unless you get sprayed through the smoke) and does, therefore, allow you much more movement on the T-side. Keep in mind that, if you walk all the way to the right near the fence, an AWPer posted up on Heaven may be able to spot you crossing.

Smoke: Secret



Stand in the corner of the big pipes right next to Marshmallow and aim above the left end of the second line from the right in the texture of the main building in front of you and pull your crosshair up until your crosshair meets the upper left corner of the second line in the same texture to the left of the vent in the same building.

This smoke will land right in the doorway to Secret, preventing the CTs from setting up the popular crossfire of a player peeking through Secret and a player Outside peeking you at the same time, not allowing them to split your attention and therefore allowing you to keep your focus on the lone Outside player.

Smoke: A-Main



This one is pretty simple: Open the door or use an HE grenade to destroy it before lining yourself up with the white line in the "A" sign on the wall before placing your crosshair at the second waist-level screw in the wall of Hut before you runthrow your smoke.

This one is quick and easy, allowing you to quickly use this line-up if you feel that the need for an A-Main smoke arises in the middle of a round, like when you spot four people outside and you just want to execute quickly. Be aware, though, that you can also use this smoke in a set execute. For this to work consistently, you would need to eliminate the position above Hut, which could otherwise give you a good run for your money if you are just standing there with a smoke in your hand. If you want to use a molotov to get the player out of that position, keep reading this article!

Smoke: Heaven (Inside)



For this line-up, you first need to destroy the right glass panel in the window on the back and left part of the roof. Then you can find the weld in the big pipe attached to Marshmallow and place yourself above it before you aim where the bend pillar on the right of the building with the round roof on the left of your screen would meet the support below the pipes above the roof in front of you and throw.

This smoke will land above the ladder in Heaven and won't allow the CTs to keep poking their head from Heaven during your Bombsite take. You either force them to stand behind/inside the smoke or to walk out and take the fights you are more than willing to take when you storm the Site with four or five Ts. Either way, this smoke will help you tremendously when taking the A-Bombsite.

Smoke: Ramp exit



Stand on the rim between the two dark tiles one away from the corner-tile in Trophy Room before aiming above the right corner of the no-smoking sign on the slanted wall towards Ramp. Now runthrow your smoke.

This line-up can be crucial for your success in a Ramp-go, as it blocks the view from Hell towards your exit, making it harder for the CTs to properly establish a crossfire between the player on the actual ramp or hiding behind the box and the player in Hell. If your team knows about this smoke, they can creep around it or flash into the smoke in order to get the kill on the CT trying to wrap around it, too, giving you the advantage in the round.

Smoke: Heaven (Outside)



Stand in front of the pole to the left of the "Danger Deep Water" sign and aim to the left of the inward-pointed corner of the middle exhaust vent on top of the roof before jumpthrowing.

This smoke allows for a different approach to Outside control and, although the player in Heaven can just jump out, he then needs a bit of time until he can get back into Heaven (Inside) to stop the A take, making this smoke a valuable asset for a more dynamic and fake-heavy approach to Outside control. Even if you just want to straight up take Outside control you can use this smoke to force the AWPer to change position so your AWPer can catch him mid-transition, taking the advantage of holding the angle away from the CT AWPer in Heaven.

Smoke: On top of Main



Stand right in front of the part of the fences where the two fences with the white panels meet, the fence with the warning sign on your left. Turn around, find the middle of the curved roof between the protruding metal plates on the left and the pipe on the right of the overall left side of Marshmallow before pulling up from there until you are on the horizontal level of where the antenna on the left building meets the railing on the same roof of the left building.

This smoke is also part of the different approach to Outside control - with this one, you allow yourself more movement on top of Marshmallow and to change position to on top of Main while not giving the Outside AWPer a clear shot towards you dropping down. Not just does this smoke allow for free movement towards on top of Main, but also forces an AWPer to reapproach Outside since he cannot focus on Marshmallow and can get caught off-guard by your AWPer trained on the big blue container outside of Garage, waiting for him to change position.

Molotov: On top of Hut



Stand on top of those weird flat-top vent-pipes, find the upper border of the base and position yourself right on top of the part where it meets the round part of the pipe, as seen in the video. Now break the glass of the right window visible to your before placing your crosshair below the window and to the right of the metal plate in the middle of the window.

This molotov will land atop of Hut and push out anyone trying to hide up there that could foil your plans of exiting through Squeaky. The line-up is easy and fast to set-up (once you are on the roof) and allows for you to quickly fake at the start of the round so the enemies, once they've seen this molotov in an execute, waste a bit of utility like a flash and a molotov towards Squeaky, overreacting to a simple molotov and therefore wasting their utility before the round has even properly started.

Molotov: Dark (B)



Stand at the corner of the wall coming from the stairs towards Observation/Control Room before destroying the glass, crouching and placing your crosshair at the left corner of the air vent on the roof above the ramp towards B-Bombsite. Use both mouse buttons and let go of them at the same time, too.

By removing this horribly strong position from B, you make sure that, after you've come all the way through Vent or Secret, your B-site take will be successful. This molotov will force out anyone hiding in Dark, probably waiting for the right time to strike. You, therefore, ensure that you can check and plant on B time efficiently without having to worry about half-heartedly checking angles and corners such as Dark.

Molotov: Newbox/Fifflaren





Since you are already in Control Room learning the molotov to Dark, you might as well learn this one real quick! Jump out of the windows, stand in the right corner, and aim at the top left corner of the cylinder in the middle of B-site, right below the most left of the protruding sticks on top of the cylinder. Now walkthrow and enjoy your free kill!

This one is as much part of a complete B-take as the molotov above this paragraph. It allows you to safely wait for the CTs to get flushed out of their hidey-holes and therefore creates favourable duels and situations for you in which your planned execute will be allowed to flourish. It goes without saying that molotovs such as this may also be useful in retakes, although you are quite exposed when you place yourself in the corner just outside of Control Room, the payoff can be huge.

Flash: Heaven (Outside)





Stand on top of Marshmallow and place your crosshair below the shadow of the air vent at the wall in front of you. Run and jumpthrow to blind anyone holding from Heaven towards Outside and to blind the players at the AC in front of the railing just for a moment.

This one helps you to simply go for picks in Outside, allowing for your AWPer to get in position before you flash off the CT AWPer and let your AWPer handle the rest by holding the angle until the enemy repeeks. Chances are good that you will eliminate their last line of defense towards Secret until you meet the player inside Secret and therefore opens up a big part of the map. This line-up fits especially well with the Heaven smoke, blinding anyone who wants to reposition himself and therefore giving you an even bigger advantage when you let your AWPer peek him.

Offensive as a defense mechanism

Now, that we are utility kings on the T-side, we switch over to the CT-side on a Map where a lot of map control is gained by staying proactive. I, again, specifically looked for a few line-ups that I don't see in pro matches and therefore a lot of these will be completely new to you, allowing you to build a proper foundation for you to base your game plan on.

Smoke: Marshmallow





Stand centralised in front of the pillar on the outside of the round building at the transition from CT-Spawn to Outside, aim above the second window panel in the texture of the main building counting from the double air vents on the left side of the roof, pull up until you are on the horizontal level of the upper right end of the air vents on the right side, and jumpthrow. Also, please just watch the video.

This line-up will, paired up with the following line-up, give you a huge advantage against an enemy team that wants or needs Outside control by blocking the most favourable view the T could have on Outside from Marshmallow, forcing him out into the open where, most ideally, a teammate of yours is already waiting for him with his crosshair pointed at the top of Marshmallow.

Smoke: Outside Aggression





Stand on top of the lower end of the curb towards Garage, place the right end of your crosshair where the lamp and the wire right next to the main building meet, and throw to block-off the passage towards Red for the Ts.

Paired with the smoke line-up above, this smoke will be one of the strongest combinations to completely deny Outside control, while also being incredibly strong by itself if you do not want to spend two whole smokes to gain Outside control by the early parts of the round. This quick, simple, and easy line-up allows you to throw this smoke on the fly almost every round, limiting the Ts in their map control and free movement, boxing them in in front of T-Spawn, making them claustrophobic and daring them to go for risky plays through and around the Smoke, allowing you to waste their time just by throwing this smoke and not even following up on it if you want to focus on Bombsite control and reinforce your teammates in those areas.

Smoke: Secret One-Way





Stand in the corner of the stairs at Secret, aim above the last vertical bar of the railing to your right, and use, as well as let go of, both mouse buttons at the same time.

The result of this line-up will be a smoke that looks like it was thrown by the Ts themselves, which might go unnoticed in a chaotic match, or a defensive CT smoke, not raising too much suspicion the first time around. If the Ts do not spam this smoke, you will be able to watch the very left of Red, catching off-guard the Ts that are trying to advance towards Secret without them ever having a realistic chance of trading you. After you have gotten the first kill, people are going to be very aware of Secret and move slower, further playing into your hand.

Smoke: Hut





Stand in the corner in front of the yellow pillar in Heaven and place your crosshair at the white part of the lamp furthest away from you before simply using mouse1 to throw your smoke.

This one is easy and fast, allowing you to back up into the corner after you've gone up the ladder to Heaven and quickly deploy a smoke that would at least cut a rush in half, depending on how fast you and how fast the Ts are. Since you are safe from anyone holding Heaven, you can also use this one quite effectively in a retake, blocking off one of the most dangerous and potent positions in an afterplant, heightening your chances of winning even after the bomb has been planted.

Smoke: Main





Stand at the end of the invisible wall near the metal box in the wall in Heaven before aiming at the lower right corner of the lamp furthest away from you. Aim up until you meet the slimmer part of the lamp with your left part of the crosshair and runthrow, not letting go too early or too late, meaning that you should practice this line-up a bit.

Sometimes you can use all the utility you want and still lose Outside. In case the Ts are running low on time since you have delayed them so well as a team and they kind of need to enter through Main, you can shatter their dreams with this smoke. Blocking off Main will take around fifteen seconds away from the Terrorists that want to enter A from Outside. However, just like the line-up for Hut, you will be rather safe lining this smoke up if the Ts left the Bombsite after planting, meaning that you can, again, block off a very strong afterplant position.

Incendiary: Squeaky





Stand at the end of the invisible wall at the yellow pillar towards A, looking from Heaven. Point your crosshair at the small protruding wall part above Vent, runthrow and set fire to Squeaky.

Vent rush is one of the more popular strats among PUG and pro teams alike, where they normally use an HE grenade to destroy the door before shooting the vent open and rushing down to B. By deploying this incendiary, you will make sure that no one will enter the vent unharmed or at least not without wasting a valuable, $300 smoke, which also leaves the Ts in danger of running against a wall or other obstacle that they cannot see anymore, making the Vent rush significantly harder.

Incendiary: Saveplant





Stand in the corner of the yellow pillar right next to the fire extinguisher, aim at the fourth welt in the wall texture next to the far yellow pillar, and simply let go of mouse1.

If you lose control of the A-Bombsite, but you want to buy your teammates a bit more time or even deny a plant with only four or five seconds left, you can try this line-up to surprise any T who tries to plant save, away from A-Main. If you use this incendiary correctly, you will surprise a lot of Ts trying to get the plant in time or trying to plant fast so that you don't have too much time setting up the retake. Your buddies, who are already scrambling for a good position for a retake, will thank you for the extra seconds.

Incendiary: Default/A-Main plant





Stand centralised in front of the box in the wall of Heaven, aim at the top of the window that is right next to the lamp closest to you and runthrow. This line-up, since it relies on a specific runthrow timing, should be practised a bit so you can be sure that you will always hit on the bullseye with this incendiary.

The same thing that you try to do with the incendiary line-up above, you should try to do with this one, too. Try to get the timing correct and quickly throw this incendiary to deny a plant that would allow the Ts to extend the round if the round was close to running out of time, or to get the afterplant faster than you'd wish for it. Be aware, though, that you are open to Ts swarming the Bombsite while you runthrow your incendiary. Alternatively, if you missed the plant, you can use this line-up to flush out a T hiding behind the cylinders and force him to face you.

Flash: Above Secret





Stand at the end of the invisible wall at the opened door right in front of Hell and aim at around shoulder level and slightly into the wall to your right before running and jumpthrowing after your crosshair meets the yellow-ish sticker on the blue container.

This flash will fly above Secret and pop in a way that everyone watching the stairs of Secret will get blinded, while the player peeking from Secret will not get affected by the flash. This will allow you to fight for Outside long after your smokes have faded and will help you to further thin out the numbers of the Ts before they even reach a site. Be careful, though, if your only information about Outside is coming from the Secret player and the player throwing this flash, it can happen that a T snuck by and surprises the flashing CT.

A few more words

Nuke is still "new" in a weird, non-literal way: There is no clearly defined meta that feels like the maximum efficiency has been achieved. This is exactly the reason that I choose to include so many line-ups that are rather off-meta, to give you the possibility to work out Nuke on your own, with your own team in your own way. I hope this article has helped you to get going on Nuke!

How do you want to approach Nuke? Head over to our #Digscord and feel free to tell us!

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