Nuke is quite the beast to master, especially without a team, but it can be challenging even with a set team around you. A lot of people feel quite helpless on the T-Side, the side where you need to get pro-active the most. This is sub-optimal when you are trying to win in MM, FaceIt or in your next team match.

This guide will take a closer look at what you can do utility-wise on the T-Side of Nuke, showing you videos and telling you how hard a throw is, as well as what the pros and cons are. Ready? Let's dive right in!

I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you that some of these line-ups are dependent on the exact crosshair I use, but you just need to go into a server and get feeling for how exactly the line-up changes in relation to your own crosshair, including size and thickness. Don't worry, with a bit of trying around you will get the hang of it!

Smokes

Outside Cross

Difficulty: Very Easy

Usage: Especially good early-round, when you can be surer that no CT is pushing up towards you, compared to late-round where you might lose track of the positions around Red.

Pros:

Super easy to throw

Great timing if you don't stop running

There is no fancy incendiary-on-the-ground counter to this smoke

Safe to throw early in the round

Creates a high amount of space for your team

Good for your default set-up around the map

Cons:

CTs can hide behind this smoke

Since a smoke isn't a wall, an AWP or M4 may take you out of the round when crossing anyway

Outside 1 and 2 towards Secret

Difficulty: Medium (with jumpbind/double-key jumpbind) - you need to be precise in order to not to leave a gap between the two smokes

Usage: Great at all timings in the round, granted that you have enough time left to make use of that Secret passage that you just made safer to cross to. Also helps with faking a Secret go, since you are quite far away from Outside still when throwing these smokes, allowing you to quickly get back into Lobby towards A.

Pros:

Great fake potential

Opens up a great passageway to Secret

Safe to throw

Cons:

You can still get spammed, which is popular to attempt by CTs

CTs may flash into the smokes or peek you from Secret

CTs may also wrap around Red to catch you off-guard

Trophy Exit towards Ramp

Difficulty: Easy

Usage: Great for map control or as part of a B execute. Can also help you fake a B go, especially later in the round when the CTs have already lost a player or two.

Pros:

Easy to throw

Safe to throw

A great off-meta line-up

Makes exiting into Ramp much easier

Cons:

Due to the random spread of the smokes, the edges may or may not leave you exposed

Doesn't save you from a CT behind the big box or AWPing from lower Ramp

You need to know when to stop running in order to not to run into an AWP holding the angle

Marshmallow to Heaven (Inside)

Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Usage: Great for set-pieces onto the A-Site, especially with the molotov further down this guide.

Pros:

Safe to throw (unless you lost Outside)

Cuts off a crucial CT Position

Can be used to distract the CTs from a Ramp or Outside wrap

Cons:

The CTs may stay right in front of the smoke, although they're quite exposed

Molotovs

Ramp anti-fall-back

Difficulty: Easy

Usage: Great surprise tool against enemies trying to play behind the big box and then dropping down to have another chance to decimate your numbers, especially if you notice how that's the only position the enemy Ramp player plays.

Pros:

Safe, if a smoke is in the right place (which is quite common)

Easy to throw

Great to make the enemy Ramp player nervous

Makes running away much more painful or even deadly if you hit the CT before he drops down

Cons:

$400 for a position that may or may not be played in the round you use this molotov

If an enemy AWP sees the trajectory of the molotov, he may shoot you through the smoke

Top of Hut

Difficulty: Medium, Hard if you throw it fast

Usage: Can be used early round in a rush or later in an orderly set-piece. Quite effective in both cases.

Pros:

Safe throwing position, especially early-round

Takes away a great position from the CT side

If you catch the timing well, the CT has to drop right into your teammates

A great asset in every A execute

Cons:

CTs can smoke just right to still have visibility towards Squeaky

If you miss it in the heat of the round, you will waste $400 and give the enemies a tell on what you planned

Ramp to B Ninja

Difficulty: Medium (You need to press both mouse buttons and release them at the same time)

Usage: Can be especially useful when you have a teammate at Decon since he can peek out and catch the player exiting Ninja with his back turned to him

Pros:

Will most likely surprise the enemy playing in Ninja

Removes a hard to check position

Especially useful in low-number situations, since CTs then like to hide in Ninja even more

Cons:

Quite unsafe to throw in almost all situations

Can be hard to get right with the release of both mouse buttons

High-Explosive grenade

Outside to Secret (Nadestack)

Difficulty: Very Easy

Usage: Can be used as a tool to remove the CT from Secret after throwing the necessary cross smokes towards Secret, surely inflicting hefty damage if thrown by multiple players. For a nadestack, you need to position yourself and your teammates along the yellow line and aim above the AC vent at the top of Secret.

Pros:

Very easy to implement, especially in a team

Quite effective at inflicting (deadly) damage

Safe to throw

Cons:

Kind of hard to not to block each other if you throw this grenade in a nadestack

Flash

Marshmallow to Heaven (Outside peek)

Difficulty: Easy

Usage: Can be used to help your teammates advance outside, especially in a Main wrap, without or with the cross smokes.

Pros:

Easy to implement, even in PUGs

Hard to dodge, if not impossible

Safe distance to Heaven and Main

Cons:

If you position yourself incorrectly, an AWP may take your head right off

If the AWP in Heaven jiggles the entire time, you may miss the timing due to randomness

Not every game is the same

Some things may work in one game and not in another, which is why mixing it up is, as always, the way to go here. If you can't get out of Ramp without losing three players, peeking and poking somewhere else to see how the CTs are set up there is the way to go. If something starts to work but then stops, changing the game plan will be necessary. This is why you should know and have the ability to use many different line-ups. If you have trouble getting onto A or B due to CT utility, check out this guide - and if you need help with Overpass, this one is the guide for you!

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