de_ancient smokes for matchmaking: Rush B edition

The relatively recent addition to the competitive map pool, de_ancient, harkens back to the beloved aesthetics of the classic CS 1.6 and CSS map de_aztec. Nostalgic sentiments aside, the new map is also a welcome sight for the sore eyes – parting ways from Valve’s recent addiction with multi-leveled, maze-y designs we see in Vertigo and Nuke. The map debuted on the professional level back in IEM Season XVI – Summer, but its terrain is yet to be explored entirely on all competitive levels.

Learning new maps has always been daunting – especially for those who prefer to work with their teammates and dominate the enemy with clever utility usage. Rushing into a new area without your nades might feel frustrating and unfairly punishing, so those who pride themselves on being the “brains” of their team should do extra homework to avoid getting caught pants-off. However, even if you’re a headshot machine, knowing when and how to use your utility never hurts.

To make settling in your new “home” easier, here’s a short compilation of 64-tick MM-ready and simple, yet effective smoke throws for the B site. Ancient is a pretty straightforward map, so these can be practiced and perfected rather quickly, so follow along!

B-site essentials

Rushing B isn’t a tactic; it’s a lifestyle. And not getting blasted while rushing B is what we call a healthy lifestyle. Stay healthy with these smoke setups, but don’t forget – they’re not solid, impassable walls.

Sunroom smokes

Both these smokes completely block off Sunroom. If CTs inside Sunroom attempt to boost over the smoke, you’ll have an advantage since it’ll be a one-way in your favor. Plus, these smokes are incredibly simple to use – no jump+throw binds or any complex timings required.

Lower B to Sunroom

A pretty straightforward throw from Lower B Long. Take an easy lineup on the corner to the right from the gate and line your crosshair at the second “peak” of the ruined building in the distance as shown. Simply throw the smoke while crouched – no jumping required, so impossible to mess up! The lineups are pretty lenient, as well – so much that it took me more attempts to miss the smoke on purpose than it took me to nail it.

Outside B Doors to Sunroom

A safer and more stylish way to block off Sunroom. This time, you’ll need to jump and throw, but, thankfully, the timing is lenient enough not to require a jump+throw bind. Tuck yourself into the corner behind the box as much as possible, then line your crosshair up with the bottom left square in the arch. Once you’re done, simply jump and release the smoke – again, no need to worry about strict timings – it just works!

Alley smokes

A lifeline for CTs during retake situations, the Alley is a particularly tough angle to lose. As every single CT coming through their spawn is guaranteed to cross it, it’s an important spot to take hold of. However, smoking it off is a double-edged sword – while necessary to smoke out any safely entrenched AWPs, it also allows CTs to cross to Back Alley – or out of it if needed – with ease. Therefore, these smokes work best in tandem with your teammates’ utility, not alone.

Lower B to Alley

Another short-range, straightforward throw. Position yourself on the edge between the gate and the gate’s hinge as shown and turn around. Then, you can use the pillar’s left side as a guide – simply follow its edge vertically and position your crosshair ever-so-slightly above the wall. Then just click – no jumping, running, or crouching required. The resulting smoke fits perfectly in the narrow alleyway, completely blocking off vision from it.

Outside B Doors to Alley

This spot seems to be an IGL’s dream with the amount of utility you can dispense off it. As usual, squeeze yourself into the corner as tightly as possible, and use the decorative squares on the gate’s arch as your guide. This time, place your crosshair at the middle of the bottom left square and then move it to the empty spot to the right. Once ready to go, jump and throw. Once again, Valve gods were kind enough to make the map’s geometry quite lenient to the angles, so the smoke won’t have anything to worry about on its way to the alley even without frame-perfect timings.

Back Alley smokes

The Back Alley is a particularly tough nut to crack for the attackers. An overwhelmingly safe position with a retreat mechanism, it proves a challenge for anyone wishing to simply outgun their opponent. Thankfully, these lineups make it unnecessary to eliminate the opponent – if you can’t beat ’em… smoke ’em!

Lower B to Back Alley

This one can get a little tricky – but only just a little, or I wouldn’t have included it. Once again, position yourself right where the gate meets the wall. Then, you need to locate a dark, prominent crack in one of the bricks atop the wall. It’s pretty tricky to find at first, but once you see it, you’ll be able to pull this off no problem. Then, follow the crack to the left – as soon as it ends, move your crosshair to the very top of the wall. Once you’re ready, jump and throw. This throw is quite tricky to do right as it involves usage on invisible skybox geometry, but it’s still absolutely doable with little practice.

Outside B Doors to Back Alley

Now, this one is the trickiest. Even though we’re back at our favorite corner on the entire map, there are no more companion squares to help us out. We’ll have to navigate using only the skybox and a single tree branch to the right. No worries, after all, if you’re back here instead of doing the short throw, you must be an experienced IGL looking for a challenge. Still, lining it up is definitely possible – use the half-brick in the ruined wall as your y-axis, and the singular, circular leaf on the tree to the right as the x-axis as shown:

As a consolation for the hard lineup, this throw is at least easy to execute: no running, jumping, or crouching required. And the reward is great – Back Alley is now completely out of the game, and anyone foolish enough to hide in its corner is now enjoying a solid grey scenery.