CS2 Mirage Guide – Strategies to Master

Since its release in 2013, Mirage has remained one of, if not the most, popular maps in Counter-Strike. Making its way into the hearts of all Counter-Strike players and also into the Premier map pool in Counter-Strike 2, why not refamiliarize yourself with this beauty? Mirage is, without a doubt, one of the most technical maps, requiring not only mechanical skill but also knowledge of advanced smoke lineups and attack/defense strategies to fully master. This guide to Mirage will cover just that, allowing you to deepen your understanding of this beloved map.

Key Positions in Mirage

Mirage is a bomb defusal map with two bomb sites. Orienting the map so that the A bomb site is on the south side of the screen, let’s take a look at the most important parts of Mirage.

• T Spawn – T Spawn is the spawn point for all Terrorists each round. It is located at the northeast corner of the map.
• CT Spawn – CT Spawn is the spawn point for all Counter-Terrorists each round. It is located at the southwest corner of the map.
• A Site – A site is the first of two bomb sites where T-side players can plant the bomb. It is located at the south side of the map.
• B Site – B site is the second site available to the T-side players to plant the bomb. It is located at the northwest corner of the map.
• A Ramp – A ramp is the main entrance onto the A site for the T-side players. It is located at the northeast corner of the A site.
• A Palace – A palace is the secondary route of attack available to the T-side players. It is located right to the south of A ramp, near the southeast corner of the map.
• Mid – Mid in Mirage is an extensive system consisting of many tunnels and routes leading to essentially all other parts of the map. This highway system crosses horizontally across the middle of the map and connects with the two sites.
• Connector – Connector is a part of the Mid system and allows passage between Mid and the A bomb site. It is located directly south of Mid, near the middle of the map.
• Window – Window provides direct sightline over the entirety of Mid, and it is controlled by the CT side by default. It is located west of Mid and is the westmost point of Mid.
• Catwalk – Also part of the Mid system, Catwalk is an elevated walkway above the rest of Mid that connects with the B bomb site. It is a region running right north alongside Mid.
• Underpass – Underpass, the last part of the extensive Mid system, provides the T-side access from the B house straight to lower Mid. This tunnel spans from the north side of the map all the way to directly under Window.
• B Apps – B Apps is the main route to attack the B bombsite available to the terrorists, with Catwalk being the second. It is located on the northwest side of the map.

Timings of Contested Areas in Mirage

Whether you’re new or returning, learning the timings of maps is most definitely the most frustrating aspect. Getting a good sense of timing and whether you or your enemy is already stationed at the angle can provide you with crucial information on whether peaking is advantageous for your team or not. Here are some incredibly important positions in Mirage and our guide to mastering the timings of each.

Mid Timing – As you can see from the key positions on Mirage, almost half of them are connected to Mid. Taking control of mid is the most important thing your team needs to accomplish and the most reliable way to establish map control. This is why Mirage is almost perfectly balanced, with the CT and T players reaching Window and Upper Mid at the same time. This is given that both players have the best possible spawn, being closest to the angles they are peaking. If your spawn position is not favorable, however, it is wise not to peak if you know they have an AWP holding the angle. For T-players, your team can throw smokes to protect yourselves from the line of sight of AWPers. There are many lineups available to contest mid, but a popular smoke is a jump throw lineup which will land in Mid Window, or a left click throw for a Top Mid Smoke. Learn more about smoke lineups and strategies later in this CS2 Mirage guide.

A/B Site – The CT players will always have the advantage of timing, allowing them to set up their defenses. To counter the CT players’ advantage in terms of timing, it’s crucial for T players to throw smoke lineups. Learn more about smoke lineups in the next section of the CS2 Mirage Guide.

Counter-Terrorists’ Strategies

The recommended split between players to defend all parts of Mirage is a 2-2-1, where two people hold mid, two people hold A, and two people hold B.

Mid – 2 Players

It’s recommended in most rounds that two players play mid, one watching Mid from Window and one watching Mid from Cat. If a B rush is called, the Cat player can easily rotate and walk B apartments from arches.

A – 2 Players

Because A is such a heavily contested site, it’s recommended in our CS2 Mirage guide that at least two players anchor A site. One player should be watching Ramp from triple box, and the other player should be near stairs or jungle watching Palace. Smokes and other grenades must be used to reliably hold Ramp and Palace and, make enough space and buy time for a rotate.

B – 1 Player

The B anchor is tasked with locking B down, and one player is usually enough for this task. Because the B apartments feature such a narrow hallway, an incendiary grenade or even smoke can hold the T players long enough to call a rotation from your Cat player. A grenade can also deal heavy damage. The B anchor should always be equipped with lots of grenades, and the B rush should be delayed for as long as possible without dying.

Terrorists’ Strategies

There are many strategies you can use to win each round, but our CS2 Mirage Guide provides some reliable tactics your team can execute to take control of A, B, or Mid.

A Site Execute

The recommended split of players for an A execute is three players Ramp and two players Palace. Before executing the site, however, it’s strongly recommended to smoke key positions to block CT sightlines, including throwing a jungle smoke, a stairs smoke, and a ticket smoke. To make this process more efficient, all players should prepare one lineup and throw them at the same time. However, if more players decide to go to Palace, they could drop two smokes or more to one person, and they can throw them the stairs smoke and jungle smoke from the same spot. A Mirage A site execute is one of the most precise bombsites to take in all of Counter-Strike, demanding a plethora of grenades. Before rushing site, the players ramp should throw flashes to help the entry fragger at Ramp as well as the players who have reached balcony from Palace.

B Site Execute

Typically in a B-rush, all players go straight from B apartments to site. Just like an A execute, however, a lot of grenades are needed to take the site reliably. Some smokes you can use are to cover the market window, market door, and the arches. Oftentimes, these nades can all be thrown from the same position, allowing just one person to throw both the market window and market door smoke from just outside the TV room. As the entry fraggers prepare to enter on-site, some flashes should be thrown over the building, as well as bounced out the Window.

Mid Execute

To reliably take control of Mid, a similar amount of mid smokes must be used, including Cat, Window, Connector, or even a reliable top mid smoke. Make sure you know where you’re going, however, and do not smoke off all your points of attack. Unlike an A or B execute, however, one player can lurk in Underpass and make their way to Bench, where they can surprise players in Connector, Cat, or even jump into Window.

Wrapping Up!

This concludes our CS2 Mirage guide! To take a deep dive into other maps in the active premier pool, check out other articles on the SkinLords website. On this website are tons of other resources to help you master Counter-Strike 2, from map knowledge to customizing your HUD. Remember, as always –keep learning and have fun out there!