http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?16413-Smoke-up-close!
I posted in this thread how i personally like to play. Mainly because im not 100% confident i can keep up my pressure for a whole round without it being reversed onto me.
The mindset i am in at the moment with smoke is that i can play from midscreen and full screen well if i am on the defence, but smoke bomb is not really an "offensive" projectile, it needs to be respected but it does no chip damage and is moderately easy to avoid.
Up close is different. I can play offensive up close, but if the tables are turned on me i become a mess and it doesnt end well. So i try to moderate my upclose pressure and abuse my mobility to do everything i can to not be in an up close defensive situation, because smoke really doesnt fare well in that department exept for EX Shake, but that uses meter and is quite easily avoided just by using pokes.
For topics sake:
When i rush down i like to mix poking up with overheads and crossups. D1 and D3 both give great advantage, and D4 has great range (D4's range is pretty ideal for smoke conveniently) Use strings of pokes to keep your advantage, dashing pokes into strings like 214 or 3d12 are good, and B23 is exceptionally easy to confirm into smoke bomb on hit or drift on block, however this can prematurely end pressure if you have to drift out, which isnt always what you should do.
3d12 traps into D1, which strings with D3, which traps with 214. Thats my general block string at the moment, but i try my best to look out for blocked pokes because you dont have as much advantage and can usually get counter poked, in which case i would take that moment to try a b23, especially after a blocked D4 because of the range.
Just play around with different poke and block strings (obviously take the combos if they fail blocking, you arent likely to miss that though because launchers are easy to confirm and follow up) and try your best to play fast up close so you dont get reversed. Obviously respect meter and armoured moves, as well as xrays, so the odd EX shake here and there can be good just as a precaution, especially since it cancels back into pressure or crossups but be liberal as you cant really read an armoured move coming out in the middle of your poke pressure.
What sort of things are you using for rush down currently?