Competitive TF2, Part Seven: Utilities
Sure, sure. Two Scouts, two Soldiers, a Demoman, and a Medic. If you’ve read the competitive TF2 guide thus far, you know that.
But who said you’re stuck with those same classes? Mixing the utility classes up can really catch your enemy by surprise, and it’ll add a lot of fun to your game too.
Props to Hain for his awesome Garry’s Moddery. You rock!
Pyro
The pyro is a challenge to use competitively. While blessed with good speed, burn damage, and a versatile compression blast, the short range of the pyro limits its usefulness. But, in the right situations, or in the right hands, a Pyro can be absolutely devatasting.
Pyros are excellent for defending the final capture point of any map. If your team is pushed back to the last point, you might consider swapping a Scout for a Pyro to help prevent easy captures, especially in enclosed areas, such as the base in Badlands (on some other, exposed 5CP’s, such as Granary, this is considerably more risky).
On Gravelpit C, a defending Pyro hanging around on the top of the tower can flame and airblast explosive-jumping attackers off the point, leaving them to grapple with enormous fall and burn damage (assuming, of course, that the defending team manages to get a Pyro up there without having him/her being slaughtered by enemy players).
Unlocks-wise, the Axtinguisher is an absolute necessity, and the normal Flamethrower is heavily preferred, for several reasons. The Pyro’s most devastating close-range technique involves airblasting an enemy into a wall, closing the distance while pulling out the Axtinguisher, and finishing the deed with a well-aimed melee strike. In addition, the airblast can blast airborne players off-course (useful for defending elevated CP’s such as Badlands Spire or Gravelpit C). Finally, the ability to break up übercharges with well-aimed airblasts can destroy a team’s offensive push – excellent for defending the last point of a map.
Reflecting rockets can be effective, but in the long run, you are still vulnerable to soldiers. They can fire faster than you, and even if you’re good with the airblast, you’re still vulnerable to juggling. You’ll have to fight enemy soldiers on their terms, most of the time. As for scouts, they can tear you to pieces at all kinds of ranges. Beware of them. You still have the upper hand on them indoors, though. If you blast them into a wall, they’ll be helpless.
If your team chooses to run a Pyro offensively, be absolutely sure that the Pyro is safe from roaming enemies. Having a Scout partner with the Pyro can help keep the Pyro alive, but be aware that in doing so, the Scout is unable to put his excellent flanking talents to use elsewhere.
The primary purpose of the offensive Pyro is to flank. A good deal of burn damage on the enemy Medic can turn the tide of a game, but at the same time, lacking the dodging skills of a Scout, a Pyro is much more vulnerable to attack. Seeing as the Scout and the Pyro largely fulfill the same offensive roles, it’s usually better to just stick with a Scout. In enclosed spaces, a Pyro can certainly work wonders, but a team must be exceptionally well-organized to support one.
BUT WAIT! I never said that it couldn’t be done!
B||oodsire (one of the snipers in the insane Auto-Aim video in the previous article on the Sniper) uploaded a beautiful 10-minute frag video of him playing competitive Pyro. It’s quite eye-popping, and it proves that the Pyro really isn’t a “noob” class. In the right hands, and in the right situations, the Pyro is a flaming powerhouse. Hudda hudda huh!
Heavy
Immense thanks to The Black Watch for writing this segment on the Heavy. He is credit to team! -himmelstoss
The Heavy is easily the most underrated and underutilized class in competitive TF2, particularly on the American circuit. Combining high health with exceptional damage capacity, they are not to be written off as useless.
Heavies generally take two roles in a competitive match: as a replacement for the pocket (short-leash) Soldier, or as a defensive emplacement on a point, particularly on ones with short capture times (such as the final points of most 5CP maps). Defensive heavies prevent back caps as the rest of the team captures the next point. If a team decides to run a Heavy, they usually swap out a Scout for one, in line with the “utility” role of the competitive Scout player.
As a pocket Heavy, your main job, as with all short-leash players, is to protect the Medic. However, it is rare for a team to start off running a heavy, because of the slow speed. There are two major exceptions, Well and Turbine. The start up timer on Well allows the medic to build up an ubercharge, and the gates at the central building ensure that the Heavy’s slow speed does not adversely affect his time to get to the centre point. On Turbine as well, the larger open areas and long sightlines provide a suitable environment for the Heavy. The main thing is to stay aware of the battle, and use your long range damage to force people into cover or to draw their attention to you and away from any of the other classes on your team, particularly the more fragile ones. With the exception of Demomen, all opponents need to have a clear line of vision to hit you. Essentially, if they can hit you, you can hit them. In addition, there is no travel time on bullets, giving you a slight advantage on Soldiers — you can damage enemy Soldiers while attempting to avoid any rockets that head your way. This will either force them to run for cover, allowing you to move up and capture the objective, or to come out and face you. In the latter case, your higher rate of damage should allow you to finish the job. Should you lose your medic, you change your tactics to “holding” instead of “pushing” and act as if you would be defending a point. Don’t be afraid to take a tactical retreat if the need arises!
As a defending Heavy, your slow speed is less of a hindrance, as you generally don’t stray far from the point. When defending, you can exploit some of the more useful attributes of the Heavy. For example, when defending second and fourth points of Badlands or Gravelpit C, you can use your minigun’s significant knockback effect to push airborne enemies away from the point. Knockback is strong – it’s quite possible to keep people airborne, although this rarely happens in actual play. You should also remember that, like the scout, you should avoid firing early to alert enemies to your presence. If you surprise any class at short range, you should be able to kill them without them having time to react. A good ambush can take several enemies before they react. Even if the enemies know you’re there, feel free to fire away if there is an ammo spawn nearby; there is no travel time on bullets, and the fact that they are under fire may convince them to retreat. This works well with Scouts, where their lower health comes off as a significant disadvantage.
Unlocks are generally a straightforward business. Melee generally isn’t something that comes into play, but it does it helps more to gain those situational crits from the KGB then to swing faster with regular fists. Pocket Heavies need something that they can use while moving, so the Sandvich rarely sees play in competitive leagues as the Shotgun is useful in more scenarios than the highly situational Sandvich. As for the two miniguns, if you’re going to be playing as a Heavy in competitive matches, you should be able to aim well enough to hit enemies without them slowing down. The normal Minigun is therefore recommended.
You’re very vulnerable to enemy snipers and spies still (perhaps even more vulnerable, since competitive snipers tend to be quite good), so the usual rules about having not spinning up in the open and checking your back apply. Also, be aware that you should be proficient in Scout play, too, as the Heavy’s speed limits his usefulness on many maps.
Enemies will focus-fire you, so unless you have a Medic, you’re going to go down fast. The Heavy combo isn’t superman, either. Heavies, lacking mobility, can often lack in Medic protection, particularly against Soldiers, who can simply hop in and out of cover and let splash damage take care of the rest. Heavy-Medic combos, like Demoman combos, must be protected well if they are to be effective.
In summary, then – your roles as a heavy are area denial and damage tank. Spamming bullets will send your enemies running for cover, and your capacity to soak up damage is great for pushing into indoor areas – provided you have a medic on your back. While the Heavy in competitive play is definitely situational, judicious use of one can truly turn the tide of a game.
Spy
Spying in competitive games is quite a lot harder than doing the same on a public server. The Spy capitalizes on his enemy’s mistakes to be effective. However, a well-organized competitive team makes few mistakes, so Spy makes for a very, very difficult playing experience.
For one, you absolutely have to be good with your revolver. Standard competitive classes move quite quickly, and so they can be tricky to stab. At the same time, two or three well-aimed revolver shots can significantly reduce an enemy’s health, allowing the rest of your team to pick them off (or, if they’re at low health, crediting you with the kill). Good aim is critical.
Disguise-wise, you don’t have many choices. Demoman’s a good bet, as is Medic (acting like a Medic but refusing to “heal” enemies is a great way to get them to start shouting over voice com). Change disguises frequently and make sure your choice of disguise fits the situation. Check your scoreboard a lot – if you know which enemy players are playing which classes, you can see if they’re dead or alive and choose your disguise accordingly.
When disguised, you can see enemy players’ health. If an enemy player’s health is low (particularly the Medic), call it out to your team, and if you’re feeling adventurous, try to take him/her down with a well-placed revolver blast. And check your scoreboard! Try to take out high-scoring players if you can. While the Scouts are nearly impossible to hit with the knife (unless you’re incredibly good), Soldiers and Demomen can be fine targets. As with a public server, they usually make easy pickings if they’re distracted by your team. Careful, though, because they’ll call your position to their team immediately. Solitary players (such as the enemy long-leash Soldier) are usually safer to kill than the combo. If an enemy is protected by Scouts, it’s generally best to back off and try again another time.
Nevertheless, the Spy is incredibly hard to pull off in a competitive setting, especially as a match progresses. I hate to say it, but in ninety-nine percent of cases, you’ll be better off as a Scout.
Engineer
Offensive Engineering is almost impossible in competitive games. Offensive Engineering relies entirely on surprise and lack of communication–unfortunately, your enemies will be organized. Also, the conspicuous beeping sound that sentries make is often warning enough to an enemy team. They’ll bring their explosives in, and your sentry will go down with nary a kill. Unless your enemies are extremely disorganized, or unless you’re playing a highlander match (9v9, one of each class), avoid offensive Engineering entirely.
Defensive Engineering isn’t easy, either. For one, sentries have large blind spots, and enemies know this. Expect to see explosives coming at you. Badly placed sentries can almost always be taken down without an ubercharge.
In addition, Engineers are entirely unable to push forward with a team, thanks to their immobile sentries. For that reason, avoid Engineering entirely on 5CP maps if possible.You’ll be more of a hindrance to your team than an asset.
On attack/defense maps, particularly Gravelpit, defensive Engineering is quite common (even in professional leagues), particularly for defending control point, especially here:
Since your team can focus its energy entirely on defending, it’s acceptable to run defensive classes at all times during the round. An Engineer with a well-placed sentry can really limit the movement capacity of the attacking team by providing effective area denial. The same guidelines for sentry placement on public servers apply on A/D maps. Make sure that your sentry’s blind spots are guarded by your team, though.
Other than that, think twice before trying an Engineer.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Huey Lewis, Balistic, and Ska-Meister for sharing their thoughts on the pyro, spy, and spy, respectively!
Bonus stuff!
Based on the original plan, this would have been the seventh and final article of the series. But this guide was a lot more successful than clubtheseals and I had thought it would be, because we apparently made it to the Team Fortress Blog page. And here’s what they wrote:
Also, if you haven’t seen them yet, ubercharged.net is currently up to part three in a nine-part series covering how each TF2 class is used in competitive matches. It’s a fantastic read if you want to get some insight into the strategies of TF2’s most skilled players.
Wait, nine parts? We were a bit surprised at first, too. BUT – we aren’t ones to let Valve down, so we have planned for you not one, but two additional bonus articles! Stay tuned!
Stumble it!
Paper Shadow responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 11:59 am #
Two bonus articles? Oh my!
Xriloku responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 12:57 pm #
Oh my indeed! Whatever will they be about?
Phosphorus responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 1:03 pm #
Dunno why they would make that assumption just because there’s 9 classes.
Sinister Minister responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 1:12 pm #
From part 1: “This rather lengthy nine-part guide will attempt to collect the most important aspects of competitive TF2, much like GotFrag’s Competitive TF2 101, except in far greater detail. ”
Not Valve’s error, it was yours.
Lobsterlair responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 1:13 pm #
^ Especially since there was already one article focusing on NO class at all!
himmelstoss responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 1:29 pm #
@Sinister Minister: It used to say “seven part”, I changed it to nine part.
Snipers_get_the_head responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 1:56 pm #
I was hoping you’d make this.
NEVER play offensive engineer. Most of the time, the whole team will have mics, but even if only ONE MEMBER has one, your sentry will go down. Offensive engineers also rely on their shotgun, and trust me, no competitive player is going to did to a shoutgun.
Spy is underrated in competitive matches. I’ve taken out the pocket pair plenty of times. Just don’t start as spy though, because you won’t be able to disguise. The scouts, demoman and roaming soldier will have been far ahead, and obviously you can’t disguise as the medic or pocket soldier. They will also likely know the names of everyone.
Heavy is a decent situational choice, except that if the enemy team has snipers or spys. you’re effectively useless.
Pyros are the best of the utilities. Just equip the shotgun, no experienced player is going to be hit with your slow moving flare gun.
NotJim responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 1:56 pm #
Questions…
1) isn’t spy scout the most common due to there being two of them and because they tend to roam a lot? the medic’s 0% uber would be an instant giveaway, surely.
2) isn’t the heavy, being a substitute pocket, generally subbed in for the primary soldier, and not the scout?
Good stuff, though.
Snipers_get_the_head responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 2:02 pm #
@notjim: to your first question, yes. Not sure why a medic disguise was recommended.
To your second: it can, but more often the pocket soldier simply becomes another roaming soldier.
Pike responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 3:38 pm #
I like the articles, but the fact that you mentioned Fai||sire makes me feel ill.
Cupcake, Darn It~! responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 5:32 pm #
For spy: Ambassador or revolver? It wasn’t mentioned. But I’d assume Ambassador.
Cloak type? Dead Ringer, regular, or Cloak and Dagger?
Lolwat responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 5:45 pm #
The PROro videos were made to show the pyro doesn’t take any skill, not to encourage competitive play…
Pike responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 5:46 pm #
Lolwat is correct. Fai||Sire was trying to bash pyros into nerfing them because he couldn’t stand them. We got into many arguments, one resulted in his first account in being banned from the steam forums.
Lolwat responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 5:48 pm #
And, for the record, I don’t agree with Fai||Sire. I’d rather see a Don Newman production up there.
himmelstoss responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 5:49 pm #
@Pike: You still have to admit, it’s pretty effective. :S
Gee-Man responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 6:52 pm #
Nice article, you covered a lot of good points in this one, and you somehow even managed to justify Pyro as a utility. I mainly play Pyro, but beforehand, I would never consider playing one in a real 6v6. Also nice to see the Heavy explained as well. God knows everyone underrates him since he can’t just magically fire bullets at the ground to jump higher like other competitive classes can.
But posting B||oodsire’s video there was a mistake. Well, I won’t go into details, I’ll just say that he’s one of the reasons I don’t go to the Steam forums anymore.
Pike responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 7:13 pm #
@himmeltoss…stoes..stoooss….himmel
Yes of course it’s effective, but the sheer fact that it’s Fai||sire makes me feel ill.
A Screaming Orgasm responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 7:54 pm #
I would be inclined to say normal cloak. The CnD, though apparently buffed since classless, is still quite dangerous due to the long trek back to spawn or an out of action wait required after use. The DR has apparently been nerfed since classless and would fail in competitive due to it’s loud noise being picked up by a micced up team plus the fact that all good players now check their kill count after killing a non-cloaked spy.
And all these commenters on disguises and not spying to start off seem to be missing the fact that, even whilst pubbing, spy disguises are reasonably transparent. Decent spies tend to use the cloak more to get behind enemies since, once a backstabbing happens, every reasonable player will start spychecking.
kaptin scuzgob responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 9:13 pm #
My MPC is Pyro, so I hope to get the airblast/axtinguisher thing down to pat.
Mr. Yellow responded on 02 Sep 2009 at 10:11 pm #
The engie part is pretty spot on (concidering how long it takes to get his game on, 5secondsittingduckwhilewhackingsentry not withstanding). He does however, has his bright moments in 5 CP maps.
While he indeed relies on suprise tactics to do some good damage, he can do that really well.
If he manages to pull off a flanking manuever while the 2 teams are fighting (that is, getting the sentry up in line of sight of the enemy without getting spotted, really rare i know, but still), then that current fight is pretty much done. A sentry and engineer combined can do more damage than a scout alone and puts a lot of pressure on the opposing team, who from there on can easily succumb to a pincer strike.
Another is to solidify your teams position on a point. That is securing the point from comebacks if your team is capping/has the point, but the opposition has the resources and manpower to initiate a counter attack.
Then again, those are quite situational scenarios. There is too much luck involved and there is little else redeeming about the engie without his sentry.
Brian_Black responded on 03 Sep 2009 at 4:02 am #
I’ve always found an engy cumbersome on A/D maps without a pyro to support him. A single uber will usually ruin the sentry, unless that uber gets airblasted away.
Sinister Minister responded on 03 Sep 2009 at 4:52 am #
@Himmel: Eh? Did it? I could have sworn it said nine-part in the beginning, but it’s not like I can prove that or go back in time, so…i’ll take your word for it.
Alien Rope Burn responded on 03 Sep 2009 at 6:39 am #
What about engies and teleporters / dispensers? Are those aspects not as useful in a competitive match, and why?
HelisPoe responded on 03 Sep 2009 at 9:02 am #
I stand corrected.
Sandman responded on 03 Sep 2009 at 12:27 pm #
I’d like to appeal the case for Natascha. The slowdown effect won’t be needed for the heavy, but it could be useful for the rest of the team. A few extra seconds of vulnerability means that others can pile on the damage with you. Many bad moments begin with a Natascha heavy that has a non-medic friend nearby.
ubercharged.net – Class Hate responded on 03 Sep 2009 at 6:00 pm #
[...] right, I’ll redeem myself. Here. (Or look at Competitive TF2, Part 7 for some competitive [...]
Winter responded on 04 Sep 2009 at 1:33 am #
Lolwat/Pike are right that Bloodsire was trying to make the Pyro look bad by making those videos, but he utterly (utterly, completely) failed.
Seriously.
He made the EXACT OPPOSITE point of what he was trying to make, and made me think Pyros are probably being underutilized by competitive players stuck in NO ITEMS FOX ONLY FINAL DESTINATION mode.
n00bie51 responded on 04 Sep 2009 at 10:58 am #
Now THAT’S an interesting question. The nine classes aren’t balanced, at least for competitive play, that all of them are equally viable to see action — but do people want them to be in the first place?
I won’t take away from Utility classes that they have their moments and the basic setup of two Scouts, two Soldiers, one Medic and a Demo isn’t set in stone, but I still have yet to see a player from Pandemic or Complexity rock out MVP as the Pyro or the Engineer.
emal responded on 04 Sep 2009 at 8:44 pm #
I love you guys for such gooood manuals
i own you 7 bears
Haiddasalami responded on 05 Sep 2009 at 1:55 am #
@Himmel: REFLECTING ROCKET IS PRO~!
benny responded on 17 Sep 2009 at 12:42 pm #
You forgot the part where an undisguised spy decloaks onto badlands last. Instant 50%+ cap anyone?
Probably the best use for a spy in competitive play, and certainly the most used.
SR69MM-JC responded on 17 Sep 2009 at 7:04 pm #
As a Spy, if you are good enough and you can aim with Ambassador perfectly, i think it is a good idea to appear out from nowhere and land a headshot on an enemy leaving less than half health. Then retreat. It is not hard to notice a Spy behind you but it is hard to realize where was the shot fired from because Spy has already cloaked and run away. You say, Sniper is easier to land headshots and he can kill an enemy only in 1 shot? Sniper can’t cloak and hardly can retreat alive if he’s attacked.
Pyro Rocket Jump - voogru.com - Online Gaming Community responded on 18 Sep 2009 at 3:49 am #
[...] useful in closing a lot of distance as a pyro since you're more dangerous upclose. The article ubercharged.net – Competitive TF2, Part Seven: Utilities The video YouTube – Meet the PROro!2 I may have to go back to Pyro for a spell just to try this [...]
BATTERIES responded on 19 Sep 2009 at 2:09 am #
I have played spy a number of times in competitive and my most successful map is fastlane.You guys might give it a try
XAJOR responded on 24 Sep 2009 at 1:02 pm #
good article, i am unimpressed by the spy and engie posts however
An engie who drops a lvl 1 sentry randomly and then fights forward with shotgun is effective.
Just dont upgrade or repair your random sentry and you will be surprised how hard it is for then to track its location.
As for the spy, a good ambassador spy can wipe out an entire team (or at least the medic). Just leave the knife at home.
Grimm responded on 24 Sep 2009 at 1:40 pm #
What a lot of people don’t seem to realize when they talk about Engineer and Spy is that both their jobs get exponentially harder as people get better (applies to all classes, but those two especially). And since most people who play Comp are very good, those classes are nigh impossible.
About Spy loadouts, Ambassador is so hard to hit consistently that it’s useless. CnD is useless because if you’re standing still, they WILL find you. DR is useful for harassment. Standard watch is your best bet though.
Jimothy responded on 07 Oct 2009 at 5:29 am #
Now with the Sep. 15 update allowing the Heavy to drop Sandviches and act somewhat like a Medic stopgap, do you think the Sandvich will see more use in competitive play?
Dr. Feelgood responded on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:22 am #
No. A portable health pack does not replace the heavy’s only mobile weapon. I’m not a writer or a pro, but I’m sure they’ll say the same.
chipbuster responded on 22 Jan 2010 at 3:07 pm #
I dunno, personally when I play medic, I like having a sandvich heavy. Since the guy almost always takes focus fire, he can
a. run off behind our soldiers and demos while I focus on healing the demos and sollies and
b. give it to me when I inevitaby fail at dodging.
Also, it’s pretty funny to watch a soldier try to rocket an eating heavy
i can never think of a good name responded on 15 Mar 2010 at 3:07 am #
@Cupcake, Darn It~: I personally prefer the ambassador even though it fires slower if you land 2 head-shots they’re dead. As for the cloak type the regular cloak is good if there are ammo boxes simply because it can last forever if you get them in time, the cloak and dagger is my personal favorite just because you can stay cloaked forever(i don’t really care about having to stop to re-charge it) and as for the dead-ringer you have to be extremely skilled to use it as you only have 8 seconds to get out of there and into a place where there isn’t anyone because of the loud noise when you un-cloak. The image of a dead body can be a dead give away of the dead ringer too, because if a match has just started your not gonna take one pistol bullet from a scout and die. So my opinion is use the ambassador and the cloak and dagger.
The Competitive TF2 Guide : Team Fortress 2 (TF2) på Onlinegamer.se responded on 28 Jul 2010 at 9:31 am #
[...] The Utilities [...]
Graven_Image responded on 01 Aug 2010 at 4:32 am #
I have a Bonnet. They might not grovel, but they’ll definitely show somw respect.
Graven_Image responded on 01 Aug 2010 at 4:34 am #
GAH sorry, wrong article.