Trickstabs

Trickstabs are special maneuvers used by Spies to backstab enemies that know they are a spy. There are several trickstabs that help achieve this goal. While trickstabs may be cool and flashy, they should only be used as a last resort, due to their reliance on the target failing to prepare for them.

Tricking the Opponent

Trickstabs are usually used only - and are most effective as - a last resort: they only work when the enemy is not seeing them coming, and failing the first try greatly reduces the chances of succeeding on subsequent trickstabs. Like a magician, the spy should pull the enemy's attention away from the trickstab. Revolvers are often used for this: shooting the enemy may make him think that the spy is not trying to use his knife at all. Being at low health also helps: players usually relax when they know that they only need a couple shots or less to kill their enemy.

List of Trickstabs

Stairstab

When a Spy goes up an incline with someone chasing him, he can crouchjump over the target's head to get behind and land a stab. The method for this is generally to actually land ON the person whom they wish to stab's right or left shoulder while crouching, then turning left or right (turn left if on their right shoulder, and vice versa), and stabbing. Pioneered by SubtleArt, the stairstab rewards Spies who are aware of the map and their surroundings, although Stairstabs overall are usually not very effective in a competitive game, seeing as most players know better than to fall for such a trick.

Jumpstab/Rampstab

Like a stairstab, but instead of inclines, which are commonly used and thus easy to predict, the Spy jumps on props such as barrels, railings, and sentry guns to get a height boost for the stab. Even the smallest height difference allows for a rampstab. For example, jumping onto an Engineer's teleporter provides enough extra height to land a successful rampstab. These stabs work much better than stairstabs, because even experienced players won't necessarily expect a spy to be able to jump over them if not on an obvious incline.

Counter To Counter (C2C) Stairstab

If someone is aware of the jumpstab, jump on their heads, and when they rotate 180 degrees to "catch" you, strafe the other way and stab them.

Understab

The Spy leads someone off the high ground, then strafes under and stabs the target. Can also be done against explosive jumpers. This can be done because the angle for a successful backstab is exactly 180 degrees, no matter the height. The concept for this is the same as the stairstab, except in reverse.

Cornerstab

The Spy leads someone around a corner, then doubles back around the corner to get at their side and stabs them. A beginner's mistake in this trickstab is not waiting long enough. Depending on the target and on how far away they are from the corner the spy leads them around, it may take from immediately to a few seconds. The rule of thumb is to wait about one second unless they are practically right behind the spy.

Blindstab

Same as a Stairstab or Jumpstab, but the Spy leads the target around a corner as well, which makes the target unable to see the Spy jumping at him. Due to the threat of this, the target may wait around the corner to kill the Spy, enabling him to escape.

Matador Stab

The Spy strafes one way to draw the target into looking that way to not expose his backstab radius, then strafes the other way and stabs him. The concept of this is similar to a cornerstab. Oftentimes, one can imagine this as a cornerstab without a corner. The spy first strafes right around their imaginary corner, then back.

SwitchStab

Similar to a Matador, but uses the forward and backward keys to pull it off. The Spy pretends to walk past the target (W) only to move back (S) as the enemy turns to face where they were and score the stab.

Reverse-Matador Stab

When the target is chasing from behind, the Spy may turn around and strafe in one direction then strafe the opposing direction for the stab, similar to a normal matador. There are a multitude of variations however turning around quickly and strafing the opposite way is the most common form. The use for this is commonly against chasing opponents.

Drop Stab

Dropping from a great height (or something that is above the enemy head and has a platform) and if needed airstrafing to get behind the target and stab them before touching the ground. In contrast to the unreliability of most trickstabs, this is the hardest kind of stab to see coming (and the only way to work also). This stab is best done from a reasonably high height, for example, dropping from badwaters' roof into the cart capturing the 2nd point. This is perhaps the most reliable kind of trickstab, due to its nature which means that it is hard for it to be seen ahead of time.

This stab can be practiced on tr_walkway_rc2.

Circle Strafe Stab

The process of strafing in a way to counter the opponents strafe, usually to cut off their sideways strafe however it can extend into a backpedal stab. An enemy that is strafing would not be able to be stabbed by a Matador due to them using a strafe key as when using a strafe key the player's movement is pulling more sideways and away from the spy as well as their aim having to move less than normal. The point of Circle Strafing is to counter the opponents strafes instead of attempting a matador in which would fail.

Breast Milk Stab (or surf-stab but that's lame)

A deprecated fad term for approaching a stab from above an enemy at a 10 - 20 degree angle. Initially proposed by the spy "tf2klown" in 2012 as a joke, the term picked up popularity in 2019 and 2020 dueto consistent references by influential spies such as swipez referencing it in both his discord server and in several (now deleted) short videos. The term had multiple interpretations due to its nature as a prevalent joke fad name, but the general consensus was that this stab referred to a quick and shallow surf stab. It was also sometimes used to describe a "telestab" because the telestab created a similarly low angle of approach, however it more commonly referred to a surfs rather than simple jumps because of the former's rarity and specialty. Upon the trend's end in late 2021, the term was eventually dropped in favor of "shallow surf" or just simply calling the stab a

Moonwalk Stab

An obscure stab made by CulRulDud, it involves the Spy being chased by a target. As the Spy pretends to run away, quickly start going back while strafing either left or right towards the chasing target and catch them off guard. Works well against Scouts and Spies.

Backpedal Stab

If a target is backpedalling using the backward key, the Spy can strafe towards and stick to them. By strafing and not backpedalling, the Spy keeps his running speed while the target who is backpedalling loses their speed. Due to their adjustments, they will automatically look away from the Spy and expose their backs. This stab will almost always look like a facestab on the target side.

Aerial Stab.

A stab involving a jump or being launched by an explosive or airblast. Angles may work from under, to the side(s) or on top depending on height. This would usually be performed on a rocket jumping Soldier or sticky jumping Demoman (although could be performed on any class that has been launched into the air).

The difference between aerials is a normal one, where you get launched by someone and stab a different person in the air, while a "Corkscrew" stab comes from being launched by the person who shot an explosive, and stab the launcher who got himself launched at the same time you did.

Failstab

A failed backstab, usually failed by newer players. This normally happens when an enemy turns around right as the player is about to stab, the hitbox not registering, or other similar issues. An example of a possible way to lower the chances of this happening is to watch the opponents movement carefully, and to strike when the iron is hot.

This stab is known by a few names, one of which being a “Gerald Ford” stab. Named after the 38th president of the United States of America, who only became president out of a few lucky coincidences. Those being him becoming Vice President after the first one resigned, and only becoming president after Nixon resigned. Ford also proceeded to lose his reelection, which was possibly caused by him pardoning Richard Nixon. The name relates to this as Ford failed at everything, similar to how the spy messes up a backstab.

Tranqstab

To stab an AFK player. This will usually involve the spy practicing other trickstabs in this list.

May also refer to pretending to be afk and hitting a stab when someone walks by you.

Also referred to as a xylazine stab.

Nipple Twist Stab

A highly unconventional and rare trickstab, the Nipple Twist Stab involves the Spy positioning himself directly in front of an enemy, typically a heavy or a soldier, and baiting a melee attack. As the enemy initiates the attack, the Spy quickly sidesteps to one side, causing the enemy to turn towards the Spy's previous position. During this momentary distraction and misalignment, the Spy then performs a rapid circular motion with the mouse (akin to twisting) to position himself behind the enemy and deliver the backstab. This move capitalizes on the enemy's momentary loss of tracking due to the Spy's sudden lateral movement and the disorienting twist.

Taunt-Cancel Stab

Usually initiated as a pyro strategy and often used in pyro frag videos as ways to use the jetpack, hit an opponent with an axtinguisher/postal plummeler, while hitting the flames at the same time. The taunt-cancel stab was somewhat found by Turnip, a pyro main from South America.

This stab is initiated by being launched off of an explosive or airblast, and landing on a player then stabbing them; like a surf-stab. Right after the spy stabs a player from the surf-stab, if they have time, they will have 5 ticks to make a taunt out of the stab they just got. Aerials can be difficult, but angles from above, which cause friction, can be used to do taunt-cancels as a stab happens. Some people have made binds which automatically initiates a taunt-cancel stab macro.