Difference between revisions of "Spy (Highlander)"

From comp.tf
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m (Added image and consistent formatting)
 
(4 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{stub}}
 
{{stub}}
 
[[File:SpyIcon.png|200px|right||link=http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Spy]]
 
[[File:SpyIcon.png|200px|right||link=http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Spy]]
Regardless of game mode, the Spy's job remains roughly the same. His primary goals are to assassinate high priority targets on the Enemy team, such as the Medic, Heavy, Sniper or Engineer. As well as this, the Spy is tasked with sapping the Engineer's building, thus allowing his team to push forward.  
+
Regardless of game mode, Spy's job remains the same. His primary goals are to:
 +
* Assassinate high priority targets that other pick classes ([[Sniper]], [[Scout]], and [[Soldier]]) cannot reach.
 +
* Relay enemy positions, pushes and Ubercharge to his team. The location of the Sniper and the Medic's Ubercharge meter are especially important.
 +
* Sap the enemy Engineer's buildings to allow his team to push forward.
 +
 
 +
Due to Spy's low health, average speed, and poor damage output, he will usually be shut down when he attempts to gain picks. Enemies are typically on the lookout for him, and when he becomes visible, he will often be called out and killed. Thus, he often must attempt suicide plays, trading his own life for that of a more-important target - escaping with his life is secondary. Oftentimes, Spy will finish a match with more deaths than kills, but if he lands kills at the right time, his team can push forward, gain momentum, and win the game.
  
Due to the Spy's low health, and combined with his relative immobility, the Spy will usually have a low amount of kills, and will often times finish a match with a negative K/D. This is because, when backstabbing, he becomes visible to everyone, and the player who was just backstabbed will call out his position. Unless he can successfully cloak and escape, his death is almost certain at that point. In addition to this, the enemy Pyro will usually ignite the Spy, this revealing him to the rest of the team, making a stealthy escape impossible.
 
  
 
== Gameplay ==
 
== Gameplay ==
As the Spy is not seen as a major role of a team, he can often be used to 'run interference' with the enemy team by purposefully revealing himself in a poor situation, turning the focus of the enemy team to him to either allow his team to push forward uncontested, or draw a high priority target like a Heavy or a Medic out of position, leaving them open to focus fire. Because of his low priority status of the team, he can often spend vast amounts of time out of combat, relaying valuable information to his team, such as telling his Medic or Heavy where the Enemy sniper is, allowing for a tactical advantage for his team.
 
  
In regards to information gathering, the Spy has the ability to see what weapons the enemy team have equipped by disguising as an enemy class and switching weapons. This is most commonly used to find out which Medi-gun the enemy Medic is using, and allows his team to adjust their positioning and loadouts accordingly.
+
While not terribly effective for deceiving the enemy team, Spy's disguises are a valuable source of information; he can examine enemy players' loadouts - especially the enemy's Medi-Gun - by disguising as them, allowing his teammates to adjust their positioning and loadouts accordingly.
 +
 
 +
Unlike Sniper, Spy's ability to gain picks is very limited. The better the enemy team communicates, the weaker he becomes. At high levels of play, his effectiveness at assassination diminishes, which makes him expendable. This allows him to fulfill a variety of unconventional roles. Aside from his primary goals, he can distract the enemy team by revealing himself, intimidate them with friendly disguises, or lure important classes out of position. Spy may also initiate captures by decloaking on the objective, and may be able to win games on [[5CP]] maps with this technique of "back-capping."
 +
 
 +
Even if he cannot secure a kill, Spy's ability to instantly kill any class from behind makes him a valuable distraction. Revealing himself at a distance can distract the enemy Sniper, who may shoot him while his team's combo crosses the sightline. Decloaking behind the enemy combo will often cause them to whirl around in a panic, creating an opening for Spy's team to push in. Even the constant looming threat of a Spy backstabbing them as soon as they lose focus can cause paranoia in players, causing them to make mistakes that Spy's team can capitalize on.
 +
 
 +
On maps with tighter choke points or against vigilant teams, Spy may have difficulty slipping behind enemy lines. In this case, he will often equip the Dead Ringer and join the flank, chipping away at the enemy's health with his Revolver. While this playstyle does give up the ability to land key picks, it may be better to deal moderate damage consistently than to die repeatedly in an attempt to kill a high-priority target.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
== Playstyles ==
 +
 
 +
At the current state of [[Highlander]] there are mainly two different Spy playstyles which dominate the meta. Both styles are used between all divisions, and neither is clearly superior to the other - though one may be more effective in certain situations. The two different methods of playing Spy are called '''Gun-Spy''' and '''Knife-Spy'''. Note that Spy's Revolver and Knife are by no means exclusive to the Gun-Spy and Knife-Spy playstyles; the terms simply describe which weapon Spy emphasizes in his loadout.
 +
 
 +
The Gun-Spy playstyle typically utilizes the [[Revolver]] or the [[Ambassador]], depending on the situation. The [[Dead Ringer]] is sometimes equipped to improve Spy's survivability. While the Revolver deals more damage-per-second, the Ambassador deals greater burst-damage, allowing Spy to kill weakened targets before they can retreat. When using the Gun-Spy playstyle, Spy puts himself at significantly less risk than he would when focusing on his Knife, allowing him to remain alive longer, and provide more information to his team. Simply staying alive to relay enemy positions, tactics, and Ubercharge can be of great value, especially on maps where sudden tactical changes can make a huge difference on the outcome of a match, such as [[Steel]]. Remember that Spy can still use his Knife as a last resort to attempt a Trickstab on an overconfident attacker.  
  
Another trait of a Spy is his ability to cause confusion and panic within the enemy team, causing them to become more focused on finding or avoiding the Spy, and allowing the rest of the Spy's team to push onto them unaware. A common tactic is revealing himself in the distance for brief periods of time, ensuring that the enemy Sniper can see him. When the Sniper shoots at the Spy, it can allow the Combo to cross dangerous open ground with safety. Back stabbing a Heavy, then using The Dead Ringer to cloak and escape will cause the Enemy Medic and the rest of the combo to switch focus from pushing or defending to discovering the Spy and taking him out. The constant looming threat of a Spy backstabbing them at any point can cause panic in players, making them move out of position and into danger, or make other mistakes that the other team can capitalize on.
+
The classic Spy playstyle is known as the Knife-Spy playstyle. Spy will go for picks with his knife, eliminating key targets instantly. In general, the only two knives Spy will use are the stock [[Knife]] and the [[Spy-cicle]], as other knives make it more difficult to land a backstab by reducing Spy's health or cloak time. All of his watches are useful depending on the situation: The [[Invis Watch]] allows Spy to roam large distances on maps with plentiful ammo pickups, the [[Cloak and Dagger]] allows Spy to gather information at little risk to himself, and choose the exact moment he decloaks, and the [[Dead Ringer]] gives Spy a nearly-guaranteed escape. If caught before he can land a kill, Spy will often switch to his revolver to cause as much damage as possible before dying.
  
One of the more advantageous elements of the Spy is the ability to disguise as an enemy Medic. This allows the Spy to see what the Medic's load-out is. This allows the spy to call out what Medi-gun the enemy is running; be it the Kritzkreig or the Stock Medi-gun. Also during lulls in the objective the Spy may also help push the cart or help capture the Control Point. Also one of the best ways a Spy maybe utilized is to uncloak as the friendly team is pushing into the final point on 5CPs maps as it will put some cap time on the point.
+
Sometimes, Spy must switch playstyles to maximize his effectiveness as the game-state changes. Consider learning both playstyles to use depending on the situation; neither is superior in every situation.  
  
 
== See Also ==
 
== See Also ==

Latest revision as of 23:13, 4 June 2022

SpyIcon.png

Regardless of game mode, Spy's job remains the same. His primary goals are to:

  • Assassinate high priority targets that other pick classes (Sniper, Scout, and Soldier) cannot reach.
  • Relay enemy positions, pushes and Ubercharge to his team. The location of the Sniper and the Medic's Ubercharge meter are especially important.
  • Sap the enemy Engineer's buildings to allow his team to push forward.

Due to Spy's low health, average speed, and poor damage output, he will usually be shut down when he attempts to gain picks. Enemies are typically on the lookout for him, and when he becomes visible, he will often be called out and killed. Thus, he often must attempt suicide plays, trading his own life for that of a more-important target - escaping with his life is secondary. Oftentimes, Spy will finish a match with more deaths than kills, but if he lands kills at the right time, his team can push forward, gain momentum, and win the game.


Gameplay[edit]

While not terribly effective for deceiving the enemy team, Spy's disguises are a valuable source of information; he can examine enemy players' loadouts - especially the enemy's Medi-Gun - by disguising as them, allowing his teammates to adjust their positioning and loadouts accordingly.

Unlike Sniper, Spy's ability to gain picks is very limited. The better the enemy team communicates, the weaker he becomes. At high levels of play, his effectiveness at assassination diminishes, which makes him expendable. This allows him to fulfill a variety of unconventional roles. Aside from his primary goals, he can distract the enemy team by revealing himself, intimidate them with friendly disguises, or lure important classes out of position. Spy may also initiate captures by decloaking on the objective, and may be able to win games on 5CP maps with this technique of "back-capping."

Even if he cannot secure a kill, Spy's ability to instantly kill any class from behind makes him a valuable distraction. Revealing himself at a distance can distract the enemy Sniper, who may shoot him while his team's combo crosses the sightline. Decloaking behind the enemy combo will often cause them to whirl around in a panic, creating an opening for Spy's team to push in. Even the constant looming threat of a Spy backstabbing them as soon as they lose focus can cause paranoia in players, causing them to make mistakes that Spy's team can capitalize on.

On maps with tighter choke points or against vigilant teams, Spy may have difficulty slipping behind enemy lines. In this case, he will often equip the Dead Ringer and join the flank, chipping away at the enemy's health with his Revolver. While this playstyle does give up the ability to land key picks, it may be better to deal moderate damage consistently than to die repeatedly in an attempt to kill a high-priority target.


Playstyles[edit]

At the current state of Highlander there are mainly two different Spy playstyles which dominate the meta. Both styles are used between all divisions, and neither is clearly superior to the other - though one may be more effective in certain situations. The two different methods of playing Spy are called Gun-Spy and Knife-Spy. Note that Spy's Revolver and Knife are by no means exclusive to the Gun-Spy and Knife-Spy playstyles; the terms simply describe which weapon Spy emphasizes in his loadout.

The Gun-Spy playstyle typically utilizes the Revolver or the Ambassador, depending on the situation. The Dead Ringer is sometimes equipped to improve Spy's survivability. While the Revolver deals more damage-per-second, the Ambassador deals greater burst-damage, allowing Spy to kill weakened targets before they can retreat. When using the Gun-Spy playstyle, Spy puts himself at significantly less risk than he would when focusing on his Knife, allowing him to remain alive longer, and provide more information to his team. Simply staying alive to relay enemy positions, tactics, and Ubercharge can be of great value, especially on maps where sudden tactical changes can make a huge difference on the outcome of a match, such as Steel. Remember that Spy can still use his Knife as a last resort to attempt a Trickstab on an overconfident attacker.

The classic Spy playstyle is known as the Knife-Spy playstyle. Spy will go for picks with his knife, eliminating key targets instantly. In general, the only two knives Spy will use are the stock Knife and the Spy-cicle, as other knives make it more difficult to land a backstab by reducing Spy's health or cloak time. All of his watches are useful depending on the situation: The Invis Watch allows Spy to roam large distances on maps with plentiful ammo pickups, the Cloak and Dagger allows Spy to gather information at little risk to himself, and choose the exact moment he decloaks, and the Dead Ringer gives Spy a nearly-guaranteed escape. If caught before he can land a kill, Spy will often switch to his revolver to cause as much damage as possible before dying.

Sometimes, Spy must switch playstyles to maximize his effectiveness as the game-state changes. Consider learning both playstyles to use depending on the situation; neither is superior in every situation.

See Also[edit]