Editing Spy

[[File:SpyIcon.png|200px|right||link=http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Spy]]

The '''Spy''' is a suave backstabbing rogue who has the ability to instantly kill any enemy by attacking with his melee from behind. He can position himself as he sees fit with his Invisibility Cloak and can get important [[Glossary#Metagame terms|Picks]] when an opportunity presents itself. Spy is weak in direct combat; he is designed to take out important targets and then retreat. As a pick class, Spy will usually target the enemy [[Demoman]], [[Heavy]] or [[Medic]]. Against Medics, Spy's goal is to either force Medic to use his [[Übercharge]] or kill him outright, wasting the charge. The Spy is also capable of disabling and destroying the [[Engineer]]'s buildings with his Sapper.

In 6v6, Spy is an [[offclass]] due to his poor damage output and low health, generally run when [[Sniper]] cannot take advantage of any sightlines or chokepoints. Spy will usually only get one chance for a pick; once he makes a play, the enemy team will be on guard for the rest of the match. A player may switch to Spy when the enemy [[Medic]] has a large Über advantage during a stalemate in order to kill an enemy - especially [[Demoman]] - before his team makes a push.

In terms of assassination power, Spy has significantly less potential than Sniper; Sniper can fire multiple times and get multiple picks, but Spy usually only gets one chance for a pick and will almost certainly die afterwards. However, because he is not often run in 6v6, enemies are not generally aware of him, allowing him to make a play. Spy is most commonly used as a surprise tactic for breaking stalemates against teams that stay out of [[Sniper]] sightlines and deny [[Roamer]] bombings. However, keep in mind that Spy is still much less versatile than [[Sniper]].  

Spy's other major use is to ''spy'' on the enemy team. He can gather vital information and relay it to his team, such as enemy Medic's Übercharge and choice of Medigun, surprise offclassing, and enemy positions. Spy's invisibility can also be utilized for backcapping against a careless enemy team.

In Highlander, the Spy is used as a pick and support class. He will often attempt to pick the enemy Medic, Heavy, Demoman, Sniper, Engineer, or any key targets that are giving his team trouble. However, he must be aware that the enemy team has a full-time [[Pyro]] and will spycheck more often, leaving him with fewer opportunities for picks.

The Spy is also the best scouting class in the game, providing valuable information to his team. He can easily relay enemy Übercharge, positions, pushes, and loadouts, thanks to the safety provided by the Cloak and Dagger.

When confronted by an enemy, Spy is almost always at a severe disadvantage; his poor damage output and health prevent him from going toe-to-toe with most combat classes. In a pinch, Spy may need use deceptive movements to manipulate an attacking enemy into showing him their back. This technique is called "trickstabbing," and may be the only way for him to escape a bad situation. In higher levels of play, however, enemies will be wary, and often will stay out of backstab range.

 

Spy may opt to use a revolver to harass and distract distant enemies, or pick off an isolated foe. The [[Ambassador]] is often the best choice for this playstyle, as it allows Spy to deal critical hits with headshots, allowing him to briefly match enemies' damage output. When focusing on his revolver as a damage source, Spy will often fight alongside his team and assist them in dealing damage, although he is inferior to [[Sniper]] in both range and damage. In order to utilize his full potential, he must sow confusion and paranoia among enemies in order to allow his own team to take the upper hand.

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|description = The '''Sapper''' is the Spy's main tool for disabling and destroying enemy Engineers' buildings. The stock Sapper will disable an enemy building when placed, but if an enemy Engineer removes the sapper with his Wrench, the building will resume operation. One of the most common strategies for attacking an Engineer's buildings is to backstab the Engineer, then sap his buildings. If your team is making a push, simply sapping his Sentry Gun may disable it long enough for your team to destroy it.

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|description = The '''Spy-cicle''' partially protects Spy from Pyro's flamethrower. When Spy is ignited, the Spy-cicle will melt (preventing him from attacking with it) and protect Spy from all fire damage for one second. He will be immune to afterburn for 10 seconds, making him harder to track down while cloaked. After it melts, the Spy-cicle takes 15 seconds to recharge, though Spy can recharge his Spy-cicle faster by picking up ammo packs. However, backstabbed victims are turned into distinctive ice statues, revealing Spy's presence. Note that with other knives, Spy can continue to backstab after being ignited. Users should take their play-style and the current state of the game into consideration before choosing the Spy-cicle over the stock Knife.

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|description = The '''Dead Ringer''' is unique among Spy's watches, trading stealth for survivability. Instead of cloaking Spy, deploying the Dead Ringer will "arm" it. Spy will not be able to attack while the Dead Ringer is armed, but when damaged, he will instantly turn invisible, drop a fake corpse, and gain a movement speed boost, allowing him to escape. The attack that activates the Dead Ringer will have its power reduced by 75%, allowing a full-health Spy to survive any attack short of a backstab. For the first 3 seconds after the first attack, Spy will have a 65% damage resistance which will soon fade to the standard 20%, and will not become visible when bumping enemy players. The Dead Ringer allows Spy to easily escape when confronted, but prevents him from cloaking on demand. Alternatively, he can briefly face his enemies in direct combat, dealing as much damage as possible before activating the Ringer and retreating. Regardless of his tactics, Spy must wait 10-20 seconds before the Ringer recharges, as ammo boxes and Dispensers will not recharge it.

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[http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=312421865# DarkNecrid's Comprehensive Pub & Competitive Spy Guide]