Anti-Spy strategy

“

That's what my daddy taught me to do to backstabbers. Click to listen — The Engineer

”

The Spy is a cunningly swift espionage agent bent on stabbing everyone's back. The Spy's primary attack is his backstab ability which allows him to instantly kill any class in one hit from behind. The best defense against a Spy is good observational skills; Spies only have so many ways to infiltrate your team and experienced players can usually detect them if there is little to no combat occurring at the time. When caught, most Spies will try and escape rather than engage in a fight because of their limited attack capability. Keep in mind that Spies have different ways of cloaking and backstabbing, including the ability to fake their own death. Pyros are generally considered the first defense against enemy Spies due to their great Spy checking ability.

General

Attributes	Anti-Spy strategy
Role	Spies will usually try to get behind your team with his ability to Cloak and Disguise. Run and fire around corners and props in order to expose any cloaked Spies; should you find one, alert your team and try to kill him before he does any damage. Disguised Spies will not act like your teammates do; Spy-check often to avoid becoming the victim of an unnoticed enemy Spy.
Health	The Spy is quite weak, with only 125 health points. Once he is spotted, he should not be difficult to kill. However, he may fake his death using the Dead Ringer, so remain on guard.
Speed	Spies move at the speed of the class that they are disguised as, unless that class is faster than they are.
Power	The Spy is quite weak by himself, but if he passes by undetected, he can kill players instantly with a backstab. He also has the ability to see the health of enemy players, allowing him to pick off weakened enemies with his Revolver.

Weapon Specific

A list of useful tidbits about the Spy's tools, and how to counter them.

Primary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Revolver / Big Kill	The Revolver fires quickly and accurately; make yourself a more difficult target by strafing from side to side. Increase the distance between you and the Spy so that his Revolver deals less damage.
Ambassador	A Spy using this weapon will use similar tactics to a Sniper using his Sniper Rifle. Use cover and make erratic movements to reduce your chances of getting headshot. Take advantage of the Spy's increased vulnerability due to the Ambassador's emphesis on aiming for the head, as well as its slower firing speed.
L'Etranger	Spies using the L'Etranger often use hit-and-run tactics, making them particularly elusive. Once you find a Spy, light him on fire or douse him in Jarate/Mad Milk to render cloaking useless.
Enforcer	A Spy equipped with the Enforcer must wait an extra 0.5 seconds to cloak; this can make the difference between killing the Spy and losing track of him. Prevent the Spy from resorting to this weapon, as its 20% damage bonus will give him the upper hand.
Diamondback	The Diamondback will only store crits if the Spy successfully saps a building; Engineers and Pyros equipped with the Homewrecker must be extra diligent in protecting buildings from Sappers.

Secondary Weapons

Weapon

Anti-Spy strategy

Sapper

A Spy can quickly replace any Sappers removed from the target building(s); locate the Spy (who is most likely in disguise) and kill him before removing his Electro Sapper(s). An Engineer who needs to leave his buildings should have another Engineer or a Pyro guard them while he is away. Keep special notice of the Teleporters of you and your teammates. Left unguarded, a Spy can place an Electro Sapper on one end and continue to replace those that are removed by the other end, eventually sapping more health that an Engineer can repair and destroying both ends. This can deal a huge blow to your team.

Melee Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Knife	If you hear the screams of teammates behind you and notice their deaths as backstabs on the kill feed, turn around immediately to avoid being the next victim of a Spy ambush. The Knife does less damage than most other classes' melee weapons, so attack a Spy head on to discourage him from switching to his Revolver. Always keep an eye on the Spy while in close quarters combat; one false turn will give him a chance to backstab you.
Your Eternal Reward	Be careful traveling alone, as a Spy using this weapon can replace you without your team realizing it. Traveling in a line is also very dangerous, especially if no one watches the back. Communication is a vital countermeasure against Your Eternal Reward. Also handy is setting up Sentry Guns in populated areas, as a Spy using Your Eternal Reward cannot use his Disguise Kit.
Conniver's Kunai	The Conniver's Kunai reduces a Spy's max health to 60 HP, but it allows the Spy to receive the health of whomever the Spy backstabs - up to an overheal of 180 Hit Points. If he has just left his team's base, he should be relatively easy to kill; if left unchecked, he could become a more formidable foe. You can locate one of these Spies by the presence of Overheal on an injured "teammate."
Big Earner	The Big Earner reduces the max health by 25, lowering the Spy's maximum hit points to 100. Try to use this as an advantage by engaging the Spy in close combat. The Big Earner will earn +30% Cloak on kill. So if a Spy kills you or you witness him killing a teammate and cloaks, notify your team immediately of his approximate location.

PDA Weapon

Weapon

Anti-Spy strategy

Disguise Kit

Walk into your teammates when possible. Disguised Spies will try to steer clear of you, as they can not pass through you like a teammate would. On occasion, fire at and strike teammates when they approach you from behind, lurk near Buildings, and linger in the back of a group. Many disguised Spies will either turn to face whoever is hurting them or attempt to flee, while most actual teammates will continue (or idle) uninterrupted. Pursue the Spy and you should have little difficulty killing him. As a Medic, spycheck your next heal target before you actually heal him. You may end up assisting a disguised Spy in killing your teammates. As a Pyro, use your Flamethrower on teammates; you may ignite a disguised Spy. Continue burning him, as he cannot escape your reach. Throwing Jarate or Mad Milk can mark a disguised Spy. It's best to do so if you need help killing him. The Disguise Kit also allows a Spy to disguise as another member of his team, to conceal his presence from the enemy. Always assume that there is at least one Spy on the opposing team. Spies can mimic the weapon switching and reloading actions of their disguises. However, they cannot attack, or their disguise is lost. Teammates (even enemies) who do not attack when they should and wield a weapon inappropriate for the situation may very well be a Spy in disguise. A disguised Spy can use Dispensers and Teleporters of the opposing team. Move off or stay off of teleporter exits, or you may get telefragged.

Cloaking Devices

• Cloaked Spies can be revealed if soaked, burned, or they bleed. Try using Jarate, Mad Milk, Flamethrowers, and melee weapons that cause bleed damage in areas where you suspect a Spy is hiding.
  • Emerging from water also compromises a Spy's invisibility. Try chasing a Spy in and out of water.
• The Invisibility Watch and Dead Ringer can be recharged by picking up ammo; Spies can pick up ammo even while they're cloaked. If health kits and ammo boxes are mysteriously disappearing nearby, there may be a cloaked Spy trying to elude you.
• The Invisi Watch and the Cloak and Dagger will show a silhouette of a cloaked Spy if he bumps into an enemy or is hurt (even by a fall); if a Spy's silhouette is revealed, press against him and/or attack to keep him visible until he is killed.
• Disguised Spies can recieve health and ammo from enemy Dispensers, even while they are cloaked. Check near and on top of Dispensers occasionally.
• If you hear an excessive amount of voice responses near you from an unknown source, check the area around you for Spies trying to spook you while cloaked.
• Spies make a fairly loud, distinct noise when they uncloak. Be sure to scan the area around you if you hear it, and spycheck teammates that appear shortly after the sound was made.
• If you see a Spy disappear, alert your team and tell them (in team-only chat, so the Spy won't notice and flee) exactly where you are. If there are teammates nearby, call for help and spycheck them just in case.

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Invisibility Watch / Enthusiast's Timepiece	If a Spy tries to flee with the Invisibility Watch, grab all surrounding ammunition boxes and dropped weapons in order to shorten the cloaking time so that you can catch up to his position.
Cloak and Dagger	Spies using the Cloak and Dagger will often wait in corners or secluded areas to recharge their Cloak. Check those areas if you think a Spy is nearby. A Spy may also choose to hide near you, yet at a different elevation; anywhere you can reach, a Spy may be lying in wait there to try to catch you off guard. The Cloak and Dagger cannot pickup ammo to replenish cloak; while this limits the distance he can travel, it can also make it harder for you to notice a Spy's presence.
Dead Ringer	The Spy has huge damage reduction while cloaking with the Dead Ringer. Try to isolate and/or out-damage him before he gets away. An easy way to follow the Spy is to set him on fire, use Jarate, or use Mad Milk, and follow the trail he leaves, which doesn't disappear on "death" When dueling someone, if you are not given a dueling point after they die, then they died with the Dead Ringer activated. If you are having a shoot out with a Spy and he suddenly stops firing despite looking at you, he is probably waiting for you to trigger his Dead Ringer. Be extra careful if you're staying in the surrounding area. Likewise, when a Spy dies in one hit, you can be very sure you triggered his Dead Ringer. If a Scout activates the Cloak with the Candy Cane, the free medikit won't drop. If he uses the Holy Mackerel, the FISH KILL! symbol will not be displayed, instead showing the FISH HIT x1 symbol (unless he primed it after you hit him, then hit him again). The Dead Ringer can only be activated when it's fully charged. When a Spy wielding the Dead Ringer uncloaks the charge is at least half-empty, so finish him off as quickly as you can and be sure he doesn't take any ammunition crates. Killing a Spy with a primed Dead Ringer will not activate effects on certain weapons, such as the overheal of the Conniver's Kunai, or the quick-disguise of Your Eternal Reward.

Class Set

Set	Anti-Spy strategy
The Saharan Spy	Try to check your back at all times when a Spy has this set, for the decloaking sound will be practically silent. This is especially apparent with the Dead Ringer, as the normally-loud decloaking sound it makes will be lowered by the set. The increased Cloak blink time makes the Saharan Spy's outline while using the Invis Watch or the Cloak and Dagger remain visible for a little longer when bumped into; this makes them easier to spot and track down. Try to have your teammates move around often to make it more difficult for enemy Saharan Spies to manuever behind your team. Sentry nests can be difficult for a Saharan Spy to handle, as he can only infiltrate one after he backstabs one of your teammates. Of course, this may only encourage him to sacrifice this set for a more appropriate loadout.
The Man of Honor	A Spy using this set tends to have a more aggressive playing style, so take him out immediately as he tries to Cloak.

See also

• Team strategy
• Spychecking