Anti-Medic strategy

“

Your doctor is dead! Click to listen — The Heavy

”

The Medic moves quickly and has a decent amount of health, but is poor at self-defense, requiring the protection of his healing partner and teammates to survive. Medics are the highest priority target on the battlefield due to their ability to heal teammates and deploy ÜberCharges, which grant invulnerability, 100% critical chance or a powerful healing buff for eight seconds. Due to their limited armament, most Medics will flee if they don't have any teammates around for protection. While a low threat by himself, the Medic's ability to overheal his teammates presents a substantial threat to an isolated player and skilled Medics are capable of holding their own if the conditions are right. Nevertheless, it is generally a good idea to kill Medics at any cost, including your own life, as their loss will affect their team far more than your death will affect your team.

General

Attributes	Anti-Medic strategy
Role	The Medic should always be top priority when considering whom to kill. A team without their Medic is at a severe disadvantage. Medics isolated from their teams or Medic buddies are much more easily killed. Medics should be the preferred target when attacking a Medic combo. The healing partner will be minimally affected by most damage until the Medic is dead. The healing connection a Medic has to his partner can be broken using Knockback.
Health	The longer the Medic is out of combat, the faster his health regenerates. Consistent damage can keep his health regeneration rate low.
Speed	The Medic has the second highest base speed of all classes, so he will be harder to pursue and hit. Pay attention to this, and try to take him down using splash damage.
Power	The Medic is quite weak when trying to defend himself. Most classes should be able to take out an unassisted Medic with little trouble.

Weapon-specific

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

Primary weapons

• Needles fired from Syringe Guns are individually weak, but can quickly stack up for huge amounts of damage. Try to avoid as many as possible.
• Needles fired from Syringe Guns are slow to travel and arc significantly. Keeping your distance can make dodging easy.
• Needles are particularly designed for dispatching attackers who are trying to catch the Medic while he's retreating than a direct combat weapon. Ambushing the Medic or using long-range weapons will work better than just rushing at him, thinking he's an easy kill.

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Syringe Gun	When you are facing Medics with the Syringe Gun, note that they will regain much more health when left alone. Attacking these kind of Medics head-on would be a safer choice than by letting them wreak havoc with his Medi Gun.
Blutsauger	The Blutsauger allows a Medic to replenish health; avoiding the Blutsauger's needles is just as important as dealing damage to the Medic firing them. The Blutsauger decreases the Medic's regeneration rate, making him more susceptible to afterburn and bleed.
Crusader's Crossbow	The Crusader's Crossbow deals damage based on how far away the target is. Closing the distance will make it deal less damage. The Crusader's Crossbow has a slow firing rate. Take advantage of this by countering between shots. The bolts fired from this crossbow heal the Medic's allies, and a long-range hit can fully heal most classes. Consider taking a shot if it means denying another enemy a quick heal.
Overdose	The Overdose deals 10% less damage than the stock Syringe Gun. However, as the Medic builds up his ÜberCharge, his movement speed while holding the Overdose will increase proportionally as long as the weapon is drawn, reaching a maximum of 10%. When facing a Medic with the Overdose, it would better to attack him head-on as he would likely outrun you anyway.

Secondary weapons / ÜberCharge

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Medi Gun / Festive Medi Gun	Defense against ÜberCharge
Kritzkrieg	Defense against Kritzkrieg
Quick-Fix	Defense against Quick-Fix.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Bonesaw / Saxxy / Conscientious Objector / Frying Pan	The Medic's above-average movement speed allows him to chase retreating foes with his Bonesaw. Using Knockback or Stun effects may help you eliminate the Medic without taking much damage.
Ubersaw	Meleeing a Medic with the Übersaw should be a last resort, as any hit he lands on you gives him 25% of his ÜberCharge. Hit him from outside melee range to remove this advantage.
Vita-Saw	A Medic using the Vita-Saw may be able to obtain an ÜberCharge more quickly after respawning, but he has less health than a Medic without the Vita-Saw. Attack the Medic as you would if he had the Bonesaw.
Amputator	A Medic with this weapon out may be preparing to taunt heal his team. Wait until he taunts before attacking to make the job easier.
Solemn Vow	A Medic with the Solemn Vow can see you and your teammates' health, making it easier for him to pick off weakened targets. Stay away from him when you have low health.

Item set effects

Main article: Item sets

Set	Anti-Medic strategy
The Medieval Medic	The Medic's extra health regeneration allows him to recover from attacks quickly; try to take out an injured Medic before he can recuperate. Don't expect to finish the Medic off with burning or bleeding effects; the additional regeneration will typically keep him alive long enough to survive it.

See also

• Team strategy