Anti-Spy strategy

“

Hey, look, you shape shifted into a dead guy! Click to listen — The Scout

”

The Spy is a cunningly swift espionage agent bent on stabbing everyone's back. He has a slim shape with a poor amount of health, but has a devastating melee attack, requiring his deceptive nature to make use of.

General

Attributes	Anti Spy Strategy
Role	Players of the opposite team cannot pass though each other. Use this to determine if they are a disguised Spy Always check for Spies. Check around corners and behind props Spies are likely to hide behind or near. When spotting a Spy, alert your team and try to chase down the Spy before he causes any (more) damage. Engineers are the only ones that can stand on top of their buildings. Anyone else is a disguised Spy. If a teammate is not firing at the opposing force, it's a good indication of a disguised Spy.
Health	The Spy is quite weak at 125 health points, so he would not be a hassle to kill once he is spotted.
Speed	Spies taking on the disguise of faster classes, such as the Scout, will still run at their base movement speed instead of the speed of the faster class.
Power	The Spy is quite weak by himself, but with disguise and deception, he can be a monster if he approaches and succeeds to backstab.

Weapon Specific

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

Primary Weapons

Weapon	Anti Spy Strategy
Revolver / The Big Kill	The Revolver has a quick firing speed, so move and jump at the same time so you can avoid getting hit.
Ambassador	When fighting a Spy with the Ambassador, always move in an erratic way to avoid being headshotted.
L'Etranger	When a Spy is wielding L'Etranger, kill the Spy as fast as possible to deny him Cloak gained from hits

Secondary Weapons

Weapon	Anti Spy Strategy
Electro Sapper	Spies can hold down Mouse1 to repeatedly place Electro Sappers. Kill the Spy before removing the Sappers if no team-mates are around to help.

Melee Weapons

Weapon	Anti Spy Strategy
Knife	The Knife causes its victim to scream once the Spy backstabs him, so be alert once you hear the final breath of your ally. The Knife is rather weak, so don't be afraid to rush the spy, as he will usually be too busy fleeing to switch to his gun. If a Spy uses the knife to damage you, keep your eyes on him. One look away could result in him landing a Backstab.
Your Eternal Reward	This weapon does not produce a scream from its victim, but it does show in the killfeed. Remember who you are with to avoid dying in a chainstab.

PDA Weapon

Weapon	Anti Spy Strategy
Disguise Kit	Walk toward your team-mates when possible. Disguised Spies will try to steer clear of you, as they can not clip through you like a team mate would. Fire occasionally on your team-mates. Some disguised Spies will turn to face you or begin to flee, while most team mates will continue uninterrupted.

Cloaking Devices

Weapon	Anti Spy Strategy
The Invisibility Watch and Dead Ringer can be recharged even if the Spy is cloaked by picking up metal. If metal is mysteriously disappearing near you, check for a Spy! Cloaked Spies with a disguise on can leech health and Cloak recharges from enemy Dispensers. 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. When a Spy uncloaks you can hear it, if you hear this sound rather close to you, turn around because there will most likely be a Spy behind you.
Invisibility Watch / Enthusiast's Timepiece	If a Spy tries to flee with the Invisibility Watch, grab all surrounding ammunition boxes 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.
Dead Ringer	The Spy has huge damage reduction while under the effect of the Dead Ringer. Try to isolate and/or out-damage him before he gets away. When dueling someone, if you are not given a point after they die, then they died with the Dead Ringer activated.

Class Set

Set	Anti Spy Strategy
The Saharan Spy	Try to check your back at all times when the Spy have this set, for all the decloaking sound volume will be practically silent. His blinking time lasts much longer, so chasing this Spy down is much more easier if you know where he is.

See also

• Spy strategy
• Community Spy strategy
• Spy match-ups
• Team strategy
• Spychecking