Anti-Medic strategy

“

Your doctor is dead! Click to listen — The Heavy

”

The Medic is the main source of healing for his team and deploys game-changing ÜberCharges. Thus, he is almost always the highest priority target. While he moves somewhat quickly and has a decent amount of health, his poor combat weaponry means he relies on the protection of his team to survive. The Medic's unique ability to overheal teammates means that a team without an active Medic is at a severe disadvantage, as the bonus health and constant healing guarantees that his team will outlast the other in a long battle. A Medic who manages to stay alive long enough to build an ÜberCharge can then grant invulnerability, 100% critical chance, resistance to a selected damage type, or a powerful healing buff and immunity to knockback for eight seconds. As such, it is generally a good idea to kill the enemy Medic at any cost, even if it means sacrificing your own life.

General

Attributes	Anti-Medic strategy
Role	Killing the Medic should be top priority when fighting multiple enemies so that the enemy team cannot recover from injuries. The Medic is typically found behind his teammates, but can be ambushed and defeated when on his own. The healing connection between a Medic and his patient can be broken using Knockback.
Health	The Medic has a moderate health pool and natural health regeneration. Combined with his speed, he can flee if his teammates die. The longer the Medic is out of combat, the faster his health regenerates. Consistent damage will keep his health regeneration rate low.
Speed	The Medic has the second highest base speed of all classes, making him agile in firefights. If he flees, you'll have to use alternate movement options. The Scout's agility, Soldier's rocket jumps, or Demoman's Sticky jumps are great options to chase him down.
Power	The Medic's weapons deal only fair damage at close range and are ineffective further out. Most classes should be able to take out an unassisted Medic with little trouble.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Medic weapons

Primary weapons

• Needles fired from Syringe Guns are individually weak, but can quickly add up for huge damage. Don't underestimate the Medic and blindly rush towards him.
• Needles fired from Syringe Guns travel slowly; zig-zagging lets you avoid most of the syringes.
• The Syringe Guns are ineffective at mid range, if you can try attacking the Medic at a fair distance.

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Syringe Gun	A Medic will often use his Syringe Gun when there are no teammates to protect him. A Medic with the Syringe Gun out is likely retreating. Take care not to chase him into too many enemies.
Blutsauger	The Blutsauger's syringes restore health to the Medic on-hit; avoiding the 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. The Blutsauger uses the same sound as the Syringe Gun, making them hard to distinguish from one another. Know what you are dealing with before attacking the Medic.
Crusader's Crossbow + reskins	The Crusader's Crossbow deals more damage the further away a target is. Close the distance to reduce the damage a bolt will deal. The Crusader's Crossbow has a slow firing rate, giving you many opportunities to retaliate. Bolts from the Crusader's Crossbow can also heal the Medic's teammates. Long range shots heal up to 150 health but are difficult to aim; keep up pressure on the Medic and his faraway healing target so each shot misses.
Overdose	A Medic with the Overdose can be harder to catch up to, especially if he's had time to build up his ÜberCharge. Pursuing this Medic may not be worth the risk of leaving your post or running into enemy forces. A Medic using the Overdose is slightly easier to attack when he is separated from his team, as the weapon does 15% less damage than the default Syringe Gun.

Secondary weapons / ÜberCharge

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Medi Gun + reskins	See Defense against ÜberCharge.
Kritzkrieg	See Defense against Kritzkrieg.
Quick-Fix	See Defense against Quick-Fix.
Vaccinator	See Defense against Vaccinator.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Bonesaw + reskins	The Medic's above-average movement speed allows him to chase retreating foes with his Bonesaw. Use a gun that outranges melee weapons to fight back. If you can, use knockback to push away the Medic while fleeing.
Ubersaw + reskins	The Ubersaw grants the Medic 25% to his ÜberCharge meter per melee hit. Stay outside melee range when attacking a lone Medic. If the Medic lands multiple hits with the Ubersaw, he can use the invincibility-granting Übercharge to retreat safely. If he attempts this, use knockback to pin him down. Try binding a key that kills yourself if you are cornered to deny the Medic extra ÜberCharge. The Ubersaw has access to the Spinal Tap taunt kill. Don't blindly rush around corners when chasing any enemy, including the Medic. Instead, attempt to use classes with weapons that have splash damage, such as the Soldier and Demoman. Fire near the corner to check if there is a Medic waiting there to taunt kill you.
Vita-Saw	The Vita-Saw lets the Medic harvest organs that let him retain up to 60% of his ÜberCharge upon death. Stay outside melee range when attacking a lone Medic. If the Medic landed a few melee hits before dying, tell your team to expect an enemy ÜberCharge sooner than usual. A Medic using the Vita-Saw has 10 less health. Attack the Medic as you would if he had the Bonesaw.
Amputator	The Amputator grants extra health regeneration and access to an area-of-effect heal through its taunt. A Medic who takes out the Amputator alone is likely fleeing - keep up the pressure. If you know the enemy Medic is using the Amputator's taunt, he is stuck in place for 4 seconds, long enough for many classes to close the gap and kill him.
Solemn Vow	The Solemn Vow allows a Medic to see his enemies' health, even when it is not his active weapon. The Medic typically uses this information to direct his teammates to finish off a damaged target. The Medic must get a direct line of sight with you to view your health. If he exits cover too often, target him. Knowing what the enemy Medic knows can help you anticipate his team's movements. For example, if the enemy sees you are heavily damaged, they are more likely to pursue you or fight back.

See also

• Team strategy