Pyro match-ups

Class			Strategy
Pyro	vs	Scout	Much like the Pyro, the Scout prefers to surprise and retreat. Don't let the Scout know where you are until you're within range to keep him warm. The key is common sense: With increased speed, far-range bullets, and high damage from the Scattergun, the Scout can easily best you if he spots you first. However, light a Scout on fire, and his common sense will go up in flames, along with his accuracy and patience. Flamethrower fire is difficult to dodge, so spraying your shots is recommended. A Compression Blast will propel a Scout away from you, but slower than the Scout's running speed, effectively stalling any retreats. It also launches the Scout in a predictable trajectory, making Shotgun or Flare Gun blasts much easier. Axtinguishing will also drop a Scout in one shot, which is much easier after puffing him against a wall.
Pyro	vs	Soldier	Soldiers are more direct opponents: Their slow speed, high health, and powerful rockets give them little reason to retreat. The rockets make Axtinguishing near impossible, unless you run into a very non-reflexive player. The best way to take down a Soldier is to engage him outside of Shotgun range and reflect rockets back at him. (Reflecting can be difficult at first, but with practice it soon becomes routine.) Listen carefully to which type of Rocket Launcher he uses to time your blasts correctly. Once a Soldier notices you reflecting his rockets, they’ll most likely switch to the Shotgun, even if you’re too far away. The Flare Gun makes a handy tool at this point if you manage to hit him once or twice. Ambushing a Soldier can be effective too; Light them up from the back, and they’ll instantly turn around fire a rocket. Reflecting this in his face will damage him enough for the afterburn to pick them off. The Backburner can also work like this if you can survive a direct rocket to the face. (The closer you are, the more splash damage the Soldier will absorb.) The Equalizer is bad news for you if you don’t have the Compression blast ability. Quickly light up any pickaxe-wielding foes and blast him out of harm’s way; If he’s hurt enough to use the Equalizer, afterburn will finish him off. Soldiers tend to attract Medics as a primary healing target; They’re slightly faster than a Heavy, almost as deadly, and very protective of their doctor. Always engage the Medic first if you can catch them around a corner, where the Soldier can’t see you. Separating the two, even if you can’t kill them, is key.
Pyro	vs	Pyro	Fighting fire with fire can be difficult, since Pyros are immune to afterburn. If it comes down to a Flamethrower duel, play defensive and backpedal: More flames connect if your enemy runs towards your muzzle. While the Backburner deals 20% more damage, the Compression blast can negate this easily in a one-on-one. If you're out of Flamethrower range, use your secondary weapons without hesitation. (Do not dismiss the Flares as useless; A single shot still deals 35 damage, afterburn or not.) Reflecting flares is possible, but most Pyros will dismiss it as pointless. Pyro vs. Pyro is usually a game of who gets the first move. If the other team has multiple Pyros, consider equipping the Shotgun, Powerjack and Fire Axe. While the Fire Axe is less effective than the Flamethrower, Powerjack and Shotgun at point blank, it does sport a 25% chance for Critical hits and may come in handy if your fuel and ammo runs out. The main thing to worry about with enemy Pyros is their tendency to set other people on fire. The Compression Blast will put out burning teammates, and never hesitate to use it. Beware of enemy airblasts, since they can knock you off a cliff or pin you against a wall faster than you can call for a Medic. Again, playing smart is important with the Pyro, despite what your domination-targets may claim.
Pyro	vs	Demoman	The Demoman is like a slightly more dangerous Soldier. Their Grenades fire faster than rockets, and reflected grenades are much trickier to be offensive with. Not to mention their near-average speed gives them the opportunity to retreat, find a health kit, and keep on fighting. Always send a quick puff of flame before a compression blast to light up the Demoman. While reflect-grenades are hard to hit your opponent with, you can still easily reflect them towards his feet. The Mini-Crit bonus is well worth the reflection, if you can get it far enough away from your own hide. If a teammate or Engineer’s building is in danger, reflect any incoming bombs as they won’t hurt your allies. Reflecting Sticky bombs is the easiest way to clean a “carpet,” but the mines will not change ownership upon reflection: They still belong to the Demoman. The Chargin' Targe effectively makes the Demoman much, much weaker. Yes, the shield will reduce some afterburn damage, but once you hear a Demoman’s charge, the airblast makes him as useful as a Spycrab. Quickly airblast him outside of melee range, puff him with fire, and keep juggling him and watch his sword flail uselessly as he tries to hit you. Using the Axtinguisher or reflecting a grenade back at him will finish the job.
Pyro	vs	Heavy	Heavies are bad news. Approached from the front, you will die, pretty much every time. The only way to survive a one-on-one with the Heavy is to, once again, surprise him from behind. The Backburner was designed with the Heavy in mind, and will quickly down the beast in seconds. Otherwise, don’t engage a Heavy if his Minigun is revving: The moment it takes to rev up his gun is a perfect opportunity for attack. When the Backburner’s out of the question, the easiest way to kill a Heavy is to ignite him with a single puff and Axtinguish him twice. If you do it fast enough to not get killed yourself, there’s no way he can survive two Critical hits. If a Heavy is constantly spinning his Minigun, stay out of sight and use the Flare Gun. His slow speed makes him a much easier target, and from a long distance, flares will Crit on flaming targets. On maps like Nucleus and Offblast, which feature perilous pitfalls, a Compression Blast is a shameless, but wholly effective means of eliminating a Heavy in one stroke. Never leave a Heavy half-finished if you can help it. More often than not, he’s hiding a Sandvich and can run off for a quick bite to eat, making any previous efforts to kill him worthless. Follow him stealthily if you think he’s running off to eat, since a quick puff and an Axtinguisher will cut his lunch break short. Remember that Natascha-wielding Heavies are difficult to evade, and if you find yourself caught with one, it’s often just best to take whatever health you can off of his counter.
Pyro	vs	Engineer	The Engineer is not much for a Pyro to worry about. As weak as a Scout, but with normal speed and mediocre weapons, Engies are more of a novelty than a threat. The Flamethrower, Flare Gun, Shotgun, pretty much any weapon can make Texas Toast out of any hardhat. The main problem is, of course, his Sentry Gun. Directly engaging he Sentry Gun is not impossible, but made difficult the higher-upgraded and protected it is. Level 1 Sentry Guns and Mini-Sentry Guns can be circle strafed with the Flamethrower easily, but not so much for its upgraded brethren. These are best taken out by peeking around a corner or ledge where you can see the Sentry Gun but it can’t see you. Fire away. The Homewrecker weapon, while originally intended for taking out Sentry Guns, is much too difficult to use effectively on an active Sentry Gun. Save it for removing Sappers, Dispensers, teleports, or just for humiliating the enemy team when you feel lucky. If your team features a Soldier, Demoman, Sniper, or Spy, simply tell them through chat the whereabouts of the Sentry Gun and let them deal with it. Explosives, Sappers, or Sniper rifles make quick work of Sentry Guns; you most likely won’t, unless you manage to plug the Sentry Gun with six flares in a row before an Engineer can repair it. However, if you discover a large Engineer camp, nothing takes it out faster than an ÜberCharged Pyro with a sticky trigger. If the Engineer is manually controlling his Sentry with the Wrangler, you'll need to be sneaky to deal with him. The Backburner is ideal to take out the Engineer while his attention is focused on the action, or, if using the regular Flamethrower, a compression blast or two into the air will disorient him enough to be incapable of reacting in time before you can take him out. Once he's dead, or if you're feeling lucky while he's still alive, you can take out the Sentry with the Homewrecker in a matter of seconds, or else it'll be revved back up to blow you to pieces in no time.
Pyro	vs	Medic	Everyone seems to have it out for the Medic, and for good reason. With instantaneous healing powers and the ability to negate your afterburn effects, you have every reason to want to target him. But don’t take the Medic as a harmless threat: Needles hurt, and if they’re Blutsauger needles, they’re real bad news. Just remember that even a burning Medic, after retreating, will be able to heal up more and more with time. Kill him quickly and quietly, if at all possible. More than likely, a good Medic will bring a big dog on his leash: Heavies, Soldiers, and other Pyros will often keep the Medic in their pocket, leeching off of the overheal effects. Use the Airblast to separate a Medic from their buddy, even during ÜberCharges, but try to do it without being spotted by the Medic-buddy. The Axtinguisher will kill a Medic instantly if you’ve already lit him up. Remember that leaving a single Medic alive is the equivalent of letting the entire other team survive.
Pyro	vs	Sniper	The Sniper is perhaps the Pyro’s foil: You thrive at small quarters, the Sniper likes long range. His kills are instantaneous, you take things slow with fire. The obvious choice is to not let the Sniper know where you are, much less see you. Ambush is the best way to kill a Sniper, no matter what, but sometimes that option is difficult. A Sniper set on fire will find it very hard to line up a shot, effectively saving you from headshots. Jarate is your worst enemy, as it can be used offensively, defensively, and every other way against fire. Just after a Sniper throws his jar is the best time to light him on fire, since he’s helpless to extinguish it. If a Sniper is foolish enough to throw Jarate in your presence, reflecting it will make your fire Mini-Crit on the Sniper himself, even at point-blank. Huntsman arrows are tricky to reflect, but with practice you can become rather good at it. Remember that a Sniper cannot fire arrows while mid-air, so juggling him will keep his arrows at bay. The instant he touches ground, however he can and will fire, so timing a reflect of his arrow is both impressive and easy. Again, with the Sniper Rifle or Huntsman, the key is to engage him up close and not be seen from far away.
Pyro	vs	Spy	The Spy is your natural prey. Disguise or not, you can burn any Spy to the ground within seconds, and in fact, Spy checking is the Pyro’s most important job. Light a Spy up, and he’ll stay burning whether he’s disguised or cloaked, save for Dead Ringer users. The Homewrecker is a great tool for removing enemy Sappers in one stroke, if you’re a real credit to team. The main problem is not the Spy’s Revolver, or even his ability to headshot with the Ambassador, but it is those Spies who use the Dead Ringer over… and over… and over. Light a Spy on fire, and if he dies within one second, you can rest assured he’s still alive. Keep firing on the Spy long beyond its death, even in the general vicinity, and you can light him up again. Airblast him against a wall until his Cloak runs out, and you’ve got him in the bag. The Backburner can take out a Spy equally as quick, but has no failsafe in case they use the Dead Ringer. Axtinguisher chops are very effective as soon as he decloaks. Another great way to keep a Spy from continuously cloaking is to take all the ammunition available, forcing him to decloak. Spies everywhere will hate you for this.

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