Anti-Scout strategy

“

Never send a boy to fight a man's war. Click to listen — The Soldier

”

The Scout is a very fast, maneuverable class that packs a high amount of firepower at close range, making him extremely effective in one-on-one combat. He excels in open environments, where his speed and double jump allow him to easily maneuver around a map, close long distances, and ambush the most vulnerable enemies. He can use his mobility to completely avoid damage, more than making up for his lack of health. Depending on his loadout, a Scout can bring along weapons with additional utility that help him pick off individual targets with even more ease. If you can restrict a Scout's manueverability, you can easily dispose of him.

General

Attributes	Anti-Scout strategy
Role	The Scout excels at taking alternate paths to avoid direct combat, ambushing vulnerable enemies, and accomplishing mission objectives. Keep an eye on routes he might take and constantly report his location to teammates.
Health	The Scout is very frail and can be killed in just a few good shots.
Speed	The Scout is extremely fast and can double jump, so carefully predict his movements to ensure your attacks hit, particularly when using projectile weapons. If he is airborne, wait until he exhausts his double jump before trying to land airshots. His maneuverability allows him to easily chase any other class but is less powerful in confined areas, where he has less room to dodge.
Power	The Scout’s weapons are devastating at close range but very weak at long range. Thus, he must put himself in danger and actively enter combat to have any chance at killing enemies.

Weapons

Main article: Scout weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Scout strategy
Scattergun / Festive Scattergun	The Scattergun deals immense damage at point-blank range and will allow a Scout to stay in combat for a modest amount of time. Although he is faster than you, do your best to stay at medium range to minimize the damage you may take while trading blows. It takes a considerably long time for a Scout to reload his Scattergun; if he uses most or all of his six shots, keep pressuring him into firing so that he cannot fully reload.
Force-A-Nature	The Force-A-Nature deals even more damage than the Scattergun up close, but must be reloaded every two shots. If the Scout insists on staying in close combat, pick him off during his frequent reloading periods. The Force-A-Nature's knock back effects let a Scout easily reposition or disorient you for a follow-up shot, so avoid lingering near walls where you can quickly be cornered or hazards that you can be blasted into.
Shortstop	The Shortstop has a tight bullet spread suited for medium range. By closing the distance, the Scout may find it more difficult to hit you. Steal health packs, kill Medics, and destroy Dispensers to prevent the Scout from making use of the Shortstop's healing bonus. When the Scout has his Shortstop as his active weapon, he suffers extra vulnerability to knockback. Make use of this weakness to juggle the Scout into the air, or to push him into an environmental hazard.
Soda Popper	Like the Force-A-Nature, the Soda Popper must frequently be reloaded, which will often leave the Scout vulnerable. However, the Soda Popper reloads much faster, so beware. You’ll need to quickly eliminate a Scout with a full Hype charge, which gives the Scout the ability to jump up to five times in mid-air (for a total of six jumps) making him nearly impossible to hit mid-air.
Baby Face's Blaster	The Baby Face's Blaster only holds 4 rounds per clip, but the Boost the weapon can provide allows a Scout to retreat and reload with ease. Remain with your team to reduce a Scout's chances at a successful hit-and-run. Force a Scout using the Baby Face's Blaster to double or triple jump in order to reduce his Boost. Try to predict his movements if he insists on staying grounded, and lure him into areas filled with weapon fire. Try to pick off the Scout as he leaves his respawn area, where he is at his slowest. Keep your distance as you engage him so that he deals minimal damage (and thus, earns minimal Boost).

Secondary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Scout strategy
Pistol / Lugermorph	While the Scout might use the Pistol to harass you from a distance, its damage is minor and its ammunition pool is meager. Keep your distance from him to take advantage of his weak long range capabilities.
Bonk! Atomic Punch	Bonk! Atomic Punch helps a Scout get past dangerous areas, such as chokepoints or Sentry Gun nests. He can’t fight while under its effects, so impede his movement by body blocking him or using knock back.
Crit-a-Cola	While Crit-a-Cola will allow a Scout to deal Mini-Crits to you, you deal 10% more damage to him. He’ll often consume it when preparing for an ambush, so be alert and pick him off first.
Mad Milk	The healing provided by Mad Milk will let an accurate Scout stay in a fight for a prolonged period of time. If you’re covered by it, you’ll either need to retreat or take him out very quickly.
Winger	The Winger functions similarly to the Pistol and should be treated the same way; keep a distance so it can only deal minor damage. It also gives the Scout a +25% bonus jump height when active, so be prepared to cover additional routes he can take while in combat, especially when he's retreating.
Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol	The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol functions similarly to the Pistol and should be treated the same way. Be mindful of the increased health given to the Scout by this weapon. If possible, use fire to dispatch of him more quickly. Look out for attacks from above, as the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol makes a Scout immune to fall damage.
Flying Guillotine	The Flying Gullotine is ideal for picking off weakened targets; move erratically when retreating or fighting the Scout so that he misses with the weapon. A Scout can pair the Flying Gullotine with the Sandman to deal critical hits that few classes can withstand. This can prove deadly to your team if the Scout is accurate with both weapons.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Scout strategy
Bat / Saxxy / Conscientious Objector / Festive Bat / Frying Pan / Freedom Staff / Bat Outta Hell / Ham Shank	A Scout that insists on using the Bat could easily deal more damage at close range with any of his primary weapons, actually giving you a slight advantage in melee combat so long as you keep your aim steady.
Sandman	If you are stunned by the Sandman's baseball, retreat towards your teammates so that they can protect you. Keep your aim on the Scout so that you can immediately retaliate once the effect wears off. Utilize cover, and keep moving to avoid getting hit by the Sandman's stun ball from long distances; if struck by one from a far enough range, you will be stunned in place for 7 seconds. Without teammates to protect you, you are effectively helpless for this duration and can potentially be taunt-killed.
Holy Mackerel / Unarmed Combat	The Holy Mackerel functions similarly to the Bat but announces each hit in the kill feed. Hit announcements can be used to determine the whereabouts of a Scout. Spies should be wary of using the Dead Ringer when hit by the Holy Mackerel; it will show a hit, not a death, in the kill feed, which can compromise their cover.
Candy Cane	A Scout who has the Candy Cane in his loadout is 25% more vulnerable to explosions; use rockets, grenades, and/or bombs to dispatch him quickly. Try to steal the small health kits dropped by teammates that the Scout aided in killing while having the Candy Cane in his loadout.
Boston Basher / Three-Rune Blade	Continuously evade a Scout that is attacking you with the Boston Basher so that he damages himself instead. A creative Scout might use the weapon's negative attribute to propel himself to unusual locations; however, this will often cost the Scout half his health, making retaliation against him easier.
Sun-on-a-Stick	The Sun-on-a-Stick does less base damage than the standard Bat. If you are set on fire, you should always be trying to extinguish yourself, retreating from and/or repelling any Scout that may try to pick you off with this weapon.
Fan O'War	If you are marked for death by the Fan O’War, the Scout will likely try to chase you down with his primary weapon. Adjust your one-on-one tactics to his chosen weapon accordingly and try to move to where your teammates are so they can help. A Scout may use the Fan O'War to identify which enemy his team should focus fire on; take cover or retreat until the mark wears off, preferrably while having teammates cover you for the duration.
Atomizer	While a Scout might never use the Atomizer in actual combat, the triple jump greatly increases his mobility. Performing the third jump costs 10 HP, however, which can expedite killing him. Beware of ambushes from Scouts who use the Atomizer and the Soda Popper with full Hype together; the combination allows them to reach even greater heights.
Wrap Assassin	While a Scout might not use the Wrap Assassin in direct combat, the projectile it launches can inflict the bleed effect on you. Bleeding can be negated by any source of healing.

See also

• Double jumping
• Team strategy