Anti-Spy strategy

“

Hard ta stab a guy in da back when he's beatin' ya freakin' head in, huh? Click to listen — The Scout

”

The Spy is a cunningly swift espionage agent bent on stabbing everyone's back. The Spy's primary attack is his backstab ability which allows him to instantly kill any class in one hit from behind. The best defense against a Spy is good observational skills; Spies only have so many ways to infiltrate your team and experienced players can usually detect them if there is little to no combat occurring at the time. When caught, most Spies will try and escape rather than engage in a fight because of their limited attack capability. Keep in mind that Spies have different ways of cloaking and backstabbing, including the ability the fake their own death. Pyros are generally considered the first defense against enemy Spies due to their great Spy-checking ability.

General

Attributes	Anti-Spy Strategy
Role	Spies will usually try to get behind your team with his ability to Cloak and disguise. Check around corners and behind props in order to catch any nearby Spies. If you do find an enemy Spy, alert your team and try to chase him down before he does any damage. Disguised Spies will not act like your teammates do. Spy-check often to avoid becoming the victim of an unnoticed enemy Spy.
Health	The Spy is quite weak, with only 125 health points. Once he is spotted, he should not be difficult to kill.
Speed	Spies will move at the speed of the class that they are disguised as, unless that class is faster than they are.
Power	The Spy is quite weak by himself, but if he passes by undetected, he can kill players instantly with a backstab. The Spy has the ability to see the health of enemy players, a smart Spy will use this to pick off weak enemies with his Revolver.

Weapon Specific

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

Primary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Spy Strategy
Revolver / 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 teammates 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 when he attacks from the front, 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, nor a kill notice in the top right corner. Remember who you are with to avoid dying in a chainstab. Although allowing the Spy to rapidly disguise as his victim after a Backstab, the loss of manually disguising makes the Spy more vulnerable after spawning or after firing a weapon. Try to find the Spy early and kill him before he can make that first Backstab.

PDA Weapon

Weapon

Anti-Spy Strategy

Disguise Kit

Walk toward your teammates 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 teammates. Some disguised Spies will turn to face you or begin to flee, while most team mates will continue uninterrupted. Spies can disguise as teammates weilding more than just the primary weapon by switching to the assigned slot for the weapon, and re-disguising. Be sure to shoot at teammates weilding melee and secondary weapons.

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. Spies make a fairly loud, distinct noise when they uncloak. Be sure to scan the area around you if you hear it. Cloaked Spies are revealed when emerging from water. Be sure to check in areas with water sources where a Spy can swim in.
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. An easy way to follow the Spy is to set him on fire, use Jarate, or use Mad Milk, and follow the trail he leaves, which doesn't disappear on "death" When dueling someone, if you are not given a point after they die, then they died with the Dead Ringer activated. If you are having a shoot out with a Spy and he suddenly stops firing despite looking at you, he is probably waiting for you to trigger his Dead Ringer. Be extra careful if you're staying in the surrounding area.

Class Set

Set	Anti-Spy Strategy
The Saharan Spy	Try to check your back at all times when the Spy have this set, for the decloaking sound will be practically silent. This is especially apparent with the Dead Ringer, as the normally-loud decloaking sound of it will be lowered by the set. His blinking time lasts much longer, so chasing this Spy down is much easier if you know where he is.

See also

• Team strategy
• Spychecking