Spy match-ups

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I'm going to gut you like a Cornish game hen. Click to listen — The Spy on his battle plan

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Class			Strategy
Spy	vs	Scout	Scouts rarely stand still and are difficult to hit with any of your weapons. With his speed, he can simply bump into you to Spy-check and easily chase you down and kill you with his superior damage. The Force-A-Nature’s knockback, Mad Milk, and the Boston Basher’s bleed effect can aid in revealing you further, so it may be best to avoid him whenever possible. If you end up directly fighting a Scout, backpedal erratically and rely on your Revolver; you don’t want to fight him at close range. With the Enforcer, you hold the advantage against Scouts at midrange, since you can kill them in two shots, while they need three to kill you.
Spy	vs	Soldier	A skilled Soldier rarely attacks from places you can reach easily. They are either rocket jumping, firing from a high ledge, or ahead of their team. Even when distracted and succeptible to a backstab, they'll often rocket jump to move around, and this will kill you in one shot if you're caught in the blast. If you are spotted close to him, the only thing that can save you is the Dead Ringer. Last but not least, they're proficient at spy-checking thanks to their huge damage and splash area. These things coupled with the fact that most Revolvers are useless against his high hp (save the Ambassador), surprisingly makes the Soldier a worse counter than even the Pyro. On the other hand, they walk slowly and are usually distracted with their target, so unskilled Soldiers are remarkably easy to backstab. Just make sure you're not spotted.
Spy	vs	Pyro	While at mid-range you are much more powerful and mobile than the Pyro, his simple ability to cover a huge area with fire, and burn through Cloak and Disguise alike, makes the Pyro your most notable and obvious counter. They'll continuously use their Flamethrower to Spy-check all of his teammates, denying you any type of backstab attempt or chance of retreat. If you are set on fire, uncloak immediately and run for the nearest body of water or source of Health. If you must directly fight a Pyro, either backpedal while firing your Revolver, or straight up run away from him, seeking assistance from your team. Even in the midst of combat, his Flamethrower’s large spread may inadvertently reveal you, making him a suboptimal choice to try to backstab. The Dead Ringer or Spycicle can give you an upper hand in this matchup, by giving you alternative ways to extinguish flames. Having a strong Revolver (Stock Revolver, Ambassador or Enforcer) gives you the advantage in one-to-one fights, however his secondary weapons still pose you a threat.
Spy	vs	Demoman	A Demoman will often be too focused on combat or laying Sticky traps to pay attention to you. He moves relatively slowly, allowing you to easily catch up for a backstab. Your Cloak and disguise can be used to pass over his Sticky traps with some degree of safety. They are also usually positioned behind their team, and can't suddenly sticky jump like to Soldiers can rocket jump. All this means they're one of the classes you counter directly. In a one-on-one encounter, your revolver poses decent threat to him, while his weapons can be dodged and take a long time to reload. Just remember to stay out of his superior melee weapons' range, and fear his charge attack should he have a shield equipped.
Spy	vs	Heavy	A Heavy is a large, slow target who provides a lot of firepower for his team. He will often be too focused on combat at the frontlines to pay attention to you and thus is your natural prey. Killing him should take much of the pressure off from you as you retreat back to your team. However, if your backstab fails and you are discovered, retreat immediately; his Minigun’s wide spread will easily track your Cloak, if the sheer damage doesn’t kill you first.
Spy	vs	Engineer	You act as a direct counter to the Engineer. While the two of you are about even in a one-on-one encounter, the Engineer will typically be near his Sentry Gun, which can easily mow down whatever it targets. However, your Cloak and disguise won’t draw the attention of his Sentry Gun, allowing you to approach and disable his buildings with your Electro Sappers. If there are no other enemies in the area, you can place Electro Sappers faster than he can remove them, forcing him to abandon his buildings and attack you. If you constantly dodge his fire, his buildings will eventually fall. However, there will typically be other foes guarding the area around the Sentry Gun, forcing you to use some tact. If the Engineer is working on his buildings, employ the “Stab then sap” strategy: backstab him, quickly sap his Sentry Gun before it can attack you, then flee. Although this is a very effective technique, it’s best to attempt this while the Sentry Gun is facing away from you or in the midst of upgrading; otherwise, you might take significant damage following the backstab. If an Engineer is between you and his Sentry Gun, it is possible to bait the Sentry Gun into firing at its owner by revealing yourself. If you are having difficulty approaching a Sentry Gun, Your Eternal Reward will allow you to maintain a disguise immediately following a backstab, which may make it easier to enter sapping range. If there are too many enemies guarding the area, it’s best to coordinate with your teammates; you can simply disable all nearby buildings and continue on your business while your allies destroy them. If you are feeling particularly devious, you can try to travel through the Engineer’s Teleporter Exit to telefrag him and easily access the rest of his buildings.
Spy	vs	Medic	A Medic’s ability to heal his teammates makes him one of your most important targets. He will often be looking behind his allies to check for threats when healing, so you may have to rely on appearing unsuspicious as you approach. Do your best to act like a member of the enemy team as you prepare to backstab the Medic. To avoid retaliation, it is best to backstab him, then his patient. If your backstab fails, it is best to retreat, as even the Medic outshines you in close range combat. If you are particularly devious and the Medic is particularly unaware, you can disguise as a viable Medic buddy and trick him into following you into a trap or wasting an ÜberCharge on you.
Spy	vs	Sniper	A Sniper will typically be focused on aiming at targets that are far away and will not notice that you’re behind him. If he is wearing the Razorback, simply gun him down with your primary weapon before he can retaliate. However, should the Sniper discover you, he can use Jarate or the bleed effect from the Tribalman's Shiv to nullify your Cloak and disguise, leaving you vulnerable to all nearby enemies. Even with his weak close range weapons, a Sniper is capable of defeating you in a one-on-one encounter, especially if he inflicts one of his debuffs on you. If your backstab fails, keep a modest distance while firing your Revolver or simply retreat and try again later.
Spy	vs	Spy	Although it is rare for you to backstab another Spy, you can Spy-check by approaching the backs of teammates with the Knife equipped; if you automatically raise it as if to backstab someone, that "teammate" is a Spy. If you’re in enemy territory, you may have the opportunity to see if an enemy Spy changes his disguise; if you are not in a position to attack him, simply report this information to your team and continue about your usual business. If you end up directly fighting an enemy Spy, dodge his attacks while retaliating with the Revolver.

See also

• Team strategy