User:TheJohns

MvM Assessments

Class	Assessment
Scout	Excellent money collector  Great support capability  Flexible builds  Fast respawn time  Somewhat limited early game Due to the Scout's unique abilities involving money collection, multiple debuff applications and a myriad of viable upgrade options, the Scout is an excellent addition to any team composition. Early game, the Scout is primarily focused on collecting the money while applying Mad Milk or the Fan O'War mark for death when opportunity presents, as well as marginal damage. Later, the Scout will have enough money to either buy resistance and focus on "tanking" or upgrade his primary so that he can dish out damage as well. He can also switch to the Sandman and buy the Mark on Death upgrade to make applying mini-crits easier.
Weapon	Assessment
Scattergun	Probably the best choice for Scouts going for an offensive build. Buying Projectile Penetration early lets Scout provide a bit of "chip damage" early, and once you have enough money for damage, reload speed and clip size, he can dish out significant damage on his own. Rating: Very Good
Force-A-Nature	The Force-a-Nature is suited for a more support type build. While the pushback is somewhat difficult to control, pushback in general is useful, particularly in stalling giants in the FaN's case. While it can be built for damage like the Scattergun, its small clip size makes it less efficient than the Scattergun. Rating: Good
Shortstop	Rating:
Soda Popper	Similar in the FaN's capabilities, except it swaps out pushback for mini-crits. The constant mini-crit boosts lets the Scout deal more damage at certain periods and also lets the Scout be a threat at mid-range, thanks to the lack of damage falloff. While still not as good in terms of raw damage as the Scattergun, the Soda Popper is more effective against waves of regular robots. Rating: Good
Baby Face's Blaster	It's easy to charge up the speed boost with a few shots, and is easy to maintain charges as long as you don't constantly double jump for some reason. After charging it, the Scout becomes even more effective at collecting money circle strafing giants. The reduced speed at zero boosts is not a big deal, although it may make a difference in getting all the cash or not. The reduced clip size makes the Blaster slightly weaker offensively compared to the Scattergun, but is not a huge loss. Rating: Very Good
Pistol	The Scout rarely needs a Pistol in MvM. Not only are there far better secondary choices, its ability to harass at long range is not necessary due to healing from collecting money and is overshadowed by a Scattergun with Projectile Penetration. Rating: Weak
Mad Milk	Arguably the "best" secondary for the Scout. The Mad Milk's healing grant sustainability that allows the class to tank hits while damaging the robots, and is particularly useful against giants. The slowdown is also a nice addition to the Mad Milk's already powerful debuff. Generally, Mad Milk should be fully upgraded first, regardless of build. Rating: Very Good
Bonk! Atomic Punch	If money is sitting on or behind a highly dangerous area, Bonk allows the Scout to bypass that danger, especially in situations where the Scout just respawned or doesn't have enough health. It can also be used to tank incoming fire for a few seconds. While by no means bad, it's overshadowed by the Mad Milk's sheer effectiveness, and the invulnerability can be substituted with an Uber canteen, even though it costs money. Rating: Good
Crit-a-Cola	Gives the Scout more damage and is one of the only sources of mini-crits against Tanks. However, taking mini-crits is very dangerous for Scouts, and is much more limited in its versatility compared to his other secondaries. Can be used as a last-ditch effort against a Tank that's giving the team a very hard time. Rating: Situational
Winger	While slightly better than a pistol thanks to its passive jump height boost, it is still heavily outclassed by other secondaries in usefulness. Rating: Weak
Bat	Rating:
Fan O'War	Mark for death is a very powerful debuff against giants and the like. What makes the Fan O'War truly shine is it requires no credit investment to use it effectively. Later in the game, it can be substituted for a Sandman, or you can just stick to the Fan O'War if you don't plan on investing money on the Sandman. Rating: Very Good
Sandman	While it reduces the Scout's max health, marking an enemy at a range is far more safer than making a "suicide run" to mark a robot using the Fan O'War. Even then, as long as you continue to collect money the health penalty should be rather negligible. Rating: Very Good
Wrap Assassin	Offers zero advantages comparable to the Fan O'War and the Sandman. Even with multiple bauble, the best you can do with them is slightly damage a few robots, which other weapons are far better at. Rating: Very Weak

Class	Assessment
Soldier	High AoE damage   Great vs. Tanks   Doubles as support   Very money-dependent The Soldier is a bread-and-butter class, and provides the team a little bit of everything. Any of his primaries can demolish a wave of robots, and when upgraded and combined with a crit boost, the Soldier can deal an insane amount of burst damage to giants and Tanks. The Soldier can also buff his teammates, and the Buff Banner is one of the only sources of mini-crits against tanks.
Weapon	Assessment
Rocket Launcher	High damage, large splash radius and ease of aim means the Rocket Launcher is just as powerful as it is in the base game. Although the default Rocket Launcher is an acceptable option, the other primaries have bonuses that will outweigh its disadvantage pretty fast. Rating: Good
Direct Hit	The Direct Hit makes the Soldier better at destroying high-profile targets, but reduces his effectiveness against crowds of robots. With the Rocket Specialist upgrade, the Soldier becomes very effective at slowing down a giant at longer ranges, although the increased blast radius matters little, even when maxed out. Whether you're willing to give up valuable splash damage for increased effectiveness against giants and tanks (early game, late game its damage bonus is moot since the maximum upgrade damage level for the Direct Hit is 3) is up to you. Rating: Situational
Black Box	The Black Box gives the Soldier more survivability, which improves as you upgrade the Black Box. Its disadvantage becomes almost trivial as you upgrade clip size. Rating: Very Good
Cow Mangler 5000	While slightly weaker than the default Rocket Launcher, the Cow Mangler's main strength is its infinite ammo, which by itself is a big advantage, as it removes the need to retreat to collect ammo and saves money. However, the Cow Mangler comes with a huge disadvantage of not being able to be crit boosted at all, thus greatly reducing its effectiveness against Tanks. The alt-fire charge shot also useless, since it uses up all the ammo regardless of clip size. Rating: Good
Beggar's Bazooka	Many Soldiers swear by the Begger's Bazooka as their choice of primary in MvM, and for a good reason. Firing multiple rockets means the Soldier can take out a wave of robots or a giant very quickly, and it makes the most out of a crit boost Canteen once reload and firing speed are fully upgraded. It does have its disadvantages, as ammo is a constant issue since you can't gain ammo from dispensers, range deviation can be problematic if you are trying to focus on a single target, and the Begger's Bazooka requires a lot of money to reach its peak. Rating: Very Good
Liberty Launcher	The damage penalty is a significant drawback to the Liberty Launcher. However, some of that can be mitigated with Rocket Specialist, allowing you to deal good damage even from far distances, as long as you get a direct hit. Combining the projectile speed bonus from both the Liberty Launcher and Rocket Specialist, you can very easily get constant direct shots, even against Snipers, and unlike the Direct Hit, you will deal a lot of splash damage with it. This bonus does not apply to Tanks, however. Rating: Situational
Shotgun	Rating: Very Weak
Buff Banner	The Buff Banner is extremely effective in MvM. You won't be relying on your secondaries for damage in MvM, and compared to the Battalion's Backup or the Concheror, the mini-crit boost from the Buff Banner is the most useful out of the three. It is one of the most accessible source of mini-crits in general, and practically the only source of mini-crits against Tanks. Rating: Very Good
Battalion's Backup	The damage resistance aid you and your team's survivability, plus it makes crit-boosted robots a much lower threat for a few seconds. While not as good as mini-crits, in certain missions where crit-boosted robots come by the dozen, it can come in handy. The start-up time means you can't use it as a clutch save, somewhat diminishing its effectiveness. Rating: Situational
Concheror	While the healing increases survivability against constant fire, it's not as generally useful as mini-crits and is not as convenient as Mad Milk. The startup makes using it in an emergency cumbersome. On the other hand, if there is another Soldier with a Buff Banner, you can use the Concheror to supplement your team better. Rating: Situational
Righteous Bison	Rating:
Shovel	The Shovel is already one of the worse vanilla melee weapons in TF2, and is even less useful in MvM. Rating: Very Weak
Escape Plan	Probably the only viable melee weapon choice for the Soldier. Thanks to the effectiveness of his primary after upgrades (as well as its dependency on upgrades), there will only be few cases where you use your Melee for damage. The Escape Plan's speed boost makes it a great weapon for retreating. Rating: Good
Equalizer	Rating:
Disciplinary Action	Rating:

Class	Assessment
Pyro	Can Airblast   Lots of weapon choices   Flexible builds   Short range effectiveness   Dependent on resistances The Pyro's trump card is his airblast, allowing him to stall giants and most importantly, reset the bomb by pushing the bomb carrier into a pit. A Pyro dedicated to resetting the bomb can greatly increase the chance of his team winning a tough mission. Beyond this, the Pyro is capable of other roles, whether it's drawing fire and tanking hits, dealing heavy damage up close with an upgraded Flamethrower or heavy damage long range with an upgraded Flare Gun.
Weapon	Assessment
Flame Thrower	Typically, the dedicated "pusher" Pyro will simply upgrade his airblast force and ammo capacity, and dump the rest on resistances and Uber Canteens. However, the damage capabilities of the Flamethrower should not be overlooked. If you can manage to upgrade the damage, the Flamethrower can burn through waves of robots, giants and even Tanks. Rating: Very Good
Degreaser	Although slightly weaker than the default Flamethrower, the reduced damage is almost negligible in case of pure "pusher" Pyros, as they are not focused on dealing damage in the first place. The Degreaser is more suitable if you plan on relying on another weapon for damage. Rating: Very Good
Backburner	Although the Pyro will be drawing much of the attention since he's closest to the front lines, crit damage is beneficial if you can get behind a robot. The increased airblast ammo cost means the Pyro ability to stall is less effective. The Backburner is more suited for Pyros leaning towards the offensive, but still want to airblast when the situation calls for it. Rating: Situational
Phlogistinator	While it's easy to charge the "Mmmph" meter, the activation can potentially save your life, and is a very cheap way to obtain Crits, you are sacrificing airblast for it, and much of your utility with it. Although the Pyro has strong damage potential, you need a lot of money in order to reach that peak. Unless you have another Pyro with airblast, not recommended on harder missions. Rating: Situational
Shotgun	Rating:
Flare Gun	The Flare Gun allows the Pyro to be a threat at long range, particularly against giants. If you can manage to upgrade it, it allows the Pyro to deal a constant 120 damage per hit after the first shot while being out of harm's way. While not as powerful as the Flamethrower, it's also cheaper to upgrade. Rating: Good
Detonator	If used the same way as the Flare Gun, it's inferior in every way. It only mini-crits burning enemies, so its power is greatly diminished. Detonating it to light multiple enemies has little point, since the burn damage is rather negligible. Flare jumping rarely comes in handy in MvM, and can be outperformed by jump upgrades. Rating: Weak
Manmelter	Pyro robots are an uncommon sight, so there are few opportunities to charge it, and even then you are not likely to deliberately extinguish a teammate, let alone find a burning one. It deals no bonus damage against burning enemies, which makes it already inferior to the Flare Gun. Even when charged, you are limited to how many times you can charge it, while the condition required to crit with the Flare Gun is to simply hit the target once. Rating: Very Weak
Scorch Shot	Rating:
Fire Axe	Similar to how Pyros rarely use the vanilla Axe in the base game, the Axe has no practical purpose in MvM. Rating: Very Weak
Axtinguisher	The Axtinguisher is perfect for Pyros who don't plan on upgrading the Flamethrower's damage. It allows you to conserve your ammo for airblasts and does not require heavy investment to use it effectively. You can use it to take out Uber Medics in desperate situations, but you need to do it fast. Rating: Very Good
Back Scratcher	If there is no Medic on the team and you find yourself healing from health packs often, the Back Scratcher is a very good weapon to have. The bonus damage is also a plus, and it may be stronger than the Flamethrower in some situations. Rating: Good
Powerjack	While deployed, it increases the Pyro's movement speed, which is important if a Pyro needs to reach an objective fast. As long as it's used in a safe area, the increased damage taken should not be a problem. The Powerjack is best used for Pyros who rely on their other weapons for damage. Rating: Good
Third Degree	While its use is limited, it does have one trick: If crit boosted, it will eliminate a Medic in one hit. Although extremely risky, you can use this tactic to take out a group of Uber Medics all healing the same giant if you lack any other way to eliminate them in one hit. Rating: Situational

Class	Assessment
Demoman	High AoE damage  Good vs. Tanks & Uber Medics  (Demoknight) Natural resistances  (Demoknight) Good vs. Steel Gauntlets  (Both) Very money-dependent  (Demoknight) Melee-range effectiveness  (Demoknight) No Sticky Launcher  (Demoknight) Dependent on resistance stacking Similar to the Soldier, the Demoman also excels in dealing heavy AoE damage. Unlike the Soldier who deals damage in a "spray and pray" style, the Demoman needs a little more time to prep his shots. The Demoman's ability to stack Sticky Bombs means that he has little trouble dealing with Uber Medics. Should he decide to swap his Sticky Launcher for the board, the Demoknight has some powerful advantages, although it means he will often the the brunt of the attack.
Weapon	Assessment
Grenade Launcher	If you plan on using your Grenade Launcher as your main weapon, its functionality is similar to the Rocket Launcher. You can use it behind cover more effectively than the Rocket Launcher, but it's ineffective at longer ranges. Combine with the Chargin' Targe and you got a slightly more durable and faster Soldier. Its use as a sidearm diminishes as you upgrade the Sticky Launcher. Rating: Good
Loch-n-Load	While the extra damage is a strong bonus, it requires utmost accuracy to use, and it can become difficult to aim in certain situations. You also won't be able to "Spray and Pray" at a safe location. Rating: Situational
Loose Cannon	The damage reduction after contact on surface and reduced detonation time makes it more difficult and less effective as an AoE weapon, but the knockback is a very valuable asset. It's easier to knockback with the Loose Cannon than with other explosive weapons, and it can be used to push back giants and ubered robots when needed. The utility makes it a strong sidearm to the Sticky Launcher. Rating: Very Good
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	The Booties is a good item to have if you plan on relying exclusively on your Sticky Launcher, as it gives you a slight boost to your health in exchange for a weapon you don't plan on using. On the other hand, on a Demoknight setup, this means that you have no ranged capabilities whatsoever, which makes the Demoknight helpless against melee-oriented giants and forces you to play offensively. Rating: Situational
Stickybomb Launcher	The Sticky Launcher is a very effective weapon in MvM mode. It is a powerful AoE weapon especially with upgrades, and it can be prepped between waves of robots to deal massive damage in an area. It uses Crit canteens very efficiently, and it eliminates Uber Medics very effectively. Rating: Very Good
Scottish Resistance	Just as powerful as the Sticky Launcher, but even more effective at defense. The extra sticky bombs deployable allows for even better sticky carpets, and the ability to selectively detonate bombs makes it more efficient. The bonus firing speed also saves some money on upgrades. However, the longer priming time makes it harder to use when under pressure or in succession. Rating: Very Good
Chargin' Targe	Equipping the Chargin' Targe means you are sacrificing the very powerful Sticky Launcher, but it does come with its own benefits. The extra resistances provided helps the Demoman survive longer, and the charge can be used to get in or get out of fights quickly. Having the Chargin' Targe equipped lets you upgrade your melee weapon damage. Rating: Situational
Splendid Screen	Same as the Chargin' Targe, except with weaker resistances. Typically shield bash is rarely used as a main source of damage, which makes its advantage mainly useless. Rating: Weak
Bottle	As a non-Demoknight, you will rarely be using your melee. Most other melee weapons come with passive penalties, so the Bottle is a good choice since it has none. Rating: Very Good
Ullapool Caber	The Ullapool Caber has no passive penalties like the Bottle, and the explosion can be used in emergency situations, including when dying might actually be beneficial. Rating: Very Good
Eyelander	The standard Demoknight weapon. The main drawback of the Eyelander is its weak start, in both that you need kills to offset its health penalty and you need invest a significant amount of money on both the weapon and your resistances. But once you are able to rack up kills and keep them, the Demoman becomes a fast and tanky melee character. Rating: Good
Half-Zatoichi	Unlike the Eyelander, the Half-Zatoichi has a much easier early game. The heal on kill saves money as the health on kill is not a requirement early on, and it lacks a health penalty. The Honorbound mechanic is not a big drawback, as kills are plentiful in MvM. Rating: Very Good
Scotsman's Skullcutter	Rating: Situational
Persian Persuader	Robots do not drop metal on death, making the primary benefit of the Persuader largely moot. It only means ammo packs serve as additional medkits to the Demoman, but not being able to restock ammo without dying or retreating to spawn means the Demoman has greatly reduced staying power. Even when played as a Demoknight, the other melee weapons have better advantages and the faster charge recharge time is not very useful. Rating: Weak

Class	Assessment
Heavy	Consistent damage  Great at mid range  Has some defensive capabilities  Does not scale as well late game The Heavy's main strength is his never-ending source of damage, as long as he's near an ammo supply. His Minigun allows him to endlessly mow down a wave of robots, and buying upgrades such as Destroy Projectiles and Knockback Rage lets him diminish the effectiveness of the robot's all-out offense. While late game he lacks pure damage compared to the Soldier or Demoman, he is nevertheless a welcome addition to any team.
Weapon	Assessment
Minigun	The Heavy's Minigun deals heavy damage to multiple robots as long as you have ammo for it. Even when it doesn't kill a robot, it's perfect for softening up other robots for other classes to finish off. With crits or mini-crits, it can even be used at longer ranged effectively. The standard minigun is strong, but the other primaries have bonuses more suitable for MvM. Rating: Good
Brass Beast	Most Heavies in MvM use this. The bonus damage is a very strong bonus, especially since the Heavy can't upgrade the damage of his Minigun. The reduced spin-up time and movement speed while spun up hardly matters in MvM where you're often sitting in one spot and firing constant. Rating: Very Good
Natascha	The slowdown effect on the Natascha slows advancing waves of robots to a crawl, and it is the best possible weapon against Super Scouts. While it's great for buying time, its reduced damage is a significant penalty, especially against Tanks, which are immune to its slowdown effects. Rating: Good
Huo-Long Heater	The ring of fire adds a very slight boost to your damage at point blank range and fend off Spies, but opportunities to use this are limited. It also chews up ammo very fast, even with extra ammo upgrades, which makes the Heavy require constant ammo restocking. Rating: Situational
Tomislav	Slightly faster spin up time for reduced firing speed. Silent spin up is useless, and the slightly faster spin up is largely a weak bonus, especially considering its reduced firing speed. Rating: Weak
Shotgun	Once you upgrade your Minigun even a little bit, there is no reason to use a Shotgun. Even without upgrades, the Minigun is far better in any situation. Rating: Very Weak
Sandvich	The Heavy's best secondary, but mainly because his other choices have little use. The Sandvich allows you to survive a little longer when you need to, but only if you can find the time to eat it. Rating: Very Good
Dalokohs Bar	The health boost from the Dalokohs Bar lets you survive slightly longer, if there is no Medic on your team overhealing you. If you don't find yourself retreating to eat a Sandvich often, it may be better to use. Rating: Good
Fists	Rating:
Gloves of Running Urgently	Getting to the front line ASAP is very important for the Heavy, so naturally the G.R.U. is a very good melee for the Heavy to have. Its penalties are mainly superficial, but try to unequip it as soon as possible. Rating: Very Good
Fists of Steel	Since the path from spawn to the front lines are almost always safe, the Fists of Steel is best used to retreat safely. Another thing the Fists of Steel can do is to let the Heavy take on a gimmicky "pure tank" role, due to how large the damage reduction is in addition to more resistances. Rating: Situational
Holiday Punch	Robots are immune to laughter, making its main gimmick useless. Rating: Very Weak

Class	Assessment
Engineer	Practically a requirement in MvM  Attracts Sentry Busters Due to the fact that Mann vs. Machine involves playing defense, the Engineer naturally shines in this mode. His Teleporter let his teammates get to the front lines faster, the Dispenser heals and restocks ammo for him and his teammates, and the Sentry Gun excels against groups of robots and giants. The Engineer's sheer effectiveness means that you will need at least one Engineer in any MvM game.
Weapon	Assessment
Shotgun	On the rare occasion your Sentry isn't taking heavy fire, the Shotgun can squeeze in a bit of damage. However, the Engineer's Pistol and other primaries are better at this. Rating: Weak
Frontier Justice	Your Sentry will be doing most of the work, which means the Frontier Justice will rack up revenge crits very fast. You can easily gain revenge crits between waves. If you can manage to upgrade this slightly, the Engineer himself can deal tons of damage effectively. Rating: Very Good
Widowmaker	The Widowmaker is suitable for a more combat-oriented Engineer, especially if you're using a Gunslinger. It is extremely cheap to upgrade, and as long as he's near a Dispenser and is frequently close enough, it will practically never run out of ammo. Rating: Good
Rescue Ranger	The Rescue Ranger is a very versatile weapon, allowing you to repair your Sentry Gun from a safe spot and save your Sentry Gun from being destroyed at long range. As long as you're smart with when and where to haul your buildings, the Mark on Death shouldn't be a problem. Rating: Very Good
Pistol	As a regular Engineer, you will likely be too busy looking after your Sentry Gun to use the Pistol regularly. For Gunslinger Engineers, it's an excellent sidearm in cases where you're trying to conserve your primary or attack at longer ranges where it's safer. Rating: Situational
Wrangler	If you won't be using the Pistol regularly, the Wrangler is great choice. It allows your Sentry Gun to deal damage outside of its range, focus down a giant or Tank, and can even be used to protect it against waves of incoming projectiles. Rating: Very Good
Short Circuit	Rating:
Wrench	The Engineer's best tool. You'll be constantly repairing your buildings, so you will have your Wrench out almost all the time. It can also be used to fend off enemy Spies. Rating: Very Good
Jag	The Jag has a slight advantage where you're trying to reconstruct your buildings as soon as you can without spending money on Upgrade Buildings canteens. On the other hand, you are slightly more vulnerable against Spies. Rating: Very Good
Eureka Effect	Unless you team can take down Sentry Busters 100% of the time, using the Eureka Effect means than you won't be able to save your Sentry from the Sentry Buster. Being able to retreat to spawn can be useful, but the penalty is too severe to compensate for it. Rating: Very Weak

Class	Assessment
Medic	Heals his teammates  Gives his teammates Ubers & Crits  Can revive teammates  Provides excellent protection with Projectile Shield  Little direct damage Just like in the base game, the Medic's primary goal is to keep his teammates alive, as well as boosting their power. The Medic's ability to revive fallen teammates can be a very powerful asset, allowing your team to hold a position more effectively or have them skip long respawn times and save money. The Medic can share his Canteen to provide more damage with Crit Canteens or save them with an Uber Canteen, and his Projectile Shield protects his teammates from a barrage of rockets and bullets, and can even be used to kill weaker robots. While he won't be dealing much damage directly, the Medic's indirect power makes him a powerful asset.
Weapon	Assessment
Syringe Gun	As a way to deal damage, the Syringe Gun is only useful in emergency situations. Once you get the Mad Milk upgrade, it can be worth it to switch from your secondary to apply Mad Milk, giving your teammates more survivability. Rating: Good
Crusader's Crossbow	You will rarely be using your primary as the Medic, but the Crusader's Crossbow has some uses. Its long range allows you to harass enemy Snipers, and it can be used to heal if you aim is good enough. However, you cannot get the Mad Milk upgrade on it, and is more suited for direct combat than as a supportive weapon. Rating: Good
Overdose	Since the Overdose is the only primary with a passive effect, it alone makes it superior to the Syringe Gun or the Blutsauger. It can be used to get to your teammates faster when needed. The damage penalty matters little, since you will be using it primarily for Mad Milk and not damage. Rating: Very Good
Medi Gun	As the Medic, you will almost always be healing your teammates. The Medi Gun's Ubercharge can be very useful in situations where it's almost impossible to survive a group of robots. Rating: Good
Kritzkrieg	The Kritzkrieg's Ubercharge is often more useful than the Medi Gun's Ubercharge in many cases. Damage is in constant demand especially against giants and Tanks, and 10+ seconds of crit boost is very powerful. Invulnerability can be substituted with Uber canteens, which are cheaper than Crit Boost canteens anyway. Rating: Very Good
Quick-Fix	The Quick-Fix's Ubercharge is the least useful out of the other Mediguns in MvM. While the Quick-Fix's Ubercharge heals fast, it won't prevent lethal burst damage like a standard Ubercharge. The increased heal rate hardly compensates for an inferior Ubercharge. Rating: Weak
Vaccinator	Rating: Situational
Bonesaw	Rating:
Ubersaw	If you can find the opportunity to use it, the Ubersaw lets you fill your Ubercharge meter faster, and Ubers are very valuable in MvM. The difficulty is in finding a lone robot to melee and being able to retreat safely to keep your Ubercharge. Rating: Very Good
Vita-Saw	If you are worried or are constantly dying and lack opportunities to use your Ubersaw, the Vita-Saw at least "insures" your Ubercharge a bit. The max health penalty can be problematic, however. Rating: Situational
Amputator	The passive bonus to health regen alone makes the Amputator worth taking, since you will not be relying it on damage. It is better than the Ubersaw if you never find yourself with the opportunity to charge your Uber with it. There are very few cases when it's better to use Medicating Melody instead of healing regularly, as it leaves you immobile and vulnerable and doesn't charge your Uber. Rating: Very Good

Class	Assessment
Sniper	Has Jarate  Excels vs. Giants & Snipers  Explosive Headshot can clear waves  High skill cap  Highly situational  Very money-dependent The Sniper's effectiveness fluctuates greatly depending on the wave composition and map and requires competent aim to play. While some players dismiss Sniper as a "useless" class for MvM, the Sniper is far from it. His Jarate is a very accessible source of mini-crits and slows, and once his Sniper Rifle is significantly upgraded, he can deal an incredible amount of damage to giants, deal heavy AoE damage to clusters of robots with Explosive Headshot, and even hold his own against Tanks.
Weapon	Assessment
Sniper Rifle	The hardest thing about using the Sniper Rifle is landing headshots consistently, and is not as effective against regular robots. If you can find an easy target (i.e. giants), the Sniper Rifle is a powerful single-target weapon. Once Explosive Headshots is purchased, it also deals significant AoE damage in an area, enough to kill a wave of Scouts and heavily damage any other class. It's also the best anti-Sniper weapon, allowing you to quickly dispatch enemy Snipers without having to get close. Rating: Good
Machina	In MvM, the Machina's advantages often outweigh its penalties. The bonus damage on full charge means it's even more effective against giants, and the built-in penetration can be handy at times. Even Giant Heavies can be taken down with a few fully charged headshots from the Machina. Tracers have no effect on robots, and the Machina's inability to fire unscoped is a situational weakness, in cases where you want to fire shots rapidly (i.e. when using a Crit Boost canteen to rapidly shoot a Tank). Rating: Very Good
Huntsman	The Huntsman's biggest flaw is that it does not give Explosive Headshots, greatly reducing the Sniper's ability to clear a wave of robots, which Bleed hardly compensates for. It is generally harder to use in MvM because while it may take down a weak robot with one bodyshot, Explosive Headshot takes care of multiple weak robots much more effectively, plus it makes getting headshots on Giants harder since it's a projectile. Rating: Weak
Sydney Sleeper	The Sydney Sleeper sacrifices headshot damage for long-range Jarate. This means while the Sniper loses much of his own anti-Giant potential, it gives his teammates more damage against them. While this can be accomplished with Jarate itself, sometimes there will be cases when you can't throw a Jarate at your target, plus a target you are focusing on will have Jarate permanently applied to them. Despite being unable to headshot, it still retains Explosive Headshots, retaining the Sniper's anti-wave potential. Rating: Good
Hitman's Heatmaker	Explosive Headshots makes filling the Focus meter trivial, the faster charge rate while focused further increases your DPS against giants and no unscoping means you can rapid-fire headshots. The reduced body shot damage is often not a big deal, as long as you have competent aim. Rating: Very Good
Bazaar Bargain	Since the weapon charges on headshots and not kills, you can accumulate headshots on a Giant to charge up the Bazaar Bargain, which means once at near-maximum charge, you can potentially dispatch Giants faster than any other weapon. The drawback is not very significant, but it means dispatching slower but smaller targets is a bit harder. Rating: Good
SMG	Rating:
Jarate	The undisputed best secondary for the Sniper. It applies mini-crits in an AoE to robots, something the Scout can't do to multiple targets and the Soldier requiring some time to charge and deploy it. It also comes with a 35% slow, making it useful for both stalling and possibly getting an easier shot. Rating: Very Good
Cozy Camper	The Cozy Camper can make aiming easier in cases where your aim is being constantly harassed, such as a wave of Heavies firing at you at long range, and the health regeneration increases your longevity slightly. However, your survivability is significantly reduced, and you are sacrificing Jarate for it. Rating: Situational
Cleaner's Carbine	Rating:
Kukri	Rating:
Bushwacka	The Bushwacka lets Sniper deal some heavy melee damage at situations where you won't be able to snipe effectively, when combined with the Jarate. The extra fire vulnerability is a small disadvantage, as Pyro Robots are uncommon and you'll likely die to one regardless if you let one get close. Rating: Very Good
Tribalman's Shiv	On one hand, you are slightly better against Spies. On the other hand, the reduced damage makes it weaker against everything else. It's especially worse against Tanks, and makes the Sniper even weaker against Tanks early game. Rating: Weak
Shahanshah	Rating:

Class	Assessment
Spy	Versatile role  Sapper is the only source of hard disable  Can deal great damage to giants  Good vs. Steel Gauntlets, Uber Medics & Engineers  Situational effectiveness  Weak vs. Tanks The Spy fulfills a variety of roles in MvM, including money collecting, disabling a group of robots and slowing giants to a crawl, dispatching multiple robots in succession or backstabbing a giant halfway to death. While the Sapper has a significant cooldown time, it completely disables regular robots, making it a valuable weapon against a dangerous group of robots. The Spy's biggest weakness is that's he's very ineffective against Tanks.
Weapon	Assessment
Revolver	Rating:
Enforcer	As a Spy, you will be mostly sapping and backstabbing robots, and will not likely be investing money on your primary. There are rare times when you need to use your Primary, so the Enforcer is a natural choice considering its extra damage. Rating: Good
L'Etranger	Since your primary is not utilized very often in MvM, the L'Etranger's passive bonus to cloak duration makes it a very good primary choice, especially considering that taking damage reduces the Dead Ringer's cloak duration. Rating: Very Good
Big Earner	The Big Earner is the best melee choice for the Spy. The Big Earner fills a half-charged watch to full with 2 backstabs, and has excellent synergy with the Dead Ringer. Rating: Very Good
Knife	Rating:
Conniver's Kunai	Robots are unable to see through your disguise, so the health penalty doesn't matter much as long as you don't walk into enemy fire. The bonus health on backstab gives the Spy a better chance at escaping alive. Despite this, the Big Earner is still a superior weapon in most cases. Rating: Situational
Spy-cicle	Being a Silent Killer has no advantage, and while it may save you from a random Pyro attack, it means that you won't be able to do any backstabbing for 15 seconds, and it may be faster to just die instead. Rating: Weak
Dead Ringer	The best watch to use for MvM, period. Robots are always fooled by disguises, and the Dead Ringer allows you to escape safely after the next group of robots discover you, and they are always fooled by Feign Death. The short period of near-invulnerability while cloaked lets you pick up money at a location that's too dangerous. Rating: Very Good