Anti-Spy strategy

“

Hey, look, you shape shifted into a dead guy! 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. If caught before being able to backstab his victims, there should be little to no difficulty in taking the Spy out.

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.

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 team-mates 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, 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 killnotice in the top right corner. Remember who you are with to avoid dying in a chainstab.

PDA Weapon

Weapon	Anti Spy Strategy
Disguise Kit	Walk toward your team-mates 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 team-mates. Some disguised Spies will turn to face you or begin to flee, while most team mates will continue uninterrupted.

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. When a Spy uncloaks you can hear it, if you hear this sound rather close to you, turn around because there will most likely be a Spy behind you.
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 him is to set him on fire or use jarate or 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.

Class Set

Set	Anti Spy Strategy
The Saharan Spy	Try to check your back at all times when the Spy have this set, for all the decloaking sound volume will be practically silent. His blinking time lasts much longer, so chasing this Spy down is much more easier if you know where he is.

See also

• Spy strategy
• Community Spy strategy
• Spy match-ups
• Team strategy
• Spychecking