Anti-Spy strategy

“

That's what my daddy taught me to do to backstabbers. Click to listen — The Engineer

”

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 to 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. You can also try doubling-back in order for him to aim in front of you. Strafing is a good tactic to use here, as you can move over quite a large area without losing aim.
Ambassador	When fighting a Spy with the Ambassador, always move in an erratic way to avoid being hit with his headshots.
L'Etranger	When a Spy is wielding L'Etranger, kill the Spy as fast as possible to deny him Cloak charge gained from hits. Because it does less damage, he is more likely to try a hit-and-run strategy. If he cloaks in mid-battle, spray the area nearby and let your team know.
Enforcer	When a Spy has just uncloaked it is good to finish him off, as it takes an extra 0.5 seconds to activate the Spy's Cloak ability.
Diamondback	Similar to the Frontier Justice, The Diamondback will not get crits when the buildings being sapped are destroyed after the Spy that attached the Sappers is killed. Protect your Teleporters. Not only will having them destroyed cripple your team's mobility, but it will also give the Spy 2 two free critical bullets. Keep in mind that removing an Electro Sapper from one end of the teleporter will remove the one on the other end as well.

Secondary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
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. A very good tactic is having a Pyro with a Homewrecker around to get rid off Sappers, especially when you're not around to protect your buildings.

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	Unlike the Spy's other melee weapons, this weapon does not produce a scream from its victim, nor a kill notice in the top right corner. Be wary of this when travelling in groups as it's easy to fall victim to 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. If he has already made a successful backstab before approaching you, it will be hard to tell if he is a Spy or not. If you are in a group, count how many people are there and if one (or more) disappears, you can spycheck the rest. If a Spy kills you or you witness him killing a teammate, utilise the in-game team communication features be sure your team knows which player and which class the Spy is disguised as. For example, a short message such as: Player_name (team): Spy as Heavy/Player_name would suffice. If you were to change class after you had been backstabbed, the Spy would still be disguised as your previous class; if you let your teammates know you've changed class (or if they check the Scoreboard and notice you're a different class) and they encounter you as your previous class, they'll know that they've encountered a Spy. A Spy who is using this knife will be forced to rely on their Invisibility Watch more due to their inability to disguise. Listen carefully for the distinctive uncloaking sound - even if you can't see the Spy uncloak, spycheck people near you to be safe.
Conniver's Kunai	This weapon lowers the Spy's base health to 60, however it allows the Spy to receive the health of whomever the Spy backstabs - up to an overheal of 180 health. As such, conduct yourself around the Spy as though the Spy had the regular Knife (Read the Knife tips above); he will either be as difficult if not easier to kill. If the Spy has leeched health from a team mate and he is over healed he will produced an over healed particle effect around him. If you see a teammate that is not over healed with the over heal particle effect then it is a Kunai wielding Spy.
Big Earner	The Big Earner reduces the max health by 25, lowering the Spy's overall health to 100. Try to use this as an advantage by doing close-quarters-combat. The Big Earner will earn +30% Cloak on kill. So if a Spy kills you or you witness him killing a teammate and cloaks, utilise the in-game team communication features be sure your team knows which player and which class the Spy is disguised as.

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 and unpredictably on your teammates, especially near Engineer nests or close to the back of groups.. Some disguised Spies will turn to face you or begin to flee when they see this, while most team mates will continue uninterrupted. There is also a chance of you hitting the Spy themselves, so you can simply follow them until they die. Spies can disguise as teammates wielding more than just the primary weapon by switching to the assigned slot for the weapon, and re-disguising (or by holding a weapon from that slot and pressing last disguise (default 'B'). Be sure to shoot at all teammates, even if they are wielding melee and secondary weapons.

Cloaking Devices

• 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.
• If you see a Spy disappear, alert your team and tell them (in team-only chat, so the Spy won't notice and flee) exactly where you are. If there are teammates nearby, call for help and spycheck them just in case.

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Invisibility Watch / Enthusiast's Timepiece	If a Spy tries to flee with the Invisibility Watch, grab all surrounding ammunition boxes and dropped weapons 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. They can also cover large distances without losing invisibility, but Cloak charges can diminish quickly and can run out in inconvenient places (such as doorways). If you walk into something you can't see, shoot at it to make sure and then check the surrounding area.
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 dueling 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. Likewise, when a Spy dies in one hit, you can be very sure you triggered his Dead Ringer. If a Scout activates the Cloak with the Candy Cane, the free medikit won't drop. If he uses the Holy Mackerel, the FISH KILL! symbol will not be displayed, instead showing the FISH HIT x1 symbol (unless he primed it after you hit him, then hit him again). The Dead Ringer can only be activated when it's fully charged. When a Spy wielding the Dead Ringer uncloaks the charge is at least half-empty, so finish him off as quickly as you can and be sure he doesn't take any ammunition crates.

Class Set

Set

Anti-Spy strategy

The Saharan Spy

Try to check your back at all times when a Spy has this set, for the decloaking sound will be practically silent. This is especially apparent with the Dead Ringer, as the normally-loud decloaking sound it makes will be lowered by the set. The increased Cloak blink time makes the Saharan Spy's outline while using the Invis Watch or the Cloak and Dagger remain visible for a little longer when bumped into; this makes them easier to spot and track down. Try to have your teammates move around often to make it more difficult for enemy Saharan Spies to manuever behind your team. Sentry nests can be difficult for a Saharan Spy to handle, as he can only infiltrate one after he backstabs one of your teammates. Of course, this may only encourage him to sacrifice this set for a more appropriate loadout.

See also

• Team strategy
• Spychecking