Pyro (competitive)

This article is for competitive play, based on the standard community competitive format. For the generic article on this topic, see: Pyro.
The community competitive scene changes frequently. Some or all info may be outdated.

The Pyro is a situational utility and roaming class sometimes used in the standard competitive lineup, valued for his ambush and point-holding capabilities.

Information

Health

Max Health	Overheal Max	Pill Bottle	First Aid Tin
175 hit points	260 hit points	+36 hit points	+88 hit points

Speed

Running	Backpedaling	Swimming	Crouching
100% (300 u/s)	90% (270 u/s)	80% (240 u/s)	33.33% (100 u/s)

Speeds written in "u/s" refer to in-game units per second. When running in a certain direction causes slowness, rapidly switching between diagonals usually improves speed.

Weapons

Main article: Pyro weapons (competitive)

#	Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
1	Flamethrower	Point-Blank: 6/particle 385u: 4/particle Max DPS: 150/s Afterburn: 3/hit	Point-Blank Critical: 19/particle 385u Critical: 11/particle Max Critical DPS: 475/s Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 8/particle 385u Mini-Crit: 5/particle Max Mini-Crit DPS: 200/s	Ammo Usage: 0.08s Particle Interval: 0.04s Airblast Interval: 0.73s	Fire causes afterburn. Fire particle movement is unpredictable. Airblast changes team of non-sticky enemy projectiles. Airblast works against Übered foes. Airblasted projectiles become Mini-Crits (Criticals during Kritz). Airblast extinguishes burning allies. Useless underwater.
	Backburner	Point-Blank: 7/particle 385u: 4/particle Max DPS: 175/s Afterburn: 3/hit	Point-Blank Critical: 21/particle 385u Critical: 13/particle Max Critical DPS: 525/s Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 10/particle 385u Mini-Crit: 6/particle Max Mini-Crit DPS: 250/s	Ammo Usage: 0.08s Particle Interval: 0.04s	Fire causes afterburn. Fire particle movement is unpredictable. Targets hit from behind suffer Critical damage. +150% airblast cost Useless underwater.
	Degreaser	Point-Blank: 6/particle 385u: 4/particle Max DPS: 150/s Afterburn: 2/hit	Point-Blank Critical: 19/particle 385u Critical: 11/particle Max Critical DPS: 475/s Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 8/particle 385u Mini-Crit: 5/particle Max Mini-Crit DPS: 200/s	Ammo Usage: 0.08s Particle Interval: 0.04s Airblast Interval: 0.73s	When equipped, grants 65% faster weapon changing. Afterburn deals 25% less damage. Otherwise identical to Flamethrower.
	Phlogistinator	Point-Blank: 6/particle 385u: 4/particle Max DPS: 175/s Afterburn: 3/hit	Point-Blank Critical: 19/particle 385u Critical: 11/particle Max Critical DPS: 475/s Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 8/particle 385u Mini-Crit: 5/particle Max Mini-Crit DPS: 200/s	Ammo Usage: 0.08s Particle Interval: 0.04s	Banned in most leagues for acquisition time. Doing roughly 225 fire damage to fill the "Mmmph" bar and taunting triggers "Mmmph", resulting in refilled health and guaranteed crits for 13 seconds. Can not airblast. Otherwise identical to Flamethrower.
2	Shotgun	Point-Blank: 90 512u: 6/hit, avg 6 hits 1024u+: 3/hit	Critical: 18/hit (max 180) Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 121 512u+ Mini-Crit: 8/hit	Attack: 0.625s Reload Start: 1.0s Reload More: 0.5s	Affected by fixed weapon spread (1 extra pellet at center).
	Flare Gun	Any Range: 30 Afterburn Total: 60	Critical: 90 Mini-Crit: 41 Mini-Crit Afterburn Total: 80	Attack: 2.02s	Flares cause 10-second afterburn. Has no damage falloff or ramp-up. Crits burning targets regardless of range. Useless underwater.
	Reserve Shooter	Point-Blank: 90 512u: 6/hit, avg 6 hits 1024u+: 3/hit	Critical: 18/hit (max 180) Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 121 512u+ Mini-Crit: 8/hit	Attack: 0.625s Reload Start: 1.0s Reload More: 0.5s	Affected by fixed weapon spread (1 extra pellet at center). +15% faster weapon switch speed. Mini-crits airborne targets for 3 seconds after switch. Holds 3 shells instead of 6.
	Manmelter	Any Range: 30 Afterburn Total: 60	Critical: 90 Mini-Crit: 41 Mini-Crit Afterburn Total: 80	Attack: 2.42s	Banned in most leagues for acquisition time. 50% faster projectile speed than the Flare Gun. Does not require ammo. Cannot be deflected. Alt-Fire extinguishes teammates like an airblast would, and earns a guaranteed critical hit for each extinguish. No random critical hits.
3	Fire Axe	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 88	Attack: 0.8s	Completely standard melee weapon.
	Conscientious Objector	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 88	Attack: 0.8s	Statistically identical to Fire Axe.
	Axtinguisher	Melee: 33	Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 44	Attack: 0.8s	Criticals on burning foes. Never Crits on nonburning foes, even during ÜberCharge.
	Homewrecker	Melee (player): 49 Melee (building): 130	Critical: 146 Mini-Crit: 66	Attack: 0.8s	Varies damage based on whether target is player or building. Can damage enemy Sappers.
	Powerjack	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 88	Attack: 0.8s	Kills with the Powerjack heal the user for 75 health (can Overheal). The player takes an additional 20% damage from melee sources when active
	Back Scratcher	Melee: 81	Critical: 244 Mini-Crit: 110	Attack: 0.8s	Increases health from pick ups by 50%. Decreases healing from healers by 75%.
	Sharpened Volcano Fragment	Melee: 52 Afterburn base: 3 damage every 0.5 seconds for 10 seconds (60 damage total)	Critical: 156 Mini-Crit: 70 Afterburn mini-crit: 4 damage every 0.5 seconds for 10 seconds (80 damage total)	Attack: 0.8s	On Hit: target is engulfed in flames -20% damage done.
	Third Degree	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 88	Attack: 0.8s	Banned in most leagues for acquisition time. Damage done also applies to anyone connected by a Medigun beam. Otherwise identical to the Fire Axe.
-	Afterburn	Varies	Mini-Crit Afterburn Hit: 4	Afterburn Hit: 0.5s Duration: 10s	Extinguished by friendly Jarate, Mad Milk, or airblast. Ends much faster when being healed. Instantly removed by Über/Kritz or underwater submersion. Reveals Spies even when disguised or cloaked. Removed by Dead Ringer, but can be reapplied once cloaked.

"u" stands for "units of distance." "+" stands for "or more." "s" stands for "seconds." "Reload Start" refers to how long it takes for 1 ammo to be reloaded after beginning to reload, and "Reload More" refers to how long it takes for each additional ammo to reload after the first. Damages and times are approximate and determined by community testing.

Usage

The Pyro generally does not see much use in competitive play due to his short range, lack of versatility, and lack of mobility. His role is generally confined to to flanking and defending enclosed spaces. Fortunately, the Pyro is quite good at these roles, and in certain situations teams may substitute a Scout or a Soldier for a Pyro.

Common Tactics

The Pyro's primary role in competitive play is defending enclosed Control Points. The Pyro's close-quarter-combat abilities allow him to clear the confined spaces of some control points efficiently, making him useful for defending areas such as the final point of Badlands. This role is particularly evident on Gravel Pit, point C, where a popular strategy for defenders is to put a Pyro on the point to ward off Soldiers and Demomen jumping on the point. The Compression Blast ability of the Pyro is especially useful for this, enabling the Pyro to push enemies off of the point and reflect enemy grenades and rockets. Pyro is also useful for defending against an Über with airblast, and although the player will often die in doing so it may buy just enough time for the team to get their own Über or repel the attack on its own.

Pyro flanking

An example of where a flanking Pyro might be utilised is at the initial fight for the middle point on Badlands. A team using a Pyro in this mid fight may distract the enemy soldiers and Scouts as the Pyro runs under the bridge at the center point and attacks the enemy team from behind. The Pyro can also go through the shall house, this is slightly more risky because a Scout normally watches it and a Soldier can easily juggle and kill you. However, if done correctly, the Pyro may be able to kill or severely injure the enemy team's Medic, giving his own team a significant advantage.

5-CP Push Strategies

There are generally two times when a team will use a Pyro instead of a Scout. The first is at the beginning of a 5-CP map, where a flank at the mid point can prove devastating to the other team, and the second is at the final point, where defenders may use the Pyro's close-range combat abilities in a last-ditch effort to save the point from capture. In either case, a Utility player should communicate with his team before deciding to switch to Pyro. During the mid fight, a Pyro should generally try to not be spotted by enemies at all while flanking, taking some extra time if necessary to ensure that he has the element of surprise. Because of his short range, a Pyro whose whereabouts are known to the enemy is usually a dead Pyro, so the Pyro's team should help distract the enemy while the Pyro performs his flanking maneuver. Pyros will usually not survive their flanking maneuvers unless the enemy team becomes extremely disorganized, but in the case that a Pyro does survive the mid fight, he should try to switch back to another class as soon as possible, as the enemy team will expect him and eliminate him without difficulty. In addition, the Pyro is severely hampered in yard fights, due to his short range, limiting his usefulness beyond the mid point.

A pyro is also a good choice when defending your last point with ÜberCharge disadvantage, the Compression Blast can knock the ÜberCharged couple up into the air and waste their ÜberCharge. This can take the pressure of the rest of your team and ensure that you don't lose as many people as you would if the ÜberCharged combo pushed straight in. Another advantage of a using a Pyro in this circumstance is that your combo doesn't have to fall into the respawn room to avoid getting killed. The knock-on effect of this is that the last point is better defended.

Attack-Defend Strategies

Pyros lack the versatility, health, and direct combat abilities of the Soldiers, especially when the Soldiers are buffed, so a defending Pyro should generally attack enemies standing on a point when they are distracted by something else. For a Pyro, attempting to defend a point against enemy Soldiers without any support from his team is almost invariably suicide, so players using a Pyro on Defense should wait for a distraction before attempting to flame attackers, or try to airblast them off the point, if the point sits on an elevated area. The classic example of this is Point C on Gravel Pit, where Soldiers and Demomen jumping towards the point can be airblasted away, denying a capture and separating the player from the rest of his team. Similarly, attacking Pyros should always try to flank the enemy, as the enemy Soldiers and even the Scouts will kill a Pyro and escape unharmed in a direct battle. Pyros should wait for their team to attack from one side before flanking from the other to throw the enemy team into disarray without getting killed.

Capture-the-Flag Strategies

Due to the short range of the Flamethrower, the Pyro is generally not used in competitive Capture-the-Flag games. His inability to successfully chase down an enemy carrying his team's intelligence makes him a poor choice for defending, and the fact that many teams use Engineers in a Capture-the-flag game limits the Pyro's usefulness on offense. In a team that does field a Pyro, he should try to take side paths into the enemy Intelligence room (most notably the vents on Turbine, which offer access directly into the Intelligence room). Coordinating with his team, a Pyro can catch defenders in the room off guard and help his team escape with the intelligence. If the team's Pyro does attempt this, however, he should be wary of the enemy team's Engineer and Sentry Gun. It may be best for the Pyro to wait for the Sentry Gun's destruction before surprising the enemy team in their Intelligence room. If the team's Pyro picks up the intelligence himself, it may be best to have him drop it (default key "l") and allow a less easily harassed member of the team to take it back to the team's Intelligence room.

See also

• Pyro weapons (competitive)
• Pyro
• Classes (competitive)
• Standard competitive lineup