Heavy match-ups

Class			Strategy
Heavy	vs	Scout	Scouts normally pose little threat beyond close range combat and will often try to avoid you. Be aware that at close range or while recovering from a stun, Scouts can circle strafe very quickly. Trickier Scouts will use this to their advantage by attempting to hug your face whilst dishing out damage, making them difficult to keep your crosshair square on them. Some Scouts will even be so bold as to attempt to leap on top of your head whilst you are unawares; if you start to take damage and there is no enemy behind you, remember to look up. The Shotgun is a decent counter to this type of behavior; it will allow you to jump around in the same way he does, and with your vast superiority in health you can simply out-last him. Consider using Natascha if the enemy is running a lot of Scouts, it renders them more or less powerless at close to medium range. A Scout with the unlockable weapons is a greater threat. Force-A-Nature Scouts will bounce you away and attempt to pick you off bit by bit rather than fight you face-to-face. There is not much you can do about this, except try to catch him whilst he's reloading. You make a prime target for Sandman stuns at all ranges, due to your slow speed. Bear in mind that you can keep your Minigun revved up whilst stunned by holding secondary fire down; with their very low health you can quickly chew up cocky Sandman Scouts who forget this.
Heavy	vs	Soldier	The Heavy is in fact one of the more effective vanilla Soldier counters around; you are the only class which outhealths and outguns him, he is a big target and he lacks the speed to get away from you in time. Smart Soldiers will try to stay at medium range or abuse cover, where they have a distinct advantage over you with their rockets. Due to the Heavy's slow speed, dodging rockets is difficult, but not impossible. Quickly un-deploying the Minigun and leaping in the air to one side can often minimize if not completely avoid the effects of an incoming rocket. You want to be within medium range of the Soldier to take them down fast, but remember not to get too close as Heavies are easy targets for directs hits with the Rocket Launcher. If he is abusing cover, your best bet is to either pursue a better angle, or retreat while laying down suppressive Shotgun fire. Ultimately, the best strategy is to take him down as quickly as possible before he does the same to you. A Medic behind you works wonders. The Soldier poses a greater threat to you when equipped with the Direct Hit and the Equalizer. It is no trouble at all to a Direct hit Soldier to land very hard hitting rockets upon you whilst you are spun up; consider taking your Shotgun along to allow you to dodge them more effectively. Natascha is a good counter to Equalizing Soldiers who try to escape you or attempt to "backstab" you with it. Although you should be able to mow down low-health Soldiers before they get near with the Equalizer, keep a careful eye out for Soldiers attempting to use it, because the pick-axe can do considerable damage, even to a Heavy.
Heavy	vs	Pyro	Pyros are one of the least dangerous things you will encounter as a Heavy in the open field. If a Pyro comes at you from behind and you only notice him when you are set on fire, you will generally have just enough time to spin around and take him out, however you will likely die from the flames if not healed soon. Pyros will try to circle-strafe you, as well as dodging erratically when approaching from head-on, so the best way of killing a point-blank Pyro is simply with practiced aiming. Pyros using the Flamethrower and not the Backburner are massively less of a threat from behind, and will almost always lose if you see them coming. Some Pyros will attempt to surprise you with a quick flame and an Axtinguisher Critical hit, so be wary. At longer ranges, a Pyro may try to bait you to a corner with the Flare Gun; either end the fight quickly by retreating, or attack from a safer position. After any Pyro battle, if you are still on fire with no Medic in sight, break out the Sandvich or Dahlokohs Bar and take a bite, the resulting health boost will most likely keep you alive until the flames extinguish themselves.
Heavy	vs	Demoman	An undeterred Demoman can take you out swiftly with a volley from his Grenade Launcher (it's not so hard to quickly score four direct hits on a slow-moving Heavy). Your best bet is to send some bullets his way to force him into cover, where he'll probably try a less efficient indirect attack. At this stage you will want to close the gap between you and the Demoman as soon as possible. Charge to his position, leap towards him and deploy your Minigun. If the terrain is tight, you may have better luck approaching with your Shotgun. Avoid or gun down sticky bomb carpets, as your slow speed makes you a very vulnerable target for these. Even when paired with a Medic, a cluster of stickies will either take you out in one hit or severely damage you. Instead, if you have ammo to spare, you can use your Minigun fire to destroy them. Make sure to move on through before he catches on and resets his bombs. Also beware stickies when going around corners, especially if you are chasing a Demoman who happens to round one. You act as a fine counter to Eyelander Demos. Although their grenades still pose a threat to you, you can very easily mow down foolish Demomen who think you are a good target for decapitation. Take along Natascha if any of them build up a speed buff or try using the Chargin' Targe to escape you.
Heavy	vs	Heavy	Other Heavies can go down surprisingly quickly provided you: A. have more health/ A Medic healing you and B. Spin up before he does (remember that your alternate fire keeps your Minigun spinning). Having more ammo also helps. Remember that if one Heavy starts firing Criticals, he will almost always win the encounter. Try to get behind cover if you hear the tell-tale sound of an enemy Heavy's Criticals. It is very possible to take down an enemy Heavy paired with a Medic (even if you do not have one yourself) at close range by simply being the first to fire. Since you will be doing hundreds of damage per second, you can damage him much faster than his Medic can heal. If you see a Heavy from afar, take out the Shotgun, then fire a few shots before he can spin up his Minigun. Go back around the corner and take out your Minigun, spinning it up before he reaches you. This gives you a higher health advantage that could potentially win the fight. Just one second of close range shooting from either of the Heavy's miniguns can potentially kill any class. If you are equipped with Sasha, and the enemy Heavy is equipped with Natascha, the task of taking him down will become much simpler, as you do more damage to him then he does to you. This works both ways however, so you should never attack a Sasha-wielding Heavy with a Natascha, unless you are able to get more shots on him before he spins up, being healed by a Medic, or you know they have lower health then you.
Heavy	vs	Engineer	A low level Sentry Gun is a negligible threat: the Heavy can take it down easily with sustained fire. If he has good cover and a Medic behind him, a Heavy can also take out a level two or three Sentry Gun. If it is accompanied by an Engineer, you will have to be very close to be able to outshoot it. Alternatively, have a Medic ÜberCharge you in order to get close to the Sentry Gun and destroy both it and the Engineer, allowing your team-mates to rush through. As with most UberCharges, it is important that the Medic runs out ahead in order to distract the Sentry Gun, this will allow you to get as close as possible in order to take it down. Remember that when crouching the Heavy is harder to knock back. Use this to your advantage to avoid the effect of Sentry Gun fire. When facing a lone Engineer, you should have no problems as you will be able to cut through him like butter, even at long range.
Heavy	vs	Medic	Medics pose very little threat to a Heavy unless they are using their ÜberCharge on or healing an enemy team member. If the Medic is healing an enemy Heavy or Soldier, avoid the pair unless they haven't noticed you and you're close to the Medic (nothing stands a chance against a quick burst from a mini-gun close up, including Heavies being healed). You won't be able to do enough damage to the healing target before you die if you are at a distance, and will likely need a Medic of your own before taking them on. Although Medics tend to shoot you from afar with the Syringe Gun, it shouldn't pose much of a threat to a Heavy, though the Blutsauger can cause you a lot of trouble, especially with your slow speed. Medics won't be able to run away from you easily if you use Natascha, and with careful application at long range you can slow the enemy Medic to the point where he loses his healing target should they be unaware of your firing.
Heavy	vs	Sniper	One of the most dangerous foes you will face at range, the Sniper is a real nightmare for any Heavy. At long range, a Sniper's fully-powered headshot will kill you even if a Medic has overhealed you up to 450 health (but you can survive if the Sniper uses the Huntsman or the Sydney Sleeper). Your slow speed and large size makes for an extremely easy target, so avoid Snipers at all costs as you will not be able to dodge a good Sniper for long. Their threat, of course, diminishes as you close in on them. You can use sustained fire on their position to keep them in hiding as you approach, however this will not work on a experienced Sniper; you will be dead before you can begin to spin up your Minigun. This is why it's best to use the Shotgun as it will allow you to move at full speed, seeking cover, while firing at a distance. As long as one bullet hits the Sniper it's enough to makes his scope jump, making it a whole lot easier to approach a Sniper without being killed. A Sniper at medium to close range is very little threat; simply mow him down with your minigun. Be aware of Sniper dots; if you see one, avoid walking out in the open.
Heavy	vs	Spy	Another one-hit killer to watch out for when playing a Heavy is the dreaded backstab. One of the tasks of an enemy Spy is to assassinate troublesome Heavy/Medic pairs. They are however, very easy to kill once you've caught them. You will want to Spy check very, very often if you can afford to; there is no such thing as Spy-checking too often. Do not rely on your Medic to spot Spies for you, as one of your jobs is to prevent them from backstabbing him. Listen to your Medic's alerts; if you hear or see that your Medic is killed, immediately turn around, as this is often a sign of your impending death. When on your own, you are an even more vulnerable target, so don't forget to stay alert for people behind you at all times. If a Spy cloaks and runs away, the spread of your Minigun fire should allow you to find him and mow him down. This is made far easier when using Natascha, as the Spy will be slowed to the point where his cloak may run out before he reaches cover. Try not to let him escape, because often he will return for a second attempt at a backstab. In close-quarters combat, avoid letting the Spy get in your rear 180-degree arc where he can use his backstab, as he may well outmaneuver you before you cut him down. You can also team up with a friendly Pyro to cover your back.

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