Medic (competitive)
The community competitive scene changes frequently. Some or all info may be outdated.
Medic (oftentimes shortened to "med") is a core member of the standard competitive lineup, valued for his healing and ÜberCharge abilities.
Contents
Information
Health
| Health State | Max Health | Overheal Max | Pill Bottle | First Aid Tin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 150 hit points | 225 hit points | +31 hit points | +75 hit points |
| Vita-Saw equipped | 140 hit points | 210 hit points | +29 hit points | +70 hit points |
Speed
| Running | Backpedaling | Swimming | Crouching |
|---|---|---|---|
| 106.67% (320 u/s) | 96% (288 u/s) | 85.33% (256 u/s) | 35.56% (106.67 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
| # | Weapon | Damage | Critical Damage | Function Times | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syringe Gun 
|
Point-Blank: 12 512u: 10 1024u+: 5 |
Critical: 30 Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 16 512u+ Mini-Crit: 14 |
Attack: 0.1s Reload: 1.6 |
If equipped, Medic passive regen will be 3-6 health/second. Regen scales based on time since damaged in last 10s. Will regen 27-48 health during a single-target Über. |
Blutsauger 
|
Point-Blank: 12 512u: 10 1024u+: 5 |
Critical: 30 Point-Blank Mini-Crit: 16 512u+ Mini-Crit: 14 |
Attack: 0.1s Reload: 1.6 |
Gives shooter +3 health on hit. Non-lethal hits on disguised Spies don't give health. If equipped, Medic passive regen will be 1-4 health/second. Regen scales based on time since damaged in last 10s. Will regen 12-32 health during a single-target Über. | |
| 2 | Medigun 
|
None. Min Heal: 24/s Max Heal: 72/s |
N/A | N/A | Heals at 24/sec if target took damage in the last 10 sec. Heals at 72/sec if target took damage over 15 sec ago. Between 10 sec and 15 sec wait, heal rate scales linearly. Heals at max rate at the start of round. |
Kritzkrieg 
|
None. Min Heal: 24/s Max Heal: 72/s |
N/A | N/A | Heals at 24/sec if target took damage in the last 10 sec. Heals at 72/sec if target took damage over 15 sec ago. Between 10 sec and 15 sec wait, heal rate scales linearly. Heals at max rate at the start of round. | |
| 3 | Bonesaw 
|
Melee: 65 | Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 88 |
Attack: 0.8s | Completely standard melee weapon. |
Übersaw 
|
Melee: 65 | Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 88 |
Attack: 0.96s | Gives attacker +25% ÜberCharge fill on hit. Non-lethal hits on disguised Spies don't give Charge. | |
Vita-Saw 
|
Melee: 65 | Critical: 195 Mini-Crit: 88 |
Attack: 0.8s | Banned in most leagues for acquisition time. While equipped, preserves ÜberCharge on death (caps at 20%). Reduces max health while equipped (see above) | |
| - | Über 
|
N/A | N/A | Fastest Charge: 40s Slowest Charge: 80s Über Duration: 8s |
Doesn't give immunity to knockback or map effects. Can have multiple targets, but drains faster for each beyond one. Purges negative effects, like fire and Jarate, but not Milk. Charge fills at 2.5%/sec if target is below 95% overheal. If target is above 95% overheal, charge fills at only 1.25%/sec. Charge always fills at 2.5%/sec during setup time. |
| Kritz
|
N/A | N/A | Fastest Charge: 32s Slowest Charge: 64s Kritz Duration: 8s |
Cannot effectively be used on more than one target. Purges negative effects, like fire and Jarate, but not Milk. Charge fills at 3.125%/sec if target is below 95% overheal. If target is above 95% overheal, charge fills at only 1.56%/sec. Charge always fills at 3.125%/sec during setup time. |
- "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
Medic is one of two classes (the other being Demoman) limited to 1 per team in all major leagues. Also similarly to Demoman, Medic is one of the few classes that is generally always played for entire games on both teams regardless of strategy or lineup. The Medic's ability to Über/Kritz is a keystone of competitive dynamics, acting as one of the most important factors when teams decide to push, hold, or retreat.
Common Tactics
Perhaps the most important thing for a Medic to remember is staying alive. If a team's Medic is alive, then he can keep his team alive, and prepare to unleash the game-changing ÜberCharge. Rushing forward with the Syringe Gun is thus generally not acceptable in competitive play, even against an enemy player on low health. It is almost always better for Medics to let their Pocket player get the kills and take the damage. A competitive Medic's worst enemies will be the enemy Scouts. They have the ability to reliably kill him with two shots, if their aim is steady, and have the speed to flank the Medic's team and attack him unexpectedly. Medics should warn their Pocket whenever they spot an enemy who may be attempting to kill them, as it only takes him two well placed shots from any combat class to deprive a team of its most important player.
Primary calling
Medics are often used as the primary caller in competitive play due to their overview of the battlefield. This means that for teams using the medic as a primary caller, they are the ultimate authority on pushing and retreating and on tactical calls (go aggressive, focus on the Heavy, etc).
5-CP Push Strategies
During the race to the mid point that occurs at the start of a round on a 5-CP map, Medics will usually heal their teammates in order of their ability to reach the mid-point quickly. Medics should always heal their team's Demoman first, because the Demoman's sticky jumps use up a good deal of health and can send him far beyond the range of the Medigun, where he will lose a source of health. Getting a team's Demoman to the mid point quickly can enable him to block the enemy team and most importantly the enemy Demoman, allowing the rest of the team to get onto the mid point and push the enemy team back. The more health the Demoman receives from a Medic, the more he will be able to sticky jump, and the faster he will arrive at the mid point. Although not necessary, healing the team's Scouts can prove to be very effective. An overhealed Scout will easily have the upper hand over non-buffed enemy Scouts or negate any buff the enemy Scout has. Next in line for healing should be the roaming Soldier and then finally the pocket. If the team chooses to use the Kritzkrieg at the fight for the mid point, the team must try to kill the enemy Medic and Demoman. If one team uses the Kritzkrieg and the other uses the standard Medigun, it is imperative that the Medic using the Kritzkrieg finds an Über-target (Soldier or Demo) who is fully loaded and unleashes the Kritz charge as soon as possible, as waiting too long may result in the enemy Medic filling up his own ÜberCharge meter. This would be disastrous for the team using the Kritzkrieg, as a standard Über can completely negate the effects of the Kritzkrieg's charge.
Attack-Defend Strategies
When defending on an Attack/Defend map, it is absolutely crucial that Medics watch their backs at all times and look out for any threats. The loss of the defending team's Medic may easily mean the loss of a control point, and a defending team can't simply wait until their Medic respawns to take the point back like they can on a 5-CP map. If the defending team has an Engineer with a Sentry Gun up, it may be a good idea for the Medic to stay close to the Sentry Gun, as it will provide excellent protection against enemy Scouts.
Capture-the-Flag Strategies
As well as the general "keep out of trouble" motivation that all competitive Medics should have, in capture the flag games Medics should be supporting pushes, or defenses, on their Intelligence. Unless the Medic feels confident, he should not pick the Intelligence up as this will draw attention to him and give the enemy the position of the most important player on your team, i.e. you. Because of the likelihood of the enemy fielding an Engineer, it is more common for Medics to play a normal Über as opposed to a Kritzkrieg.
See also
- Medic weapons (competitive)
- ÜberCharge
- Combo
- Medic
- Classes (competitive)
- Standard competitive lineup
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