Anti-Scout strategy

“

Never send a boy to fight a man's war. Click to listen — The Soldier

”

The Scout is a very fast, maneuverable class that packs a high amount of firepower at close range, making him extremely effective in one-on-one combat. He excels in open environments, where his speed and double jump allow him to easily maneuver around a map, close long distances, and ambush the most vulnerable enemies. He can use his mobility to completely avoid damage, more than making up for his lack of health. Depending on his loadout, a Scout can bring along weapons with additional utility that help him pick off individual targets with even more ease. If you can restrict a Scout's manueverability, you can easily dispose of him.

General

Attributes	Anti-Scout strategy
Role	The Scout excels at taking alternate paths to avoid direct combat, ambushing vulnerable enemies, and accomplishing mission objectives. Keep an eye on routes he might take and constantly report his location to teammates.
Health	The Scout is very frail and can be killed in just a few good shots.
Speed	The Scout is extremely fast and can double jump, so carefully predict his movements to ensure your attacks hit, particularly when using projectile weapons. If he is airborne, wait until he exhausts his double jump before trying to land airshots. His maneuverability allows him to easily chase any other class but is less powerful in confined areas, where he has less room to dodge.
Power	The Scout’s weapons are devastating at close range but very weak at long range. Thus, he must put himself in danger and actively enter combat to have any chance at killing enemies.

Weapons

Main article: Scout weapons

Primary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Scout strategy
Scattergun	The Scattergun deals immense damage at point-blank range and will allow a Scout to stay in combat for a modest amount of time. Although he is faster than you, do your best to stay at medium range to minimize the damage you may take while trading blows. It takes a considerably long time for a Scout to reload his Scattergun; if he uses most of his six shots, keep pressuring him into firing so that he cannot fully reload.
Force-A-Nature	The Force-A-Nature deals even more damage than the Scattergun up close, but must be reloaded every two shots. If the Scout insists on staying in close combat, pick him off during his frequent reloading periods. Its knock back effects let him easily reposition or disorient you for a follow-up shot, so avoid lingering near walls or field hazards where you can quickly be cornered.
Shortstop	Unlike the Scattergun, the Shortstop has a tight bullet spread suited for medium range. By closing the distance, the Scout may find it more difficult to hit you.
Soda Popper	Like the Force-A-Nature, the Soda Popper must frequently be reloaded, which will often leave the Scout vulnerable. You’ll need to quickly eliminate a Scout with a full Hype charge, as his speed ensures that you won’t be able to escape from his Mini-Crits.

Secondary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Scout strategy
Pistol / Lugermorph	While the Scout might use his Pistol to harass you from a distance, its damage is minor and its ammunition pool is meager. Keep a distance from him to take advantage of his weak long range capabilities.
Bonk! Atomic Punch	Bonk! Atomic Punch is designed to help a Scout get past dangerous areas, such as chokepoints or Sentry Gun nests. He can’t fight while under its effects, so impede his movement by body blocking or using knock back.
Crit-a-Cola	While Crit-a-Cola will allow a Scout to deal Mini-Crits to you, you can deal Mini-Crits right back at him. He’ll often consume it when preparing for an ambush, so stay alert and pick him off first.
Mad Milk	The healing provided by Mad Milk will let an accurate Scout stay in a fight for a prolonged period of time. If you’re covered by it, you’ll either need to retreat or take him out very quickly.
Winger	The Winger functions similarly to the Pistol and should be treated the same way; keep a distance so it can only deal minor damage.

Melee Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Scout strategy
Bat / Saxxy / Conscientious Objector	A Scout that insists on using the Bat can easily deal more damage at close range with any of his primary weapons, actually giving you a slight advantage in melee combat so long as you keep your aim steady.
Sandman	If you are stunned by the Sandman's baseball, retreat towards your teammates so that they can protect you. Keep your aim on the Scout so that you can immediately retaliate once the effect wears off.
Holy Mackerel / Unarmed Combat	The Holy Mackerel functions similarly to the Bat but announces each hit in the kill feed. If you see hit announcements in the kill feed, use it to know that there is a Scout nearby.
Candy Cane	If possible, switch to an explosive weapon to take advantage of the increased explosive vulnerability a Scout wielding the Candy Cane is penalized with. Try to steal the small health kits dropped by teammates that the Scout aided in killing.
Boston Basher / Three-Rune Blade	Continuously evade a Scout that is attacking you with the Boston Basher/Three-Rune Blade so that he damages himself.
Sun-on-a-Stick	The Sun-on-a-Stick does less base damage than the standard Bat. If you are set on fire, you should always be trying to extinguish yourself, retreating from any Scout that may try to pick you off.
Fan O'War	If you are marked by the Fan O’War, the Scout will likely try to chase you down with his primary weapon. Adjust your one-on-one tactics to his chosen weapon accordingly and try to move to where your teammates are so they can help.
Atomizer	While a Scout might never use the Atomizer in actual combat, the triple jump greatly increases his mobility. Performing the third jump costs 10 HP, however, which can expedite killing him.

Item sets

Main article: Item sets

Set	Anti-Scout strategy
The Special Delivery	This item set increases the Scout's survivability, particularly in large firefights. A Scout using this set is best keeping a moderate distance, where he can readily harass enemies with both the Shortstop and Mad Milk. He is restricted to only using the Shortstop as a strong source of damage, so close the distance, where he may find it more difficult to hit you.
The #1 Fan	This item set builds on the Scout’s amazing one-on-one prowess. React to the individual weapons, particularly the Soda Popper’s Hype and the Atomizer’s triple jump, accordingly.
The Curse-a-Nature	The Curse-a-Nature item set provides no weapons, bonuses of debuffs. When engaging a Scout with this set, be ready for anything.

See also

• Double jumping
• Team strategy