Ok, so before anyone starts reading this whole thing (atleast in my head it will be kinda big), i think it makes sense to say something about me and why i think I can teach you something about the competitive side of TF2. And not just the basics.

I'am a TF2 fanboy, i guess you can call me that. I like pretty much everything about the game, and i like to play ALL classes, no exceptions, i like every class and trying to understand a better way to play each one. Also i like their personas.
I have 3000+ hours (no idle) of experience in the game (have started around 2years ago), and this was my first FPS game ever.
I've played for 6v6 teams and highlander teams.

You can consider me as one of those guys who actualy knows more about theory than the actual pratical matter, but i'll try to teach you the both sides of the experience that it is competitive TF2!
Enjoy :3

To start this off i decided to pick the pyro first, i think everyone can relate to it, even though big part of the community has kinda a love-hate relationship with he/she/it.

At first glance, people with some sort of experience in this type of game mode will tell that the main role of the pyro in a team, is spy cheking. It makes sense right?...
Well, the deal is, not enterily. That is one of the many roles of a pyro in a team, and people with more experience will know that.

Let's start with the basic role:
This is what most new pyros will do, and it is a big deal in any team. If it is not done well, a good defense can go down the drain pretty quickly.
It basicaly consists on spraying fire around or near your medic/engie to look for a sneaky spy; and deflecting incoming spam (rockets/stickies/grenades), from your team or sentry. Also you can deny enemy ubers by just pushing them back, but don't try to do it to the point where you end up being killed, think.
Well, easier said than done. You need to keep a eye out for all those things at once. Most teams will use spam to make you distracted, giving space for their spy to make some work, let's say, killing your fellow engie/medic. So, never forget to alert your team when you can't check for spies in those situations.

Although this isn't the only role you can perform, but different strategies will require some sort of team management and is kinda more advanced for newly formed teams.
You see, the pyro is a massive threat at close range, you don't need to be smart to understand that. A pyro with a pin-point precision with the flaregun can easily kill light classes and making the heavier ones fall-back to safity. You can see this as:
Ok, we've talked about denying ubers, but this can be a little more specific and should be discussed with your team before you actualy do it. A good example that i remembred was this one:
Give a watch at the 7:30 mark.
In that case the pyro of that team (not currently), had the role of watching the Map Room, a common place where some teams push. Now, but if a roamer soldier or spy or any other class tries to go there by their own? He has a chance in killing them, but when more than 2 or 3 people push, he doesn't face them and only calls for he's team from where they are going to push, giving them vital information.

But what if the other team didn't pushed through the Map Room? What should he do?
In the same video, now look at the 16:10 and 35:35 mark. When he's holding the Map Room and the other team pushes Ramp, he just flanks them and tries ti get a easy pick (sometimes can go wrong as in the 16:10 mark, but even putting out some damage is ok for them to fall back). Ambushing is the basic instinct of any pyro, since it is a close range class. But for this strategy be well succeded, you need good timing and sense of oportunity, don't try to go in situations that you ALREADY know you are going to die.

As a pyro you are one class that can do this quite often when you have the opurtunity, once again you just need to know when to take advantage of this situations.
When the other team, for example, fails a push on Badwater last, and you aren't defending Map Room and can't ambush the other team, just press TAB and see if most of their team is killed, if so, and if you notice a "gap" you can go straight to their faces, just to make space for your team to do some work, and don't be afraid of using the M1, that is the problem of most new pyros, who think "W+M1 is for noobs". Yes it is easy to do, but people tend to react in a more "easy to predict" way. This works, for example against soldiers, when they aren't ignited and close to you, they can try and shoot rockets at diferent time intervals than just "load, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, load, shoot, load, shoot", but when a soldier is ignited he will most likely shoot the rocket in a easier way to predict, because people with (let's call it...) FEAR, don't think with a cold head...especialy if they are on fire. W+M1 through 4players will make them fall back in a blink of a eye, yes it is easy to do, but what
does it cares, it is eficient! Don't fear being judge.
Because FEAR...well, you already know. :)


In 6's, pyro role is a lot less complex, and there isn't any team i know of that runs a pyro full time (although i think it can actualy be legit).
Pyro is usualy used when your team has a massive uber disadvantage (let's say 80-100%) and, usualy a scout, offclasses to pyro, in a atempt to deny the uber and making it not having any impact in a push.
Watch and hear the comms, at 7:20.
Of course, the class has a lot more potential in 6's...although no one ever does so because it can get very gimickie...
Exemple:
Pushing last on Gullywash with pyro (soldier offclass), medic, scouts and pyro push below the point. Pyro gets ubered on the point to deny anyone that tries to block it, while both scout capture it.

Yeh, don't forget to get bonus points by axtinguish your team mates. Easy way to MVP.

Now seriously, airblast is what makes the pyro a unique character, and that makes it having a unique gameplay! If it wasn't for the update (yes, pyro used not to have airblast), pyro would be a nearly useless class. So, thank Gaben for airblast!

The easier projectile to reflecte. Easy to reflacte in long range, and can do lots of damage.
Try to train aiming with the rockets that you reflect, instead of just blowing them away from your team. One key factor about the airblast that you need to remember is that....

it has a frekin long range!

How to aim? You don't even need to stare at the rocket when deflecting, give it a glance, look to where you want it go (in a ~180º radius) and time the reflect. You can also flick your aim at the same time you reflect, it takes more practive though. But in theory, you can kill a player that's behind you with a reflect rocket.

Requires practice, and has almost no actual use in competitive games...but as i said...you need to use the oportunities given to you...and for that you need to know how to do it!

Nothing fancy here, just deflect them from your team, since you can't control the actual detonation.

Here you need to practice your pipe aim by actualing playing demoman, since when you deflect one the arc they do is the same.
And a thing to remember! A pipe launched by a demoman, if it doesn't hit anyone, takes ~3seconds to detonate by itself, however, when you deflect it, "the timer" doesn't reset! So, if a demo is spamming from far away, you don't even need to aim with them, just deflect them in the ground so that your team mates don't take any splash damage from it, you however need to take care with them once deflected.

This matter is a lot more subjective, so i'll try to only aproach the weapons that are more often used in the competitive scene (i'am portuguese, so i don't know much about NA unlocks on 6v6)



Degreaser: For sure, the favorite weapon of any good pyro. Although, i've met people who hate this weapon, because "it just makes your job easier". Well, i wouldn't say easier, but more eficient, yes. And that's the reason everyone uses it even though it does some a little less of damage. It works better with the use of combos (flaregun/shotgun/axestinguisher...)

Stock Flamethrower: If you are european, this is the only weapon you can use in 6's. But this one does the job, since in 6's when you offclass to pyro your main role isn't killing or getting combos, so the faster switch that the degreaser provides isn't that needed in this situation.
Overall, it is also a good weapon to be used in highlander, if you aren't a agressive pyro, and just let the afterburn do the work :)


Stock Shotgun: Used a lot, provides a good range of damage, but it's better used at close range once again. In my opinion, better than the Reserve Shooter (that i will not talk about), since you have 6 shots instead of 3, and you can get about the same damage done, without the need the be always airblasting people in the air.
Awesome to be used with both the Degreaser and Stock Flamethrower.
I personaly like to use it more in defensive stages.

Flaregun: If you need help, just fire this upwards and if a team mate sees it you might be saved by him...
Nah not realy, teehee :3
This weapon makes the pyro a lot more reliable at medium range, providing 90damage in someone that is already burning...this is realy powerful. Will make you a little less able to fight other pyros, but in competitive is quite rare to 2 pyros face a showdown, so that shouldn't be a big problem.
EPIC to be used with the Degrease, good with the Stock Flamethrower.
I like to use it in a more agressive way, in attacking stages.


Axtinguisher: Very commonly used, since it does 195 damage to anyone who is already on fire (once again, combos!). Very good at killing heavy classes when you have the chance to smack a heavy with it. Just don't overextend or try to make every play you make to be a kill with this thing, is not viable. Just, as i already said, use the oportunities given at the right time, timing is essencial!

Homewrecker: Often used in defensive payload stages, just call to your engie that you are using it, so that when anything happens to one of his buildings he can call that to you, and you can go to them and save'em from being sapped. Easy as that. It can get handy, but turns your gameplay a little less agressive.
Just don't run towards a heavy and smack him with hit and then say "Ohhhhh, yeh i didn't had the axtinguisher equiped....silly me!" (it happens too many times to me).

Haven't touched in this for 1 or 2months, got tired of this kinda quickly. Sorry, i haven't reviewed this. so there should be a lot of mistakes. :(