Spy checking

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A BLU Pyro successfully Spy checks teammates leaving their spawn area on Harvest.
Hard ta stab a guy in da back when he's beatin' ya freakin' head in, huh?
The Scout on anti-espionage.

Spy checking is the common term for a thorough inquisition made by teammates in order to determine the whereabouts of enemy Spies and eliminate them. It is important to remember that Spies cannot attack while cloaked, cannot immediately attack or place Sappers after decloaking, and can effectively kill by attacking from behind. The process is somewhat complicated since disguised Spies can use the Dead Ringer to make a hasty escape when discovered.

Contents

Identifying Spies

General Strategy


Class-specific strategies

Leaderboard class scout.png Scout

Leaderboard class soldier.png Soldier

Leaderboard class pyro.png Pyro

Leaderboard class demoman.png Demoman

Leaderboard class heavy.png Heavy

Leaderboard class engineer.png Engineer

Leaderboard class medic.png Medic

Leaderboard class sniper.png Sniper

Leaderboard class spy.png Spy

Revealing cloaked Spies

Protecting the Engineer's buildings

Identifying enemy Spies

Signs that definitely indicate an enemy Spy

Common signs

Class- or item-based signs

Signs that possibly indicate an enemy Spy

None of these indicators are conclusive proof of a Spy, but all of them would make a good time to run a Spy check:

Common signs

Class- or item-based signs

Signs that indicate a teammate is not an enemy Spy

These actions prove that a teammate is definitely not an enemy Spy. Performing any of these is a good way to inform your teammates that you are not an enemy Spy.

Common signs

Class- or item-based signs

Specific anti-Spy strategies

Main article: Anti-Spy strategy

Dealing with the Dead Ringer

The Spy has the ability to feign death with one of his unlockable items, the Dead Ringer, so always be wary upon killing enemy Spies as they may still be alive elsewhere. Thus, it's best to know some of the signs that tell that the Spy may not really be dead. Spies using the Dead Ringer cannot manually Cloak, and cannot use any weapons while the Dead Ringer is out.

Dealing with the Cloak and Dagger

The Spy's Cloak and Dagger allows him to stay cloaked indefinitely, and to hide in unconventional places while waiting for the right time to strike. An area that may seem impossible for a Spy to hide in may be sheltering a particularly cunning Spy who knows where the enemy team will not check for Spies.

Dealing with Your Eternal Reward

While Spies using Your Eternal Reward cannot use their Disguise Kit at will, they make up for this by being able to quietly Backstabbing any enemies and leaving no body for their teammates to find. A Spy using Your Eternal Reward can be impossible to detect even when he is killing teammates nearby.

Related achievements

Pumpkin.png Scarechievements

Costume Contest
Costume Contest
Kill a Spy disguised as your current class.

Leaderboard class soldier.png Soldier

War Crime Spybunal
War Crime Spybunal
Kill a Spy who just backstabbed a teammate.

Leaderboard class pyro.png Pyro

Firewall
Firewall
Ignite 5 Spies who have a sapper on a friendly building.
Got A Light?
Got A Light?
Ignite an enemy Spy while he's flicking a cigarette.
I Fry
I Fry
Ignite 10 disguised Spies.
Spontaneous Combustion
Spontaneous Combustion
Ignite 10 cloaked Spies.

Leaderboard class demoman.png Demoman

Shorn Connery
Shorn Connery
Decapitate a cloaked Spy.
Spynal Tap
Spynal Tap
Kill 20 spies within 5 seconds of them sapping a friendly building.

Leaderboard class heavy.png Heavy

Spyalectical Materialism
Spyalectical Materialism
Kill or assist in killing 10 cloaked Spies.

Leaderboard class engineer.png Engineer

Fistful of Sappers
Fistful of Sappers
Destroy 25 sappers on buildings built by other team members.
Get Along!
Get Along!
Manage to get to, and then remove, a sapper placed on your building while you were several meters away.
Quick Draw
Quick Draw
Kill a Spy and two sappers within 10 seconds.
Search Engine
Search Engine
Kill 3 cloaked Spies with a sentry gun under control of your Wrangler.
The Wrench Connection
The Wrench Connection
Kill a disguised spy with your Wrench.

Leaderboard class medic.png Medic

FYI I am A Medic
FYI I am A Medic
Use your bonesaw to kill a spy who has been calling for 'Medic!'.
Hypocritical Oath
Hypocritical Oath
Kill an enemy Spy that you have been healing.

Leaderboard class sniper.png Sniper

Consolation Prize
Consolation Prize
Get backstabbed 50 times.
Jarring Transition
Jarring Transition
Use Jarate to reveal a cloaked Spy.
Kook the Spook
Kook the Spook
Kill 10 Spies with your Kukri.
Shock Treatment
Shock Treatment
Kill a Spy whose backstab attempt was blocked by your Razorback.
Shoot the Breeze
Shoot the Breeze
Kill a fully invisible Spy in a single hit.

Leaderboard class spy.png Spy

A Cut Above
A Cut Above
Kill a gun-wielding Spy with your knife.
Counter Espionage
Counter Espionage
Backstab a disguised Spy.
Spies Like Us
Spies Like Us
While cloaked, bump into an enemy cloaked Spy.
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