Sniper match-ups
From TF2 Wiki
| Class | Threat | Strategy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sniper | v |  Scout | High | Try to avoid if possible. Scouts are fast and difficult to track while scoped. They are more than fast enough to chase you down, thus, you must be aware of your surroundings to prevent the Scout from reaching you before you've run away. Aiming at their center of mass with your Submachine gun from the moment you spot them may cause enough damage to scare them off. If you still end up in a firefight with a Scout, try to backpedal or strafe while firing. During a threat to personal space, melee combat is generally not recommended. However, when fighting in a confined space melee may be the more viable option, since two strikes will generally kill a scout. |
| Sniper | v |  Soldier | Low-High | Aim for the head. Don't get caught in close quarters, where the soldier has a massive advantage. Be wary, as Soldiers can send rockets towards your position to force you behind cover. Dodge the rockets and try to take him out while keeping yourself moving if you can. Rocket jumping will allow them to appear in close range unexpectedly - it is not recommended to fight them if they should appear in your Sniping nest as their rockets can take you down swiftly. During a threat to personal space, melee combat is not recommended. |
| Sniper | v |  Pyro | Low-Medium | Due to oddly shaped heads, achieving a headshot may be difficult. Additionally, if a pyro is aware of your presence, it may use its flamethrower to mask your view of its head with flames. Pyros will likely be a fairly rare sight, as they try very hard to avoid being in places where Snipers are effective. If the Pyro has somehow gotten close, your best option is your Submachine gun. Stay at medium range while laying down fire until the Pyro goes down. If the Pyro gets you within range of his flamethrower it's quite likely you'll die, so get in as much damage as you can while looking for the nearest body of water or Health pack to neutralize the fire. During a threat to personal space, melee combat is highly unrecommended. Also, watch out for the Pyro's flare gun which can set you on fire and mess up your aim. |
| Sniper | v |  Demoman | Low-High | Aim for the head. Be alert about blind-spots where they can safely hide and lob grenades and Sticky bombs at you. With these they can turn your Sniper nest into a deathtrap. At such a point, it may be best to wait until your teammates take the Demoman out rather than risk death. During a threat to personal space, melee combat is risky, but acceptable. |
| Sniper | v |  Heavy | Very Low | Aim for the head. If you are at a distance, the spread of his Minigun fire should do minimal damage, allowing you to take him out before it mounts up. If a Heavy were to somehow get to your Sniper spot, (likely accompanied by a Medic), it would be wise to simply run whilst attacking with your Submachine gun. During a threat to personal space, melee combat is highly unrecommended. |
| Sniper | v |  Engineer | Very Low-Medium | Aim for the head, then aim for the Sentry gun and Dispenser. A Sniper is among the best classes for taking out a Sentry gun - able to stay out of range while delivering highly powerful charged shots, as well as able to take out the corresponding Engineer from a distance where his Shotgun is hardly effective. When in a position to deal with Sentry guns up-close, (A position which, as a sniper, you shouldn't have gotten into in the first place) you should run. If you run into an Engineer up close without his Sentry present, don't be afraid to use your Submachine Gun. In the long run though, the Engineer has the advantage as he has more ammo. |
| Sniper | v |  Medic | Medium-High | While not intrinsically threatening, (simply gun them down with your Submachine gun), Snipers are the most viable candidate for killing Medics who are paired up with pesky Medic buddies, and as such, should be treated as the most dangerous opponent on the field. Their high speed and constant strafing makes a Headshot difficult, but due to their relatively low health, a fully charged shot to the body should do well enough to kill or severely damage the Medic enough for your teammates to finish him off or to scare him away. During a threat to personal space, melee combat is acceptable, although risky because of the Medic's higher health and the crit rate of the Bonesaw. |
| Sniper | v | Sniper | Very High | Other Snipers are usually best left alone. If you get caught up in a 'Sniper duel', simply try to be the one to Headshot him first. Try ducking and strafing to confuse your opponent, or appear from an unexpected location. If you end up getting caught in constant Sniper duels, it is recommended you change class as they are of very little benefit to your team.
Alt opinion: Protecting your team-mates from a pesky Sniper can assist heavily in winning a map. If you're keeping the Snipers busy looking for you, they spend less time taking out your teammates and you can spend the time they are respawning to target other classes. If you find yourself getting knocked out more than you are knocking them out, then it might be time to switch classes. |
| Sniper | v |  Spy | Very High | Watch your back, Spies are the Snipers arch-enemy. Spy check people that you notice hanging around the battlements. Spies will often disguise themselves as other snipers in popular sniping locations, so be especially wary of any other snipers that come close. Watch the kill log in the top-right for team-mates getting Backstabbed. If there's another Sniper on the deck, try to put him between you and the entrance to the Sniper deck, so that you have some advance warning. Better him than you. During a threat to personal space, melee combat is highly recommended - you have a much bigger knife. Try to keep your melee crosshair on the Spy as much as possible when engaging in close-combat or you may succumb to a flick-stab by an experienced Spy. |
