Overview
Okay, I’m actually legit peeved by all the guides talking about how “OH, BLITZ IS OP!1!1!1!” and “DURR MELEE BLITZ GG EZ” “ALT PLUS F4” and all that crap, so, I’m gonna shoot my main in the foot. I’m gonna give you the best ways to take down Blitz, what operators get the job done the easiest, and why.
OPERATORS
OP CATEGORIES
AREA DENIAL: Operators who slow Blitz’ movement speed have an easier time flanking him and forcing him to either back up or commit to a turn or melee push. Frost’s Welcome Mat can stop Blitz dead and leave him an easy target, or distract him long enough for a dome. Lesion’s Gu Mines force him to put his shield down and tend to his wounds. Barbed Wire, especially electrified barbed wire, can stun him and force him to back off or attempt to beat his way through the problem. Blitz’ main advantage over Monty and Fuze is his speed, and these options slow him down enough to make that a non-factor. Smoke is also a decent choice because he not only damages Blitz, but also lowers his visibility, forcing him to guess where his targets are and where they might go.
EXPLOSIVE: Operators with Impact Grenades and Nitro Cells flourish against Blitz, as they do against other shield operators. However, since Blitz is faster than the other shield operators, planning and timing are much more important. Keep in mind, though, that he’s squishier, too, at only 2 Armor, meaning that if you connect right, you’re gonna get a kill more consistently than you would with That Big Hostage Killing Boi or C H O N K E R Monty. Pulse can look through the walls and see Blitz on his way to the point of entry, Bandit can electrify reinforced walls to help funnel Blitz and his team into areas you choose, and Smoke can force him to either overextend or back out of a push.
SPECIFIC OPS
MUTE: Mute shuts down the most important part of Blitz’ destructive potential- his unique shield. Without it, he’s just a faster, frailer Fuze, weak to all the same things that Fuze is, save for being able to sprint at you, but, that’s why you’ve got things that go BOOM, barbed wire, and your teammates, hopefully. Mute is best for if you wanna stop Blitz in a more supportive role. You won’t hear people singing your praises as the man who shut down the beast, but you’ll know what you did.
KAPKAN: Blitz likes to bust down doors, or blow open walls. Kapkan can eliminate one of those two options for him rather efficiently. It may not outright kill, like a nitro cell, but it’ll definitely make Blitz a bit more scared to try it twice. Also, most of the time, Blitz won’t come in through windows, since he has to put up his shield to swing, ,so you don’t need to worry too much about that. (Keep in mind that some maps (Clubhouse, Tower, Kanal, Chalet) have awnings that you can stand on, so it helps to keep an eye on those too, but as a hole, Blitz is gonna go in from the bottom on up.
CLASH: Clash is the saltiest way to take down Blitz, period, as you force him to come into Melee range to deal with you and your… shield. Which is also in melee range. Meaning he has to go through your shield’s electric barrier… which slows him down and does damage. I am the only Blitz player I’ve ever known to be either brave or stupid enough to keep charging at a Clash, so don’t expect them to try it on you, and keep in mind, you can A) Back up and B) throw your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ impacts. PLEASE. I know it’s inconvenient, but you can use them to make escape routes for yourself, or to shatter Blitz’ ankles if he’s out of melee range.
LESION/ SMOKE/ ANY OP WITH A NITRO CELL: Pretty self explanatory. Blitz has to either commit to taking damage, or back out and do some self care/ repositioning.
ELA: Ela is an all around great choice for beating Blitz, as you have everything he hates. Visual impairment- the Grzmot gives you that. Slowdown. Grzmot gives you that. High rate of fire, decent damage gun- the Skorpion EVO gives you that. 3 speed? You can outrun Blitz faster than he can catch up to you, giving you a second to try and bait him out.
Overall, any defender with a Nitro Cell or an area/entry denial gadget is your best choice for crushing Blitz cold in his tracks.
BLITZ AND PALS (Or: Dangerous Duos)
These are just some dangerous pairings that I’ve come across in my time as a Blitz main. One of the few things scarier than Blitz is a competent Blitz. One of the few things scarier than a competent Blitz is one who has a competent team.
BLITZ AND SLEDGE: HOMEWRECKERS
Sledge is dangerous in that his means of entry is completely silent until he uses it, and is deployed almost instantly. It’s quieter than a Breaching Charge, and also means that Blitz has companies. If you’re dealing with this strat, have a nitro cell near a breakable wall that has good LOS on the whole room- for example, the one on the same side as the doorway, or the one in the back that you’re probably not watching. Use the nitro cell to take out Blitz, then worry about Sledge, as he’s likely to pull out of his hole to allow Blitz to move in. Have one of your teammates start shooting through what’s left of the wall to try and wallbang Sledge.
BLITZ AND FINKA: BLITZKRIEG
Imagine a 2 speed operator with a really good secondary weapon. Now give him a shield. Now give him flashbangs.
NOW GIVE HIM 125 HEALTH.
Finka working together with Blitz is SCARY, especially because Finka doesn’t have to be anywhere near Blitz for this strat to work. If you see Blitz coming in hot and you know there’s a Finka? ASSUME HE IS BOOSTED. Focus him while doing what you can to maintain situational awareness. If you even THINK the Finka is nearby, stick to a position where you can easily duck behind cover once you get Blitz. Set traps or cells around likely points of entry to soften him up for a few rounds.
BLITZ AND MAVERICK/GLAZ/LION/ AND POSSIBLY OTHERS: DISTRACTION ACTION
Disclaimer: I am thoroughly convinced everyone in casual is too stupid for this to ever come into play, but Blitz’s intimidating speed, really good sidearm, and very useful utility make a potent triple threat that the defending team will want to deal with immediately. This makes him a potent distraction- not as good of one as Monty, but a good one nonetheless. This gives ops with high kill potential and strong utilities, such as (pre-impending nerf into the dirt) Lion, Maverick, Glaz and Jackal, easy opportunities for domes and quick kills. The best way to deal with Blitz’s team in this kind of situation is positioning. Make yourself harder to spot, and harder to hit, while making it harder for Blitz to get to you. Hide behind desks, near tables, in corners, close to the wall, or in choke points to force Blitz and his team to engage you on your terms. If Blitz’ teammates are trying to hide behind his shield (bad idea, considering that his shield still, hitbox wise, has the smallest surface area of all the shields in the game), see if you can get rid of them first while attempting to avoid the melee from Blitz.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AND REVIEW
POSITIONING
When fighting Blitz, positioning is key. Distance, Cover, Exit Strategy. All important factors.
DISTANCE: Blitz has to ADS to get good accuracy with his pistol, which is dangerous, as it exposes his head to enemy fire, and his head is one big target. Blitz will usually try to hipfire, and hipfire at long range is spotty at best. Keep out of range of his flash and melee, and your chances of survival go up quite a bit.
COVER: Blitz is not god. His pistol has limited penetration power, and he cannot yeet through solid walls without using a breaching charge, has to vault over obstacles and window frames, and is bound by the laws of physics to move around tables and other such obstructions. These are your friend, as it leaves windows open where you can attempt to bait out Blitz or gun him down. Low cover is especially helpful (the couches on House, the pool table on Clubhouse, the kitchen window and stoves on Kafe), as it leaves his legs open to fire for longer.
EXIT STRATEGY: When all else fails, book it the ♥♥♥♥ out. Blitz cannot kill you if he cannot catch you, and sometimes bailing out to a better defensive position or to range of your Nitro Cell/Smonk Gas/Grzmot is a damn good idea. If you have a Maestro on your team who’s safe and able to use cams (that is to say, either early or in a situation where your team has the advantage,) you can poke Blitz into making a mistake with the Evil Eye. Look for doorways that lead to good choke points, good cover, or multiple branching rooms and paths (the stairway on Hereford, the hallway on Kafe, the second floor of Tower, etc.)
INTEL: If you know where Blitz is coming from, and where he might be going, you can properly prepare for him. Evil Eyes can even make him turn around and expose himself temporarily in an attempt to figure out WTF just happened, electrified wire or deployable shields can force him to take an alternate route, a well placed Smoke Gas or Nitro Cell over the likely entry point can end his charge before it even gathers up steam, and a well placed Welcome Mat/ EDD can put him in quite a bind if he isn’t paying attention to anything but the frag.
MIND GAMES: Neutral game is a dangerous place for you to be with Blitz, but peeking a doorway on him or poking holes in his entry plan can force him to make risky plays. Keep this in mind. If you can bait him into starting to ADS by shuffling near the door, do it. If you bait him into missing a melee and leaving his guard down? Salt-inducing and often leading to “f’in hitreg” in chat. A cheeky impact through a floor panel or wall can get you a quick escape from Blitz and even lead him into making a dumb play (this was the end result of my encounter with that Clash. It was on Plane, and she saw me still trucking at her, so she went into the small first-floor alcove and blasted open the panel to drop down and force me to either commit to following her and risk a quick melee or spraydown, or continue onward. I died to her teammate one room over, but it was still a ballsy and intelligent play.)
WEAPON CHOICE
I find that shotguns will be little help against Blitz. You’ll want something with decent accuracy and a high rate of fire that can put a lot of damage on what little bit of Blitz is exposed when you’re shooting. Maestro’s ALDA 556, Ela’s Skorpion, Alibi’s Storm, Bandit’s MP7, and Mozzie’s P10 Roni will definitely be a help in a situation like this. High damage in general is good, as well, if your aim and positioning is good, but generally, you’re gonna want more bullets hitting rather than one big hit that isn’t that accurate.
EQUIPMENT CHOICE
Barbed Wire, Impact Nades, and Nitro Cells. If you have any combination of the three, you’re good to go.
Also disrespectful DI.
SUMMARY
The best way to beat Blitz is through predicting his movement, preparing properly, and cutting off his movement and attack options, forcing him to engage you at mid-to-long range or pull out of the engagement.