HowTo play ranked (Updated 06.01.16) [outdated]

Overview

Hello,this guide is for all people who:- want to improve their gameplay in competitive gaming!- have more loses than wins- are not the mvp on their team often (every 2nd. game at least. Score is not that important but should not be ignored)- getting blamed often- blame others often- think it’s your teams fault losingIn this guide I will help you to climb the ladder by yourself or with a team (but my expirience is based on my Solo experience.)I started at Silver 1 after my placement matches and made it in 90 Game (70 wins, 2 draws, 18 loses) to Gold 1.Currently Cobalt 3.So if you are still interested, just go through the next steps.Add me if you have any more questions.If you want to improve this guide leave some notes, correct my grammar and so on.If you like this guide upvote it or/and leave a comment 🙂

Step #1 – before going into competitive

1. Play all “Stopwatch” maps – learn where the ammo station is, where your spawn is (on both sides at the current objective), learn what you can do as Engineer (really important!), look for safe spots (a good angle on a door/objective where you are more or less safe). Just get comfortable playing these maps.
If you don’t like a map, don’t play it (you can choose all the maps before going into ranked, might take longer then.)
I never play “Dome” (unbalanced) and sometimes not “Underground”.

2. Don’t rush into ranked games just as you hit Level 7. You will be matched vs. everything, even cobalt and elite or players with more than 500 hours. Like I said in 1. get used to the maps and the mode overall.

3. Getting premades is way more fun and competitve, since you play vs other partys.
Try to get some players together on public, join a team/clan etc.
The chance of AFK is way lower with premades

Step #2 – Competitive Mercs

Oh yeah, where do I start…
First I have to say, there are not bad mercs… but there are some merc you can and will outperform other mercs (mainly because of the abilities).
For example Bushwacker and Phantom have more or less the same Primary weapons, but their Abilities are very different. Sure, Phantom can sneak behind you and can kill you but Bushwacker has a defending Sentry-Gun and can defuse/plant/repair very fast.

What is more useful? This game is not about kills/points but completing the objective ASAP!
So let’s start. The most competitive mercs.

Combat [Damage]

1. Fragger
2. Skyhammer
3. Nader

1. Fragger is one of the best mercs overall, huge amount of HP, high damage output and awesome ability. That being said, he is also the “hardest” to play merc of these 3. You need good map awareness and timing to throw your granate. When timed perfectly, you can delete an entire team every 17 secounds.

2. Skyhammer is one of the free mercs and effective in many ways. He has good primarys, his ammo packs gives you and your team sustain + he has airsupport. His airstrike can 1-Shot a EV and deals huge amount of damage.

3. Nader is the easiest merc to play (out of these 3) and very effective. She is a good counter vs two medics (sparks/aura) and deals huge amount of damage. She can spam her grenades in small areas and can mess up the enemy team.

Medic [Healing]

1. Sawbonez
2. Sparks
3. Aura

1. Sawbonez is by far the best medic to start. He has good primaries, making him good in combat and the best health packs. Just run with your Combat (Fragger) through the map, help him getting kills and give him you health packs. Besides that, you also have the highest amount of HP belong all medics.

2. Sparks has more potential than Sawbonez but is way harder to play. But when played correctly and good, you can outperform every Sawbonez. She needs good map awareness and you have to play very safe. If you can manage that, you can revive 24/7 your entire team from almost every position and be a 2nd Sniper on the map. I repeat, she is better than Sawbonez but since he is not that hard to play I put him on place 1.

3. Aura is a beast at defending, thats it. She has the best healing ability and works good with every merc. That also means she is not great at attacking overall + her best card is with a shotgun.

Engineer [Objectives/Damage]

1. Fletcher
2. Bushwacker
3. Proxy

1. Fletcher is a beast. He can be played as a 2nd Combat merc since his Stickys deals 100 dmg. He is quite difficult to play but when you are accurate, you will give your enemy team a hard time. His stickys can also be used to defend a planted bomb or one door. Landing his stickys is also very fun.

2. Bushwacker is the Aura under the Engineers. You can also play him when you are attacking, but still better at defending. His turret can defend a small area, dealing good amount of damage.

3. Proxy is my 2nd most played merc. I thought she was good till I realised she is not. She has low HP and can be outclassed by Bushwacker and Fletcher very easy. Proxys (with Shotguns) are just free kills. If she gets a HP buff, she might be more usefull. If you really have to play her, don’t do this suicide+jumping+shotgun think. Do your job as Engineer and take your SMG to protect the objective. The only good thing about her is her speed.

Support [Damage+Ammo]

(1). Kira
(1). Stoker
2. Arty

1. Kira and Stoker are both on place one. While Stoker is better in close combat areas/maps and has a easier primary, Kira is shining on large maps and outside. Her laser can change the whole game and can kill an entire team. Deals also good damage vs the EV.
Stoker is better in small areas but his molotov deals also good damage vs. the EV. Both are on the same level and can carry a team very easy.

2. Arty is similar to Kira but his Airstrike is a bit weaker. Better for objectives like the EV and overall still a very strong merc. But for Kira and Arty is some time and skill required.

Assasians [Damage+Utility]

1. Redeye
2. Vassili
3. Phantom

[I can’t recommend playing them when you are not experienced, cobalt and without premades. You can get punished very hard with them if you don’t know how and when to use them correctly. They are not bad, but harder with them to carry]

1. Redeye is the best under this 3. With premades, his smoke can be used to cover a certian area for a short time or just to play defensive. He is better on long distances and can assist his team very good. Needs good aiming and map awareness.

2. Vassili is a weaker Redeye and not stronger than a good sniping sparks. Means at the moment he is not very effective overall. If you are a good Vassili player you might thinking about changing it to Redeye. Same for Redeye, don’t play them when you play solo.

3. He has good primarys and can make himself a little bit shiny and loud. Nader has the same weapons, Bushwacker has the same weapons, Sawbonez has the same weapons. And yes, all are ofc better than Phantom. Don’t play him in Soloq.

These are my most competitves mercs for every class.

Now we come to the mercs I have not listed:

1. Phoenix
2. Rhino
3. Thunder

1. Good combat, good healing. Can be difficult to revive yourself but usefull if the enemy team doesnt gibb you. Most Phoenix players are don’t play Phoenix as a full medic, so you need another one. Is good in grouped fights and vs AoE Abilities like nades and stickys. He can heal your whole combat team. A good 2nd Medic.

2. Like Aura just really good for defending areas. Still works very well vs bad enemys or if you have no Ammo Sustain. Other Combat Mercs are just better.

3. Needs a decent buff. His Flash can mess your team and yourself up and is still not very effective. Has not good primary weapons overall, to slow with a bit more HP.

A good team example is this:

1 Sawbonez
1 Aura
1 Fragger
1 Kira
1 Fletcher

(good combat, good defending, ammo sustain, AoE Damage)

A bad team example is this:

1 Phoenix
1 Rhino
1 Skyhammer
1 Proxy
1 Fragger

(not a fulltime medic, 3 Combats, one bad engie. You will have unbalanced teams like this very often, to many mercs of the wrong class or bad mercs overall)

Mercs I don’t recommend for new players:
Sparks, Kira, Arty, Fragger, Fletcher, Redeye, Vassili

Simple Squad for any kind of map

Sawbonez
Bushwacker
Skyhammer

Step #3 – Loadouts/Weapons/Playstyle

Quick and simple which card I think is the best and a Overview for every merc!

Overall I can’t recommend Shotguns. I have played with them (and proxy) a lot and they are just effective at small areas/maps vs. low HP mercs. And sometimes the spread goes somewhere else but not into your enemy…

In many cases, the loadout just depends on your own playstyle or with which weapon you can play better.

Arty

Maps: Medium/Large (open sky)
Style: Defensive-Agressive
Skill: Advanced
Loadout: S82 (good weapon, 10% more AoE)

Aura

Maps: All (defending), Small
Style: Defensive (please stop rushing with her or any kind of medic…)
Skill: Beginner
Loadout:H83 (best medic card, ♥♥♥♥ shotgun) | BL41 (SMG, 20% Cooldown for your station)

Bushwacker

Maps: All (defending) Small/Medium
Style: Defensive-Agressive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: C41 (best SMG, good perks)

Fletcher

Maps: Small/Medium
Style: Aggressive-Defensive
Skill: Advanced
Loadout: A31 (it really depends when it comes to fletcher)

Fragger

Maps: All
Style: Aggressive
Skill: Advanced
Loadout: M91 (10% more AoE, best primary)

Kira

Maps: Medium/Large (open sky)
Style: Defensive-Aggressive
Skill: Advanced
Loadout: B41 (best perks, 20% Coolddown, 10% AoE

Nader

Maps: All
Style: Aggressive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: SM41 (10% more AoE)

Phantom

Maps: Small
Style: Aggressive-Stupid
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: C94 (more Melee Damage, More “Invisible”

Phoenix

Maps: Small/Medium
Style: Aggressive-Defensive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: C83 (best SMG, better healing radius, Cooldown reload time)

Proxy

Maps: Small/Medium
Style: Aggressive-Defensive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: KE53 (SMG and good perks)

Redeye

Maps: Medium/Large
Style: Defensive-Aggressive
Skill: Advanced
Loadout: No Idea, depens on the weapon you like.

Rhino

Maps: Small/Medium
Style: Defensive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: A61 (less overheating)

Sawbonez

Maps: All
Style: Defensive-Aggressive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: CR73 (both medic perks)

Skyhammer

Maps: All
Style: Aggressive-Defensive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: m92 (more AoE, good primary)

Sparks

Maps: Medium/Large
Style: Defensive
Skill: Advanced
Loadout: 383 (both medic perks)

Stoker

Maps: Small/Medium
Style: Aggressive-Defensive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: Every Loadout with 20% Cooldown reduction

Thunder

Maps: Small/Medium
Style: Defensive-Aggressive
Skill: Beginner
Loadout: MA42 (More ammo, faster reloading)

Vassili

Maps: Medium/Large
Style: Defensive
Skill: Advanced
Loadout: What ever you prefer (better with the perk “spotter”)

Step #4 – HowTo Counter Mercs

In this section we will talk about the counter for every merc, what you can do vs. them and how to deal the basic problems.

That being said, I will just talk about the “Problem mercs”… the mercs that will give you a hard time if you don’t know how to play against them correctly.

AURA

Counter: Nader, Fletcher, Stoker
(Aura will sit with here combat mercs in a special corner. You can spam them with nades/stickys or delete them with the molotov from stoker.)

BUSHWACKER

Counter: Fragger, Rhino, Thunder
(anything with high HP. Try not to fight him and his sentry at the same time but if you have to go for him first. With the high amount of HP you can survive this)

RHINO

Counter: Vassili, Redeye, Sparks
(he is very inmobile and slow, also weak on long distances. Try not to get close to him. Is also effective if you flank him from different angles. Also since he is not mobile he can get hit very easy with stickys or nades and any kind of explosives)

SPARKS

Counter: Fletcher, Fragger, Vassili, Nader
(Sparks will try to play in the back of the team on a decent distance, making it easier to flank her. If not try to spam her with explosives, even Airsupport etc. She has the lowest HP in game, isnt strong at close combat.
So, if the enemey team has a sparks, kill her first, then the rest of the team.)

FLETCHER

Counter: Rhino, Thunder, Fragger, Redeye
(Fletcher is really hard to counter because he is powerful in close combats. And that is the only real advise I can give you, keep him on a distance. A good fletcher will always trying to find a way nearby, to kill your medic and destroy your team. He can 1-Shot Mercs with 100HP or less, so Mercs with high HP are always good vs him.

NADER

Counter: Phoenix
(Nader is good on small maps and small areas and will be picked most likely on these maps. A double Phoenix-Medic comp is pretty effective. Use your AoE Heal to heal your teammates arround (not both at the same time ofc.)

If you want that I add more just tell me. 🙂

Step #5 – The maps

In this section we will talk about the maps you can play, which merc is good on which map and which are not. Also some useful advise.

additional objectives are written italic!

Best mercs for:

– EV = Skyhammer (1 Airstrike), Arty, Kira, Stoker
– destroy/open locked doors, barricade… = Stoker, Nader, Engineer
– deliever objectives = everyone
– plant bombs = engineer

Bridge

Size: Small-Medium
Objectives: 2
Additional: 1

1.) repair/destroy EV
2.) destroy/construct Barricade (can and should be repaired when the attacking team finished reparing the EV by the Engineer!)
3.) deliever/defend Objective

1.)
Attacking = Nader, Fletcher, Stoker (AoE Abilities for the small areas)
Defending = Aura, Bushwacker, Rhino, Skyhammer

2.)
Attacking = Nader, Stoker, Fragger
Defending = Aura, Stoker, Skyhammer

3.)
Attacking = Fragger, Nader, Phoenix
Defending = Aura, Stoker, Fletcher

Chapel

Size: Large
Objectives: 2
Additional: 1

1.) repair/destroy EV
2.) construct/destroy the bridge
3.) deliver the Objective/stop them from delivering the objective

1.)
Attacking = Fragger, Nader, Skyhammer
Defending = Skyhammer, Kira/Arty, Sparks

2+3.)
Attacking = Skyhammer, Kira/Arty, Aura
Defending = Aura, Kira/Arty, Redeye

Dome
Sorry, I can’t help on this map since I never play it or enjoy playing it. 🙁

Terminal

Size: Medium
Objectives: 2
Additional: 3

1.) Take Spawnpoint (important for both sides)
1.) repair/destroy tunnel
1.) Plant bomb/defuse bomb
2.) repair/destroy tunnel
2.) Plant bomb/defuse bomb

1.)
Attacking = Fletcher, Nader
Defending = Aura, Fletcher, Nader

2.)
Attacking = Fletcher, Stoker, Fragger
Defending = Aura, Bushwacker, Fletcher

Trainyard

Size: Large
Objectives: 3
Additional: 2

1.) close/open door
1.) plant/defuse bomb
2.) open/close door
2.) plant/defuse bomb
3.) deliver objective/dont let them deliver objective

1.)
Attacking = Kira/Arty, Fragger, Stoker
Defending = Kira/Arty, Skyhammer, Sparks

2.)
Attacking = Nader, Fletcher, Sawbonez
Defending = Bushwacker, Aura, Nader

3.)
Attacking = Kira/Arty, Fragger, Aura
Defending = Aura, Kira/Arty, Bushwacker

Underground

Size: Small
Objectives: 2
Additional: 4

1.) 2x open door/2x close door
1.) plant bomb/defuse bomb
2.) stop fridge/start fridge
2.) close gates/open gates
2.) plant bomb/defuse bomb

1.)
Attacking = Stoker, Fletcher,Nader
Defending = Aura, Stoker, Rhino

2.)
Attacking = Stoker, Fletcher, Nader
Defending = Stoker, Kira, Redeye, Vassili