I. What is a team?
II. Good Comms
III. Team Relations
When in doubt, remember teamwork makes the dream work
The first thing everybody needs to understand is that a team is a system. Everybody has a role and they should play it accordingly. Teams are not about having one person MVP all the time with flashy kills but rather about getting the right kills at the right time.
Having 0 kills but forcing their medic to pop uber 3 times early is much more useful than having 60 picks on their engie on Viaduct. Arguably, engie is a good pick but remember that when presented with a easy stairstab on an engie vs butterknifing that medic and making him panic pop without YOUR medic in sight, the latter is always the better choice.
Getting angry at somebody who is simply killing you repeatedly and going just after them will not help your team. Unless it’s their medic and he’s about to push into you. Although, you shouldn’t die to a medic. TL;DR, don’t be the weakest link.
Comms are the most important aspect of competitive and is the core principle that sets Comp aside from Pubs.
Do not ever slam your finger on push-to-talk just to say
“ah god im down lol that guy is such a scrub that crutch weapon i could’ve killed him if he wasn’t an idiot”
Doing so only serves to clutter your own comms and makes crucial information such as
“They’re ubering in”
indistinguishable from the useless junk.
Bad comms are even worse than no comms. Do not dwell on an embarassing death or a critical failure. Keep going. Raging simply lowers morale.
TF2 is a FPS game and plays by the frame. With so many props around, your teammates cannot see everything happening. Comming the important things, therefore, is crucial.
Failure to communicate important things only cripples your own team.
What are good comms?
- Predictions {They might be going for a flank on us}
- Intentions {I’m going for their medic now}
- Positions {Scout is coming onto spire now}
- Privy Info {Heavy took 200, Demo has 50 in bath}
Far away? Can’t contribute to a push? Tell your teammates your class and that you cannot help. Critically hurt? Lit? Tell your medic in comms. But do not repeatedly say, “Medic can you heal me? God you’re a terrible medic. Sterling why are you our medic you are literally worse than Timba.”
Critical information such as backcaps, ubers, and med percentages can be repeatedly commed just to ensure your teammates heard
Try to keep comms clean and concise with things such as
solly 40 at mid
instead of
soldier has 40 health at mid i think
This streamlines the process.
Never be afraid to comm. Even if you think you sound like justin beiber over the microphone, use that voice. It will save lives.
If you know your team is about to push, be a counter. Look backwards while they look forwards. Make sure the crucial classes do not get flanked and killed before the push happens.
TF2 is like a dance. At last, you have an uber disadvantage and they have uber. You know they will push in so you pull back and strengthen your defenses. After their push, shove back. Do not overextend but let them know you mean business. Back and forth, if you have the better team cohesion you will win.
Be real. If a teammate is doing something terrible. Let them know. Even if it’s a good friend of yours. Use positive reinforcements and also ensure that they know when something goes wrong. Received a complaint? Take it. And listen to it and see what you can do to change.
Keep morale high. When a team gets rolled slowly and no longer comms, they’ve lost the will to win. Attitudes are contagious and so it will only ensure you don’t win.
Game on!
A Competitive TF2 Guide 