Killing a heavy-medic pair solo

So, suppose that you're starting your favorite server with a couple of friends/strangers/mortal enemies (Basically, the number of people on the server is 4 on 4 or less). Anyway, you've been doing well K/D-wise, maybe even picking up a domination or two when all of a sudden some of your opponents get frustrated and turn to the dark side.

They go heavy-medic.

Now what? The main counters to such an atrocity are sniper/spy, and both are much less effective when there's only a handful of players on the server (because there's less distractions, enabling the enemies to focus on disrupting the support classes).

Since almost nothing will beat that kind of firepower at close range, your only hope is to use hit and run tactics, and try to take out the medic. However, considering that the medic will try to hide behind his 450 health buddy, has his own healing factor, and will likely flee to a health pack given enough time, you'll likely have to try and take him out in one shot. Which will usually leave you shredded by the heavy. And even if you do get close to managing it, the medic uses an uber, and you're foiled anyway.

Is there an effective way to dismantle this combo without sinking to their level and using your own cheap tactics? (ie: Your own heavy medic combo, stickybomb trapping a doorframe, etc.)

Solution 1:

Certain classes are better against certain other classes.

In general: Heavy is weak against Spy, Sniper, and Demoman.

Heavy is strong against Scout, Pyro, and Medic.

Heavy is even (more or less) against Soldier.

An Engineer versus Heavy depends entirely on if the Engy has a level 2-3 sentry or not. A mini-sentry or level 1 sentry will almost always see the Heavy win at full health. In this case, the Engineer should flee. If he was building mini-sentries, building them as you flee is an excellent idea, as it will slow the Heavy down to kill it, or make him ignore it to chase you, dealing him damage all the while.

Medic is weak against Scout, Pyro, and Soldier... well, most of the classes in the game, but those three in particular.

Medic is strong against the Spy, simply because a Medic that continually moves will generally outrun or dodge a Spy's backstab.

The thing is... a Scout has the best chance of killing a Medic if he can manage to get behind the Medic, simply because a medic is a 2-shot kill with the standard Scattergun at close range.

Now, the best defense against a Heavy/Medic pair is to work with your own teammates. If you can take out one of the two, the other teammates may be able to take out the other.

If you really do need to combat them alone, Sniper is likely your best bet. As tempting as it is to go after the Medic first, if he keeps moving, he can generally outrun your scope. However, a fully charged headshot will one-shot the Heavy.

If they Uber, run, unless you're an Engineer trying to keep a sentry nest up. In this case, repair repair repair, and hope that they aren't smart enough to have the Medic block the sentry's knockback effect. If you can get a Pyro to help you by airblasting the Medic or Heavy away, even better.

P.S. NEVER go head-to-head versus a Heavy, he will always likely win simply because of how much damage he does.

Solution 2:

You write:

The main counters to such an atrocity are sniper/spy, and both are much less effective when there's only a handful of players on the server (because there's less distractions, enabling the enemies to focus on disrupting the support classes).

I disagree. It's much easier sniping when you have just one slow-moving target to worry about and there's no one else to flank and harass you. A spy is trickier, but still you just have to catch one of them off-guard for a second as your teammate (say, a soldier) distracts them and you practically killed them both.

You also write:

Is there an effective way to dismantle this combo without sinking to their level and using your own cheap tactics?

I disagree (again) that theirs is a cheap tactic. There's a very good synergy between the medic and the heavy, so picking to play such a pair is very smart when going 2v2. And preparing booby-traps as a demo that can instantly kill this pair is also a very smart thing to do, if you can draw them into the trap :)