What use is the Conniver's Kunai and strategies used with it?
As a long time player of the Spy class, I value my knowledge of the Spy and how I can change my strategy to suit my situation. With the addition of the Conniver's Kunai, I've been trying to find when the knife would be useful and how I could use it.
Conniver's Kunai
Level 1 Kunai
- On backstab: absorbs the health from your victim.
- −65 max health on wearer
The best solution I've seen was when I'm defending on a payload map and attack a (distracted) team pushing the cart. I can get several stabs and keep my health high but still die in a few seconds when the team turns to kill me and I cannot backstab anymore.
I seem to find that the Conniver's Kunai is set into a niche that Your Eternal Reward does better: Backstabing a large, distracted group. Any thoughts, opinions or comments?
Solution 1:
I have hundred of hours play time with the Spy mostly using the classic knife and I was really interested to try the Conniver's Kunai as soon as it has been released.
Unfortunately, the 60 health points limit is really low and with the high level of missiles, pipes and bullets spam that there is in Team Fortress 2 it is really difficult to sneak behind the enemy lines without accidentally dying.
In the end I tested the Conniver a lot and found only a few maps and situations where its efficiency (K/D-ratio) is comparable to the standard knife. These are usually large maps, like, for example, pl_badwater (red team), cp_badlands and cp_coldfront when you are pushed by enemy team and mostly defending.
Solution 2:
I am able to use it really well with the Dead Ringer for added survivability. I usually have the Dead Ringer out and my Ambassador until I get hit, then I will disguise and go behind the team and take as many out as I can, picking up weapons and metal to recharge the Dead Ringer, then running away. It's a hit and run, and the extra HP after kills lets you get clear.
Sometimes I will disguise as a teammate if the other team is catching on so that they won't be expecting me.
While using it my K:D went from like 1:3 to 3:1!
Solution 3:
The Conniver's Kunai is an excellent weapon if you are proficient at trickstabs, stairstabs, and jukestabs.
As stabby stabby mentions here, if you're a spy, and you're on fire, it's a blatant giveaway of what class you truly are and what you aim to do. The Conniver's Kunai provides instant relief, as successful backstabs not only heal you based on hp sapped from the enemy, but they will remove status effects, such as Jarate, Bleed, and Fire.