The Wrap Assassin: Christmas at 70 MPH

Yeah, I know it’s not meta but I happen to really like the Wrap Assassin.

Most of the people who complain about this weapon either find it annoying or point out that it doesn’t really fill any niches. The Sandman shoots a much more powerful projectile, the Boston Basher deals more consistent bleed damage while serving as a mobility tool, and if you want to go full utility nothing’s going to beat the Atomizer. There’s just not really a reason to use the paper tube.

But there’s also no reason not to use it. It’s downside-free. You gain a projectile bleed attack and the 75% melee damage penalty is irrelevant because you’ve got a scattergun. It’s not like the Sandman which takes away 15 hp and leaves you in a constant state of vulnerability, it’s just a nice tertiary combat tool that opens a new option, especially because it actually synergizes with all of Scout’s secondary weapons. It complements the non-combat ones by providing Scout with a replacement secondary ranged attack, it complements the hitscan pistols by providing a projectile attack, it complements the Flying Guillotine because bleed (unlike afterburn) stacks. Whenever I get the urge to play stock scout, I usually cheat and leave the Wrap Assassin on because it’s just a harmless little addition that replaces the otherwise-useless bat without altering Scout’s stock role in any way.

Cause it’s pretty cool what a bleed ball can do. It’s great for getting someone to back off  or for hitting someone at extreme ranges. It lets you deal posthumous damage, it lets you tag Medics and deny their regen from kicking in for an agonizing five seconds. A minimum of 55 damage is nothing to sniff at, especially considering you still get the guaranteed crits at long range just like the Sandman (though don’t go banking on those, moonshots are powerful specifically because they practically only happen by dumb luck).

After all, if it’s good enough for Tony Stark it’s good enough for me.