I Love Crit Combos

Although Team Fortress 2 is known more for breeding fury with its RNG magic “You win!” 300% extra damage rolls, I adore them as a concept in multiplayer to be taken advantage of through weapon synergy as opposed to sheer luck. Sure, it may be more effective to simply mow the enemy down regularly, but goddamn, combos give you such a sense of accomplishment when you nail them.

The Sandman / Flying Guillotine combo!

Scout is a joy to play. Weaving and leaping throughout the map, being your team’s official meat tenderiser and throwing in second beatings free of charge. All while being a cocky git! Unfortunately, range isn’t kind to the Scout and trying to use your pistol to take down a distant enemy is the equivalent to throwing pebbles at someone armed with an assault rifle.

For the measly sum of -15 HP the Scout has the power of long-range stunning to use on the attack or retreat with help from the Sandman. With the Flying Guillotine, the Scout gains another ranged option giving him a considerable advantage at the start or end of a battle with 50 burst damage and 40 bleed. But together? Enter the stun crit combo! When these forces of nature collide it deals a whopping 150 burst damage and bleeding on top of that, which will also mini-crit for the duration of the stun. This glorious combo massively helps to even out fights against Medic combos or aggressive Soldiers/Demos.

The Flamethrower / Flare Gun combo!

Yeah, act surprised, the class that was made for comboing attacks together made it in. But seriously, I couldn’t ignore this time-tested method of sending your enemies down in flames. The Flamethrower is fantastic for causing chaos but isn’t exactly a great damage dealer, while the Flare Gun alone can be tricky to land multiple flares on a moving target. But if you use the Flamethrower as a precursor ignition, (Which, believe it or not, it’s quite good at.)  the Flare Gun turns into a mini Sniper Rifle and everyone is suddenly fair game. Especially if you airblast the enemies to disorientate them before beginning the BBQ massacre.

(Oh yeah, and the Axtinguisher is my guilty pleasure. It’s ridiculously slow AND the damage was nerfed and yet, nothing is as satisfying as splitting that lime green guy’s skull open with it. You know the one. You all do. Damage restored and universal draw/holster speed, thanks Valve.)

For me, the best part is simply the reaction of the enemy team. A lot of people take fire for granted with the amount of ways to deal with afterburn. But as soon as you pull out the Flare Gun, suddenly, it’s as if you screamed “Abby loves being nude!” from the rooftops. Everyone breaks away as they see teammates drop one by one to the flying infernos. And anyone foolish enough (usually Scouts) to try to push on is swiftly dealt with in a single shot of hellfire. As well as that one Medic who I always shoot in the back of the head just before they reach cover, spiraling to the ground in a grand wail.

The Killer Gloves of Boxing / Tomislav combo!

Now, I love ripping people to ribbons with a minigun just as much as the next guy. But it’s hard to say no to pummeling their faces into a fine red pulp with the helping hands gloves of the Killer Gloves of Boxing. Especially as upon defeating an enemy baby with them, for the next five seconds you’ll have guaranteed Kritz! What’s Kritz? Hell, if I know. But it kills babies very good, resetting upon each one!

But what if I told you, using the said magic/science/voodoo mumbo-jumbo of said gloves, you could rip people to ribbons with a Kritz minigun? Simply by swapping to your minigun upon baby beatdown, you too can have a weapon so effective at long-range, it would make Sniper blush… For about four seconds, anyway. Talking of him…

The Jarate / Bushwacka combo!

These weapons were made for each other. Simple as that. Jarate is, and forever will be, a weapon capable of changing the outcome of situations. Be it making a push on the enemy, putting yourself or others out. Or… Surprising the enemy with a taste of Australian justice! The Bushwacka without his golden buddy is nothing more than a pretty reskin of the stock Kukri. But united, they are a serious force to reckon with. As obvious pushover fights turn into tense, CS-like knife fighting.

As well as evening the odds for the duration of the Jarate, sometimes it can simply work as a deterrent. Smashing the Jarate over the enemy in pursuit of you and wielding the Bushwacka turns a life or death fight into a strange impromptu staring competition where no-one wants to let up the ground they fought for.

You can try to attack them before it wears off, but more often than not, you’re at a number disadvantage and will get swamped. While if you wait, you can pray for teammates to turn up but it’ll inevitably wear off and play returns to normal. (Read: Total close quarter annihilation.) So it becomes a game of finding the sweet spot of opportunity to take advantage of it. Jarate essentially turns your Bushwacka temporarily into the old Axtinguisher.

People haven’t forgotten its sting. And I love it.