Primary Medic, Secondary Medic

I always like to play TF2 with two Medics in a full team. To me, it feels like the right amount of Medics in the team. One Medic, and the labcoat-wearing bugger will be overwhelmed. Three Medics, and the team’s firepower drops. I have played and won on a team with three Medics before (I’m one of ’em!), but that win is because the team comp compensated for the drop in firepower. We had one Scout, one Pyro, and no Snipers nor Spies. The rest are Heavies, Demomen, and Soldiers. That game was on Badwater Offense and we literally steamrolled the other team. The cart did not stop at all once we got into the tunnel. Good times, good times.

Anyways, two Medics on a team of twelve. To me, the optimal way to run two Medics in a pub is to have one primary Medic and one secondary Medic.

The primary Medic’s main job is to build Über. He’ll be with the 1 – 3 players charging into the enemy team, serving as the healer to the team’s vanguard. Once he gets his Über, he’ll pop when needed. His focus is solely on the the the few people in front and the enemy team. If the team is communicating (I know, I know, about as likely as TF2 getting a sequel), he’ll be the main shotcaller.

For the primary Medic, his best options are the Medi Gun and the Kritzkrieg. As part of the vanguard, the raw power of the Übercharge is too much to ignore. Kritzkrieg’s crits may be negated by Über, but it charges 25% faster than the Medi Gun, making it a viable option. The Quick-Fix’s Megaheal is decent and prevents knockback, but it does not protect against lethal damage. A Heavy with 375 HP and about 100 HP/s of healing may sound scary, but sufficient burst damage can still bring the Heavy, or more likely, the Medic, down. It is just not up to par compared to true invulnerability or triple damage with no damage fall-off. As for the Vaccinator, since the vanguard will be facing off against the bulk of the enemy team, they’ll be facing multiple damage sources, which more than likely will be of multiple damage types. 10% damage resistance to one damage type is not worth giving up 67% Overheal build rate and Vaccinator’s sub-standard Über.

The secondary Medic’s main job is healing. He hangs a bit behind the bulk of the team and keeps as many people healthy as possible. He’ll mainly be healing flankers and those retreating from the frontlines after taking too much damage. The secondary Medic’s main objective is to keep as many people fighting fit as possible. He’ll be the one keeping the primary Medic’s health up as well.

For the secondary Medic, the best Medi Gun for him will be the Quick-Fix, since his main job is to heal as many people as possible. But really, any Medi Gun will do. Being away from the frontlines means that most people he’ll be healing will be considered out of combat (3x healing rate for those out of combat), or at the very least not actively taking damage. The higher heal rate is helpful, but not strictly necessary.

In pubs, I generally gauge what role I’ll be taking based on the other Medic. If he’s more daring and skilled, I’ll fall back and be the secondary Medic. Otherwise, I’ll be the primary Medic and hope that the other guy’s got everything else covered. I find that this system works decently well since both Medics are not close together, which means it’s harder to pick off both the team’s healers, and it keep the bulk of the team healthy while still having a regular supply of Übers.

I can hear some of you cry “how do you even get two Medics in a team in Casual? I’ll can’t even get one!” Well, I play Medic, so it’s just a matter of luck to see if I get another Medic. And I have been lucky enough times to work this whole system out.