### Game State Awareness --- Having a solid understanding of the game state is the foundation for all good pyro decision making. Great emphasis should be put on having as complete understanding of the game state at all times. Some key things that you should be aware of are: 1. Track who is alive and dead on each team 2. Keep track of player positioning 3. Keep track of each teams uber percentage 4. What will each team be doing next? ### Players Alive --- The first thing to be aware of when trying to understand the game state is what classes are alive on each team. Obviously, the spy can't stab your medic if he's dead, so you want to know what possible threats are even possible at any given time. Since you're already [[Spy Tracking|tracking the Spy]], you should have a good idea on his position. Other important classes to keep note of are the [[Basic Playstyle#Bomb Denial|Soldier]], Sniper, Medic, and Demoman. These classes most directly effect how you will play, however it is valuable to understand the status of all players on both teams as numbers advantage can play a large role in the viability of a fight or hold. - Sniper: knowing whether or not you have to respect sniper sight-lines - Medic: watch out for sacs if you see their medic die - Demoman: If a team is down their demo, it is much less likely they will initiate a fight ### Teammate Positioning --- Particularly when it comes to evaluating your own positioning and focus, take into account where your teammates are. Try not to overlap your focus too much with other players on your team. For example, when your Engineer is playing in the shutter on [[Ashville]], use that as an opportunity to focus your [[Spy Tracking|spy checking]] efforts elsewhere. Try to find the gaps in your teammates positioning and fill them dynamically. Don't overlap your spy checking with other effective classis and try to look where your team isn't. If your whole team is looking forward, you should probably be checking their backs. If your Engineer is focused on spy checking, you should probably worry about the coordinated bomb. Recognizing these opportunities comes with time and experience, as well as the correct mindset. When relying on factors outside of your control (your teammates), don't evaluate your actions based on their results. Everyone on your team, including you, is going to make mistakes. Sometimes your Engineer is going to let a Spy walk through shutter and stab your Medic. The idea is to play as correctly as possible around your team, which will result in better outcomes overall throughout your time playing together. Trust your teammates to do their jobs and adjust your play around their gaps and weaknesses. ### Uber Advantage --- Considering that much of Highlander's flow is dictated by the Uber advantages and exchanges, its important to know the basics of counting Ubers. Knowing each teams rough uber percentage will inform your decisions, as well keep you on the same page as your combo when it comes to the game flow. As a general rule, it should take roughly 40-50 seconds for a medic to get uber charge, depending on how much healing the medic has the opportunity to put out. Keep that in mind and listen to your teams coms to have a good understanding of the game state. Like with [[Spy Tracking|spy tracking]], this is something that will become instinct with practice and experience. Once you [[Understanding Ubers|understand]] the Uber status of each team, you can use this knowledge to understand the types of plays that you can expect the enemy team to make, as well as what your own team should be doing next. ### [[Spy Tracking#Transition Periods|Transition Periods]] --- Understanding and recognizing transition periods is one of the most important concepts for success on Pyro. They happen on all game modes, maps, and sides. As your team moves into new positions, use the information you know about the game state, as well as your knowledge of the map (including your specific teams plans), to protect the most vulnerable players as they safely move to their new positions. Generally speaking, you want to make sure that your combo gets to where it needs to go without getting stabbed, but also be on the watch for off-timing bombs and other players lurking around to catch your team off guard. It is frequently very useful on [[Stopwatch|Payload]] offense to set your Sniper up on angles as your team transitions to new points and your Engineer is pushing the cart. You should know who is alive to be a threat to your team, specifically if the spy can even be in position to make a play as you rotate. Transition periods are one of the biggest opportunities for Pyro to have a high level of impact on the game, as no other class is as effective at clearing our space and denying close range plays. ### What Next? --- All of this information should be used to understand the overall flow and state of the game and allow you to proactively position yourself for engagements. Pyro is often described as a reactive class, which is true in a sense, however the best Pyros don't just stand around and hope to deny things. You have to know what's coming next and why. You can have the best mechanics in the world, but if you aren't looking the right way or standing in the right place, they are useless. Know that the enemy team is likely to sac if your team gets a Medic pick and you suddenly have Uber advantage. Know whether or not the spy could be in position to get in for a play during that sac. Know where your teammates are and who is capable of defending against what during the sac. Is your scout already taking your Medic out and spy checking? Who is in position to deal with incoming bombers? Knowing the answer to these kinds of questions and acting accordingly in all situations are the fundamental building blocks to success on Pyro. > [!example] Everything Everywhere All At Once > A common pitfall that many pyros fall into is trying to handle every possible threat at once. They frantically try to look at everything and deny every threat and end up doing a poor job at all of it. It is important to chose your threats wisely using game your game-sense and experience and try to find the most impactful and likely threats to prevent. A good pyro can only really handle 2 jobs at once consistently. Use your understanding of the game and evaluation of the game-state to prioritize what these two jobs are at any given time. For example, if the spy is dead, you know you can prioritize things like denying spam and bombs until you know the spy is crossing again or one of those threats also get dealt with. Pyro is a constant juggling act where you must constantly track the game state and find the gaps you need to fit into at any given time. >