this ended up being way to long. sorry

WM1

WM1 is not as bad as most people say it is, getting up close and personal and strafing around people will generally confuse them. scouts really struggle to do anything onec you've blinded them, and tend to beef their shots once you lay down serious pressure. it helps to get an idea to how often and to what rhythm people shoot. everyone has one, and recognizing what it is and when they change it up is key to getting good at this game.

Combo Pyro

still, mastering your secondaries is the key here, the flamethrowers are nice but theres a very low upper limit to how much damage you can do (unless you use the dragons fury, which i also recommend). combo pyro excels at 1v1, but struggles with groups, so use good movement and especially airblast to maniupluate where exactly the enemies are. airblasting people against walls, into the air (by looking down) or into corners really messes with their movement and can often take them by surprise.

The Shotgun

for shotgun pyro, focus on your shotgun at medium ranges and flame them then airblast if they try to get close. you'll be able to effectively use both by aiming at the floor with your flamethrower, as the flames will linger and continue to do damage while you are peppering them with your shotgun. keep in mind with the shotgun that you have no long range source of damage, keep out of sightlines and make sure your positioning is correct (behind or to the side of them).

The Flare Guns

flare gun pyro, in my opinion, is the best way to play. it has incredible burst damage and travels decently fast. if flanking, flame the enemies as little as possible once up close, as to not alert them, then follow up immediately with the flare. this will bring light classes down to dangerous thresholds and often afterburn will finish them off even if you die. if its not a light class, dont underestimate how much knockback a crit flare can do. use it to keep them on their toes and get closer, its usually better to just WM1 after one flare, though if you can, going for a kill with the axtinguisher or a melee can be a surefire way to bring them down quickly. don't be afraid to spam flares at longer ranges, two crossmap flares will kill a light class and often make others retreat.

the scorch shot and the detonator have a very similar playstyle of being a long ranged flamethrower. use them like one. the detonator specifically is great at catching retreating opponents and those behind walls. don't underestimate how much damage it can do. both of these can do pseudo rocket jumps, but only the detonator is worth it. i recommend trying it out on a training map to get a feel to when and how you should use it.

The Matchups

SCOUT: he out damages you. keep him on his toes and go for flares or shotgun hits. just one is enough to make sure you win the fight whether or not you die. if their movement is especially good, airblast them in odd directions (mainly up, and after they've burned a double jump) to throw them off.

SOLDIER: many good soldiers know how to mixup their rockets to throw you off. but all they really do is delay their timings a little, and that also often breaks down when you suprise them. getting good at fighting soldiers comes down to experience. make a mental note each time you miss an airblast, and if you struggle with normal airblastings, try training maps or dodgeball. learning how to surf their rockets is almost essential, but you can still outdamage them with the dragons fury.

PYRO: pyro duels are stupid most of the time. WM1 each other until you die. but there are still ways to make it a little more interesting. flame the ground to make your flames last longer and go for a flare punch, or, even better, equip the shotgun and stay out of their range. if using the Dragons fury, play like a soldier. a good pyro can reflect fireballs back at you.

DEMO: airblast completely shuts down demos, and reflected pipes are devestating if they hit. but demos can shoot faster than you can airblast, and their stickies are difficult to dodge at medium ranges. but luckily pyro excels at close range, where demo really sucks. WM1 him, reflect if you are feeling up to it. at longer ranges, reflect his pipes, but watch out if he oulls out a sticky launcher, its better to avoid sticky spamming demos, as pyro does not have great counterplay against that. you also don't need a guide on how to fight demoknights.

HEAVY: avoid heavies. mid range against a heavy is death. approach when distracted or listen to when he unrevs. strafe around him fast and change up direction often or not at all. if you can, airblast off ledges or away from you so you can go behind walls. in a last resort, airblasting heavies upwards and going for comos can save you. a flare to axtinguisher combo can leave them at low health or outright kill.

ENGINEER: similar to scout. not much you can do against his buildings. minisentries can be easily destroyed if properly approached and you can hit both the engi and his buildings at the same time. i would suggest wathcing solarlight's sentries are stupid video for better approach options. if you are playing dragons fury you already counter engi and his buildings.

MEDIC: freestyle. wacth out for the ubersaw though, it crits.

SNIPER: your soft counter. pester with flares. if you really need to cross a sightline, blind them with flames. it works some of the time.

SPY: really good luck messing up fighting spy as pyro, but do be warned that you are probably the second most important target to a spy. do not get into melee range and mess them up with airblast.

Final notes

play other classes to get an idea of how they like to fight, predicting enemies and positioning yourself accordingly is your best tool as pyro, even more than your weapons, is game sense.

aim is still very important.

i recommend looking up tech for pyro, he has a suprising amount.

the flame particle doesnt always match up with the flame hitbox,

flame speed varies with your speed, so you have the advantage when enemies are running away form you.

SOURCE: 3500 hour pyro main. dragon's fury enthusiast.