Galvia's all Encompassing LANified! NETworks 3v3 KOTH Guide!

[Galvia]

**Please note that the 3v3 Format for TF2 is relatively uncharted territory, and the way the format is played can and will change! I will keep it as updated as possible as we continue to hold the 3v3s!**

This guide is a work in progress. There will be many versions and continued updates as we progress! Please keep this in mind, and be gentle! Any feedback or suggestions are absolutely welcome!

Table of Contents

Part 1 -- Introduction
-Origins and Reasons
-Rule List

Part 2 -- Recipes for Destruction!
-Class Loadout Format
-Offensive or Defensive?
-Mulitclassing (A.K.A How to be a Pain in the Ass!)

Part 3 -- The Field of Battle!
-Reasons as to why certain maps are picked
-Map List
-Comprehensive Map Guides
- Viaduct & Viaduct Pro
- Badlands
- Sawmill
- Nucleus
- Rocktop
- Vanguard
- Sekhmet
- Ashenvale

Part 4 -- Sun Tzu said that! (Strategy Analysis)
-You and your team
-Pacing
-Plan of Action!
-BIG Plays!

Part 5 -- Conclusion





Part One: Introduction

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and of course MAGGOTS! to Galvia's all encompassing guide to TF2 3v3 King of the Hill! This guide will cover all the details, nuances, and giblets that come with this exciting and new format of competitive TF2. Now you may at this point be saying to yourself "Bah Humbug, why should I let this guy show me how to defeat my opponents mercilously! My team has faced many a skirmish and have risen victorious in the face of overwhelming adversity!". Well that might be well and true, but you see I happen to be good friends with Sun Tzu... er... I mean Bloodyiron; and I think he knows a little more about 3v3 then you do, pal! Because he invented it! And then perfected it in the ring of battle. In all seriousness the 3v3 KOTH format truly has been developed by Bloodyiron, and through him I have born witness to, and even competed in many 3v3 tournaments and battles. My team and I took the championship at LANified! 9: Batter Up LAN 3v3 Finals, and I have been doing analysis and commentary week in and week out for the LANified! Networks KOTH^2. So come at me bro and all of that jibber jabber. Lets get into the meat of this thing!

The idea for us to run a KOTH 3v3 weekly stemmed from the idea that we like the format, as we have been running it at LANified! Events for a very long time and we thought it would be exciting enough to showcase on our weekly broadcast. It's incredibly easy for anyone to get into the fray and have fun, all you need is 3 willing teammates and some free time when we're running the broadcast. After the first few weeks of us running it, it started to become fairly successful with returning teams, a little drama, and rivalries forming; the format worked out better then we could have ever imagined. From time to time we are asked why we don't simply run a 6v6 and bring in teams from that area of Competitive TF2. The simple answer is that the 3v3 format is fresh, it's fast, and it's incredibly easy for people to get it to work. Organizing 6 people to be around on the same night when they have prior obligations, practicing with those 6 people and getting a spot on the broadcast is not easy. The 3v3 allows people to show up and play, and still have that competitive spirit and depth.

With new formats there are always rule sets that come with it. For the entire list of banned items and other rules check them out HERE. [HYPER LINK LATER]

Part 2: Recipes for Destruction!

The LANified! 3v3 KOTH format varies from other competitive formats in that you are limited in your class selection, but within those limits breeds creativity. It is strange to wrap your head around, but just give me a damn minute and I'll explain it to you! In the 3v3 format you are restricted to 1 person per class in the game. You are able to use any of the classes available to you, and are encouraged to try out strange and wonderful class combinations to see what works for you in any given situation. If we allowed more then 1 of any particular class, it would be very easy to see different and too powerful combinations from teams that would be too hard to balance. For example running anything more then 1 Demoman (The most powerful damage class in the game) would totally break the game, making it unplayable and boring. So with 1 per class on a team of 3 you become open to a number of different combinations for what appears to be limitless amounts of circumstances.

The best way to decide a class lineup is based on what you are trying to achieve. Does your team prefer a balanced assault? What about an all out offense? Do you like to sit back and let the enemy come to you? Everyone will have a different playstyle, and every playstyle has it's advantages. The class choices you make are normally determined by the map you are playing on, and your team's strengths. Make sure when you are choosing a lineup that you always play to those stipulations, especially your strengths. For example, say you have an incredibly talented Pocket Medic and Solider combo. Exploit that! Pick classes that would support the strong teamwork found there. A class like a Scout or a Demo or even a Sniper would very nicely augment that lineup. Go with your gut and make choices that fit what you like to do.

Some example lineups that are seen commonly-

Balanced Lineups

Medic
Demoman
Soilder

This format is widely used in the 3v3 and is the most "Standard" lineup. It provides good mobility, high damage in almost every situation, and a lot of flexibility. It has a lot of offensive capabilities with the possibilities of playing aggressively with a bombing Soilder/Demoman or strong Uber Push. The defensive capabilities of this lineup is also very high, with sticky traps and good spamming potential. A very good lineup all around.

Medic
Sodier/Demo
Scout

This format provides a similar feel as the "Standard" lineup with the mixup of adding the aggressive element of the scout. This lineup can be very rewarding if played correctly, it doesn't have the same amount of damage output at all ranges at the M/D/S lineup, but for a balanced lineup it is certainly more aggressive. With this lineup you would pocket the Soldier/Demoman and keep the scout healed. The scout would provide a level of harassment and uncertainty for the opposing team, forcing them to be very careful with positioning as to not get picked. If the scout can get a pick or provide enough of a distraction the pocket can easily clean up, and vice versa with the scout. A very powerful lineup in many situations.

Aggressive Lineups

Sniper
Pyro
Soldier

This lineup is occasionally run as an aggressive lineup to take opponents by surprise. Using the sniper to keep the enemy pinned down, the soilder to provide strong damage output and mobility, and the pyro to provide the element of surprise, this lineup can be incredibly powerful in the right hands. While this lineup can provide a large amount burst damage if it does not immediately do the job it probably will not be able to be sustained in a prolonged fight. After the element of surprise is ruined the Pyro will fall off incredibly quickly, and while the sniper and the solider will always provide a threat, without healing or other support this lineup will get crushed. Be very careful and try to use this type of lineup as a surprise move, or a last resort.

Demoman
Soldier
Spy

This lineup is incredibly devastating when played correctly. The Demoman and Soldier sustain damage output and keep the enemy distracted while the spy moves into position to pick an important class. This is typically best used with the Deadringer as you can fake your own death, then take advantage of the enemy when they believe they are at the advantage. Once the spy is discovered however things can get slippery. Take advantage of the element of surprise, and if you are seen you could distract the enemy long enough for your teammates to take them down.


Defensive Lineups

Medic
Soldier/Demo
Heavy

This lineup provides a very good point defense for securing a point as long as possible, but is lacking when on the offensive. The heavy provides a large amount of area denial and a huge amount of damage in close range while the Soldier/Demo gives that extra bit of damage and protection to make the lineup work. The medic just needs to keep his teammates topped off and as long as he does not die it shouldn't be a hard task to defend an area for a very long time.


Medic
Pyro
Scout

This lineup provides an incredible amount of mobility and the ability to really quickly hold people off a point for a last second defense. All of the classes in this lineup are very quick, and when used in tandem they can easily put out a huge amount of damage and area denial to keep hold of a crucial area (I.E The Point) for a short amount of time. The airblast from the pyro will keep the enemy off the point while he does damage with his Shotgun and Flamethrower, and the Scout harasses them and pushes them back, potentially getting a pick. The medic simply tries to keep the pyro alive for the most part and the Scout to the best of his ability. Keep in mind that unless you are very good with this lineup it will fail in almost every other situation. It could be used for an aggressive attack but the damage output is not the best it could be, so it is much better for a very fast defense to get someone quickly off the point.


The last thing I would like to speak about before we move on to the map analysis and what works well on those maps is multiclassing. This is also known as being a pain in the ass to the other team! Multiclassing is the act of changing your class up to afford you different things at different points in the match. For example after losing one player in a battle and backing off, switching off to something like a Scout/Sniper or Pyro to catch the enemy off guard and break their concentration can afford you a large advantage. There are many different situations where getting someone to break from the norm really quickly to do something very specific that will come into play, and as a team you need to know how to recognize this. If you are running a class and it isn't working for you, try switching it up. It'll throw off the enemy team if done correctly and can be a very strong choice.

SO this is the guide so far, I'll work on it more tomorrow or Monday but until then I'm just going to work on these first two parts. Any feed back or suggestions would be GLORIOUS. Thank you!