Like playing TF2? Interested in learning more about how to get started in the competitive scene? You’ve come to the right place! Here at MyGamingEdge (MGE), we are bent on providing you with the very best competitive content, whether it be our in-depth articles, videos, and tutorials, or our simple but effective  in-game tips. Be sure to become an MGE premium subscriber and get instant access to our library of over 70 videos where we have some of the top TF2 players in the world instruct you on how to compete amongst the best.

We want to provide you with everything you might need on your path to becoming a great competitive player. Sit back and enjoy this compiliation of 100% free content that will help you get your competitive edge underway.

Kicking things off . . .

1. Find a class
Do you have a favorite class? Deciding which class to play and focus on as your "main" is the first step in becomming a competitively driven player. Keep in mind, each class has its own strength and weaknesses. Understanding how to use these effectively is crucial in obtaining the upper-hand over an opponent. To learn more, including an introduction to the "ins and outs" of the competitive classes, check out our “Beginner’s Guide to Competitive TF2″ here. This guide, written by some of TF2's top minds, will break down the most commonly used classes in the 6v6 setting as well give you a general idea of their role and function within the intense moments of a competitive round. If you are having trouble deciding on a class, or wish to uncover what each class has to offer, make sure to check this out!

2. Play PUGs and Practice (MGE Mod/SOAP DM)
Practice makes perfect and becomming aware of the basics will put you leaps and bounds ahead of your friends. For the very beggingers, head on over to tf2lobby for a user-friendly, very introductory experience into the nature of PUGs (Pick Up Games). This site features an extremely simple way to get you immediately inserted into the competitive TF2 format without demanding much of you in return. This is a good place to start for a quick taste of how 6v6 works. For a more indicitive example of what the competitive atmosphere is all about, the next step is to begin pugging through mIRC at tf2.pug.na. These PUG's will allow you to develop the communicational and positional skills that so often make or break the success of a player. You can find this channel and all other major TF2 related channels on gamesurege.net. If you need to download mIRC you can find that here.

Remember, "death-matching" is a very important part of competitive TF2 so improving and maintaining your aim and movement is necessary for every competitive player. Check out our very own "MGE Training Mod", a 1v1 deathmatch mod that is currently the most popular TF2 mod in the world. We are proud of the mod, and believe it to be the most true-to-game form of training out there, so to be sure to give it a look. Likewise, "SOAP DM" mod will provide you with a similar form of training and will help compliment your death-matching in different areas. Check that out here! Once you've climbed the ladder and honed your communication, position, and deathmatch skills through these various avenues of pugging and practicing, be sure to give a ESEA pugs a look. Over the ESEA client, some of TF2's very best players pug and face-off against each other. Don't be left in the dust. Check it out!

3. Find a team
Becoming friends with a group of players of equal skill level is very important. Learning from your mistakes and having people around you that will help you improve is key for any player and is what is most enjoyable about the competitive TF2 experience. Starting from the bottom and working your way up is the best way to learn the ropes and begin to truly appreciate the competitive scene. Once prospective teams see you as a stable, responsible, and improving player that is open and willing to learn, you should have no trouble landing a spot on a team. Posting a “looking” thread on the forums around the community can be a great way to land you a spot on a team as well. Feel free to use our forums to post your resume. Be sure to include what class you play (see Step 1) and what "level" you would like to play at. It’s a good idea to advertise yourself as “low” when just starting out.

4. Join a League
There are a number of leagues out there that are free to join and have some comparable competition. Check out TWL, Cevo and UGC for some good starting leagues. If you are considering playing for some serious prize money, top notch competition, and the best features around (including the elite PUG system mentioned in Step 2) check out ESEA. Be advised, ESEA is a paid league and requires a monthly fee in order to compete for it's coveted prizes. There are also a number of tournaments that the community sites run throughout the year. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of these and other great TF2 events!



Here are some other useful tool and tips you should consider during your journey into tf2 stardom.

Download mumble. Mumble is voice chat software that teams use while playing. It is a large improvement over in-game chat and will help you understand how to communicate correctly, as well as providing a hub for you and a team to lounge.

Get a scrim server. It is important that you have a place for your team to play on a regular basis. Check out eoreality for the best servers around. With great performance, support, and pricing, eoreality is the recommended choice for competitive tf2 players. On top of all that, just entering the coupon code “MGE”, while purchasing, will save you an additional 15% lifetime!

Download and install a hud and config. There are a number of custom huds and configs that players have developed in order to help customize your in-game experience. A config will change your in- game settings such as sensitivity, graphics and crosshairs, while a hud will display different layouts for your health, ammo, ubercharge meter and more. Custom HUD's are a great way to have the most important information neatly and concisely realyed to you, while custom config's can greatly improve the quality of TF2's performance on your machine. Here is a great list of custom huds that you can download and try out. Simply replace the scripts and resource folders in your tf2 folder with the new files and you will see a difference as soon as you load up your game. As for popular configs, check out Chris’s FPS Config and m0re’s Config. MGE Premium subscribers may also download and utilize the competitive settings and configs of our contributors located on their profile page.

Follow the TF2 scene. There is always a lot going on around the community at any given time and plenty of places to get involved. Be sure to check out Community Fortress, eXtv, and Vanillatf2 for the latest news and updates on all the great gossip and coverage of the competitive scene. Also, if you’re interested in learning about other aspects of the game such as weapon stats and class specifics, check out the TF2 Wiki.



Tune into one of our MGE ShoutCasts. Our casting team aims to provide an experience unlike any other, brining the game to life with color-commentary and a strategical insight you can only expect from MGE. If you want to have a taste of how we do things during a cast, check out and subscribe to our twitch.tv channel here. We pride ourselves on bringing the community great casts of the best matches each and every season, so be sure to tune in. Make a point to become a member of our steam group and be notified of all our casts!

Now that you’ve read our guide, you’re ready to go out there and begin your journey in the competitive world of Team Fortress 2. We hope this has helped and if there is anything else we can do for you, don’t hesitate to contact us with all your gaming-edge questions. Good luck and see you at the top!