PROScout Tutorials: Anti-Scouting

Source: http://forum.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/361565-proscout-tutorials-anti-scouting/

Anti-Scouting is exactly what it sounds like; your job is to find enemy Scouts and destroy them.    The team that eliminates enemy Scouts while keeping theirs alive has a huge advantage for the remainder of the battle. Because of this, if the enemy has any Scouts alive, you should ALWAYS be Anti-Scouting as either a primary or secondary role. While your main purpose in Anti-Scouting is to take away the enemy’s eyes, you sometimes also Anti-Scout simply as a means of vision control or to deprive the enemy a path to your back lines.

If you see an enemy Scout breaking for your rear lines, GO GET HIM!  Do not rely on your teammates to react - they can prove amazingly obtuse to what is transpiring on the battlefield.  So don't hesitate to respond.  Even if the Scout is on the opposite side of the map, start to intercept him.  If you see your team react, then you can break off your pursuit.  But until you see an adequate reaction from your team, assume you are the only person who will go get the guy. 

As with Spotting, you can approach Anti-Scouting either passively or actively. No matter whether you set up passively or actively, the 3 steps of Anti-Scouting are the same: Locate, Intercept, and Eliminate.

LOCATE:

The means of locating him vary depending on how you decide to Anti-Scout but until you figure out where the sumbitch is, you can’t take him out.   Many times you will spot the Scout yourself but, just as often, your first glimpse of him will come via the mini-map.

INTERCEPT:

Once you spot the Scout, your goal becomes to position yourself in a place which lets you inflict damage on him.  If you have Arty, you may need to position yourself where you can ram him to stop his forward progress before he lights your Arty up.  If you don’t have Arty, simply getting to a position from which you can Snipe may be adequate.  Just remember, if he is moving and you go to where he is now, he won’t be there when you arrive. Plot a course that will intercept him along the route he is taking.

ELIMINATE: (destroy)

Ahh…the fun part.   Hiding and getting free damage is always a great idea.  However, if you are protecting Arty, you may need to move in and ram him to keep him from infiltrating so far he lights them up.  Ram him to arrest his forward progress then take him out.  If no Arty is involved, only ram him if you need the emergency damage to save your own life or the life a of an ally.  Ramming costs you Hit Points; Hit Points which may be critical later in the game- spend them with care.

PASSIVE ANTI-SCOUTING

In Passive Anti-Scouting you set up in a bush which provides overwatch along a known Scout infiltration route then you wait for an enemy Scout to come barreling down the route.  Unless the spot doubles as a good Passive Spotting bush don’t do this unless you have Arty to protect.   If the enemy Scouts are spotted in places where it is obvious they will not use the route you are watching and you aren’t getting any other spots, go do something else.

PROS:

You frequently get the first shot and good position on the enemy Scout, a huge advantage in a 1 on 1 fight.

Almost always guarantees you will fight their Scout with help nearby for you and none nearby for him.  Those are the kinds of odds you want!

Many times your team will kill the Scout before you have to fire, allowing you to eliminate the enemy’s eye without ever being seen.  

CONS:

 If the enemy Scout never invades and you aren’t in a good passive spotting bush, you end up wasting lots of time.

Less perceptive team mates may shoot or TK you for “not scouting”.

If you guess wrong, the enemy Scout may go down a different route and still get to your Arty.

PRIME CONSIDERATIONS:

Turn your scout around so it is facing the direction you will most likely pull out in to begin your interception or pursuit.

Tell your team what you plan to do during the countdown timer.    Don’t wait until some goofball on your team shoots you to attempt to explain why you are where you are.

The moment you see the enemy Scouts in other areas of the map doing other things, switch roles.   Don’t waste time waiting on an enemy which isn’t headed for your trap.

ROLE COMBOS: 

On many maps, Passive Anti-Scouting can combine with Passive Spotting.

ACTIVE ANTI-SCOUTING

Active Anti-Scouting is much more fluid and dynamic.  You are constantly moving around your half of the map until an enemy Scout is spotted then you zoom in and kill him.  

While your goal is to eliminate enemy Scouts, it is also to deny them spots on your team.  Frequently shadowing or mirroring a Scout will do this.  Shadowing is simply copying their movements on your side of the map.  If you move laterally with them, you prevent them from popping too far over mid-field and getting good spots because the moment they attempt to spot, they are seen and open to fire.  You can also time their movements to give you chances to fire at them.

PROS:

Staying at full speed allows you to quickly react to any situation on the battlefield.

Allows you to Anti-Scout and spot at the same time.

Allows you to bait enemy Scouts and pull them into a field of fire.

CONS:

Your location is frequently known to the enemy.

Much more risky than Passive Anti-Scouting if you do not have Sixth Sense.

Initial shots are low percentage on-the-move shots.

PRIME CONSIDERATIONS:

If the enemy Scout is shadowing you, he probably knows what he is doing - treat him with respect.

Be wary of chasing Scouts onto their side of the map.  They are probably trying to bait you just as you are trying to bait them.  “Welcome to my web said the spider to the fly.”  Be the spider – not the fly.

ROLE COMBOS:

Active Anti-Scouting combines perfectly with Half Court Spotting

GENERAL RULES FOR ANTI-SCOUTING

Unless you have Arty, and usually even just 1 Arty isn't enough, you should not set up in an Anti-Scout passive bush that doesn't double as a Passive Spotting location.   You will help your team spotting enemy tanks.

Remember, as long as the enemy has Scouts alive, if you are doing something else, your secondary role should be Anti-Scouting.  Not many or none of your team mates will have the speed needed to intercept an enemy Scout if he makes a break through your lines.

Be alert to your team taking damage from invisible tanks.  This means their Scout is getting spots.  Use your knowledge of the maps to determine where he is and try to expose him and/or call for fire into his hiding spot before your team gets too far behind.  It is sometimes worth dying to expose a Scout who is lighting up your team.

HAPPY HUNTING!