CygnastyJust a point to Mustard as to why I wouldn't want to swap a Spy or Pyro for a Scout 90% of the time:
Highlander lends itself at the higher level to situations where those classes need to be useful. With ridiculously high level Snipers playing, it's not uncommon for your Heavy to get Sniped. With that, your team is automatically at a disadvantage, and smart players on the enemy team will proceed to bomb in on your Medic.
There's just... no way you can agree that a Scout is a better pocket than a Pyro.
As for Spies, once again, at the higher level... it's rare for teams to make mistakes when holding points. This means that teams are often forced to overheal and support their Sniper through a choke so he can (hopefully) get a pick. Another, just as valid, tactic would be to coordinate aggression from your Soldier bombing once your Spy is in position behind the enemy. Say you've got a top-tier Soldier, as more and more teams are getting. The entire team (especially the Pyro) would be focused on denying the Soldier's bomb, leaving an opening for a Spy.
It's just not nearly as easy and much less likely that a Scout could get by a flank with 9 people watching it. Invisibility is better than speed 90% of the time.
again, you cannot argue that a pyro is more useful the majority of the time by naming a situation in which the pyro is more useful. yes, if a) the sniper kills your heavy, b) your medic gets immediately bombed, and c) you don't have like 4 other dudes around your medic, a pyro can protect the medic better.
he also does like half as much dmg as a scout and gets like a third as many kills. and I'm honestly sick of hearing people say "yeah, but he denies area, and puts people out, and reflects projectiles, etc.!"
yes, he has specific skills to compensate for the lack of damage. however, it doesn't make him as good overall. this is why tf2 is a game of generalists and specialists.
more damage and more kills >>>>>>>>>> ANY specific skillset of ANY class (excluding the medic obviously)
as for spy, you just named a specific situation wherein you can be useful. a scout still does WAY more over the course of the game.
the purpose of scout in hl is not to flank, most of the time. committing your scout fully just for the offchance of MAYBE getting a med pick or something is retarded. it is to win 1v1s and the like on the flank to create numbers advantages for your team. in light of that, 2 scouts would absolutely WRECK, and the 1 you have is doing way more for your team than any spy.
let's put it this way.
take -ts-, and replace ruwin with an iron scout.
or
take -ts-, and replace tmp with an iron pyro.
which is better?
I don't see how anyone could even argue this lol, some classes are just overall objectively better in this game than others, that's the way the game was designed