With the new matchmaking coming up soon and the current matchmaking beta, the pyro and engineer are now viable choices in 6s situations and still in highlander situations, so have a little read about the current expected pyro loadout.

A pyro in a normal situation would be thought of using 3 of 4 weapons,

• The Degreaser
  
• The Stock Shotgun or Flare gun
  
• The Powerjack

Yes, these weapons are effective in most siituations but are limited in comparison to others.

Firstly, the degreaser has a lack of power and an increased airblast cost, meaning you're a sitting duck in situations against groups where your flamethrower is the most effective. You also have to collect more ammo packs throughout fights which can lead to really bad situations without ammo.
The stock flamethrower is more effective in all the situations the degreaser is in and the backburner is perfect for group combat if you can get the drop on the enemy. The phlogistinator has turned to crap now is much worse than the backburner, you're better off with anything else.

The shotgun and flaregun are fine the way they are, they're powerful and the best secondaries to use, the only other choices would be the scorch shot or detonator, the other 2, namely the manmelter and the painful to fight reserve shooter are even worse.

The powerjack is really effective but it should not be the only weapon you use as it does make you slightly weaker against damage and with the reduced health on kill bonus, it's better to use some other melees. On maps where there are plenty of medium to small health packs, you should bring out the backscratcher and if you're paired with and engineer, hold the homewrecker at all times to help him out in the likely event of an enemy spy being a pain.

Because of the debuffs to the degreaser and powerjack, I'll go over some other more effective choices.

Ok, so why is the degreaser so terrible in my eyes? Here's why.

• It's switch speed is difficult to control for any player who hasn't used it previously and is a bad example for newer players as they'll grow on a faster switch speed.
  
• It doesn't have the same literal fire power that the stock does, which puts it a disadvantage in group combat, such as pushing a point or choke.
  
• The recent airblast cost nerf has made the weapon less viable in combat than the stock as that was what the degreaser was mainly used for.

Now, a better choice for flamethrowers would be the stock which exels in airblast potential and fire power in comparison to the Degreaser. The only thing the stock is less effective at performing than the degreaser is picking off players, as the combo effect is still viable, yet that doesn't mean the stock is bad at doing that, the degreaser is just a little more effective than the stock in combos.

Now, the reason why the backburner is viable at all is the fact that you can ambush players and push onto a point with a little more power than the stock would, let alone the degreaser.
The crits from behind can rapidly chip away health and then when they finally realise you're behind them, you can pick off a class with a little bit of w+m1 power or your secondary or even melee weapon.

I'm telling you right now the Phlog is not viable in any way, you'd need to be well hidden before pushing out and you're more limited to airblasts than the backburner as you can't even airblast.
It's better just to stick with anything else than the phlog in competitive.

Most pyro melee weapons are good to use in any situation, but only a few really stand out.

The Powerjack is great for fast paced travel and minor healing on kill, with the downside of increased damage vulnerability.

The Homewrecker or maul 1 shots sappers off of friendly buildings and deals 130 damage to enemy buildings with the downside of only 49 damage to players per swing over 65.

The Backscratcher is a personal favourite of mine and others because of the fact that is gives increased healing from health packs (Smalls = 54 health and Mediums = 132) and increased damage per swing from 65 to 81 at the cost of only recieving 25% of healing from medi-guns, payload carts and dispensers (crossbows, though are not affected), this debuff can still work out for you as it can help the medic build his uber at a faster rate before reaching the front lines, just don't rely on the medic for heals. This makes it better for a roaming pyro than a combo pyro.

The other melee weapons consist of the majorly situational neon anihilator, dealing crits on wet players, the 3rd degree which is a straight upside that is very situational but can be effective as it deals damage to a medic and their pocket, no matter which one you hit, and lastly the weak and pointless lollichop and stock.

I'm by all means not saying you shouldn't use the degreaser, powerjack, shotgun or flare gun in this guide, I'm only saying they're not at all the "best choice in all situations" weapons, pyros out there, deviate a little from the meta, it might work out for you.

Everyone, enjoy your day.