If there is a map where pyro isn't absolutely awful, it's gullywash.

Has she written a poem about it yet?

They're particles.
Effectively small cubes; at 0 ping these originate at the pyro's model and extend the full range they can extend. For all other latencies where the origin and final point of the flame particles movement are modified (usually going less distance).
Yes, this has been known for years, yes, it's bullshit. No, it doesn't necessarily ALWAYS lower the distance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdNm1b2-E2w
Just like how ping affects everything else that has to be semi-persistent in tf2, it affects flames in retarded ways. Occasionally longer, occasionally no reg, occasionally arbitrarily between those. I had a superstition that if my ping was in the 20's 40's 60's or 80's my flame reg would be really garbage and I would immediate go to shotgun. 10, 30, 50, 70 (stretching it) and god forbid 90, I wouldn't see as many issues. So it's always been stupid.

Rip showstopper

I'm hyped to talk shit about pretty much whoever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Auh3ObDtQ

It is slippery slope if anything, which it isn't. The point of my argument (admittedly, I'm not talented with words) is that everybody playing competitively grows the competitive community. Be it Centers, UGC, A:R, Ulutiduo/MGE tournaments or ESEA; they are part of the community, and will notice that people that are really good are playing sixes, regardless of the game-mode they play. This might pique interest- who knows. But calling whatever format shit, when in actuality, the game itself is imbalanced, is the wrong action. Extine pouring money and effort into this could be a folly, and that's fine. Lots of people put effort into 4v4, 7v7, and 8v8 and those are definitely less successful (2 of the 3 being dead) and may have gotten burn out from it, but they still put a passing interest into a game.
It's silly to think of this game as anything other than a hobby, so any growth is good growth. Even if the growth is in a flawed game mode.

Hypothetical. A:R has similarities to pub play, like highlander, and just like highlander will have very different pacing. You're putting no intermediary in where there is an intermediary -- players. Just like all the people in stream chats that know about b4nny and stabby stabby regardless of what modes they play (pub or otherwise), people know about 6's if they want to. This is a more friendly option to pubbers than the misery of a 12 minute Badwater First butt-pounding in steel highlander. Rounds are short and sweet, which helps some people.

I'm by no means saying "Everybody should embrace A:R because it's a great game mode that will save tf2." That's sophomoric as all get out. I am saying that it can be given it's chance without this massive pissing contest of tf2 theory crafting. I am saying that condemning a game mode solely based on your experience (as already competitive players) is equally sophomoric.

No, it isn't.
While the top level of competitive tf2 will definitely remain in 6's, there is no reason to tell people ONLY to play sixes. As they play better players and interact with more members of the community, they'll notice that higher level players play _____ and if they are interested in being more skilled, they will migrate to that mode. Otherwise, they'll stay where they're having fun and raise awareness that the game is competitive in some aspects. We act like people are completely incapable of changing perspective as they continue to improve.
So chill the fuck out for once, a new game mode may very well suck ass (looking at you 4's) but to discourage people from playing it because it's not as good as 6's only shows those less experienced players that we're unable to imagine somebody having fun doing something other than what we consider fun. Sure, A:R has it's issues* but it's a damn sight better than playing in a pub for most of us.

*Find a game mode that didn't have a few shitty stutters or crazy imbalances at the beginning and I'll suck your fucking dick. I say this because we haven't been able to predict balance without testing it in a league (jarate and QF in 6's, Beggars and BFB in HL, Axtinguisher and sandvich in 4's). It'll have shitty balance for a few seasons until we have people that can actually think making choices on that kind of shit.

Read this over and over and over again until it makes your eyes bleed.
This is the major problem this community has when trying to promote the game they love.

Because stock weapons are viable as well. And have different usages. Deadringer for spam-heavy chokey maps and all that jazz. Like, they're supposed to be side-grades, not upgrades. Which means in certain situations they are better, in certain situations they are worse, in case you needed that spelled out. (That may come off as condescending, I don't care, because your point seems to not understand that.)

I'm talking about how they're balanced. Reading comprehension.

See, balance, not necessity.

Gunslinger and wrangler make an otherwise slow, set-up dependent scout able to compete with the faster classes.
Stickies are only awful when in the hands of somebody good, otherwise they're just a nuisance. Scout is by far the best class, which is why a lot of the more imbalanced weapons (read gunslinger) have seen very little re-balancing. And spy 1v1 is pretty silly, but not unfeasible with unlocks (ambi and enforcer come to mind).
Like, 1v1 none of these things are specifically incredible barring stickies and scouts. And only in a chaotic situations like a pub do they get frustrating enough to complain about. MGE with a mini would be pretty crappy if your'e a scout, but definitely not unbeatable.

Inter-class balance is just the thing though, every class keeps getting unlocks to be at the level of scout/demo/solly. SC wouldn't exist if demo weren't incredible, gunslinger to scouts, wrangler to soldiers; it's a matter of reaching the level of the classes that actually do dominate the metagame. Similarly, spy gets a shitload of crutches because it depends on others to be more effective, but also because 1v1, it's trash without the unlocks.
Everything is balanced to make 6's classes less dominant in both 1v1 and 16v16. It doesn't scale well, but it's an attempt.

he stares at a choke point and clicks when a head goes by it

I am actually sick of this statement. They are balanced to allow viability of each class against all other classes when a hard counter may not exist.
The weapons are "balanced" in that method because there aren't class limits, player limits or anything like that. So no, they aren't balanced to 24-slot servers, they aren't balanced to any specific criteria, at all. There is no reason to believe anything else.

requesting an only ash one, plz

Carnage is the hero tf2 needs.
Fuck calling damage, KNOW you shit on them. CONFIDENCE. ASSERTIVENESS. GENITALIA POSSESSION.