I was wondering if there was any way for a spy to stab a heavy who had the Huo-Long heater deployed without getting set on fire. The ring of fire seems to come out at intervals of flame no-flame, but every time I have tried as spy I've always ended up set on fire. So aside from the obvious "stab when he isn't shooting" is there any way around this weapon's effect?
How to take out a Heavy using the Huo-Long Heater
team-fortress-2tf2-spy
Related Solutions
From two helpful people on the Steam forum, here is a list of particle removals and optimisations.
You probably want 'Direct X 9 crit boost file by itself', unless you know you're running DirectX 8 (usually in conjunction with a config). I think that it still removes the halo effect though.
You can reflect:
Soldier Rockets (all types)
Pyro Flares (all types)
Demoman Grenades (all types)
Demoman Sticky Bombs (Sticky Bomb Launcher/Scottish Resistance)†
Huntsman arrows (which can headshot enemies) 
Sandman Baseballs- Wrap Assassin Ornaments
- Crusader's Crossbow arrows
- Rescue Ranger bolts (will damage opposing buildings but not repair friendly ones)
- Mad Milk
- Jarate
- Level 3 Sentry Gun Rockets
When you reflect projectiles they are promoted to minicrits (if they weren't), change sides with your team and ownership to you (with the exception (†) of stickies). This means, however, that they will still do splash damage to you should they explode too close. As for stickies You can still push those off points and doors, however, or even push them below the demoman's feet.
You cannot reflect:
- Hitscan shots — anything which is a “bullet” and appears as streaks rather than projectiles
- Syringe Gun needles
- Bison and Pomson projectiles (you can reflect Cow Mangler beams, however.)
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Best Answer
To avoid getting burned by the Heavy's Huo Long Heater, instead of charging towards his back, try jumpstabbing from higher positions. Hold crouch while positioning yourself on top of him, then stab when you land on him (remember to hold Crouch).
Trying to run to his back and stabbing him will set you on fire, even whilst the Heavy dies. So for these guys, I typically try jumpstabbing.
If you care less about getting burned, and more about making kills, use any knife besides the Spycicle. The Spycicle will be consumed when hit with fire, rendering your one-hit kill backstab gone, so take care when choosing the proper knife for the job.
If you care more about your life than making picks, then go with the Spycicle. At the very most, if you attempt to bypass that half-second delay of flames from the Huolong, and mess up, you can still get away without getting burned.