Continue with Steam When ahead, use your advantage to make a reachable objective safer to pressure, then stop before a scattered chase gives the enemy an opening. When behind, collect farm you can reach and leave safely, defend what you can, and look for a coordinated opportunity rather than forcing an even fight. In both cases, the next decision depends on the wave, available teammates, known enemy positions and resources—not a fixed soul difference.
A personal soul lead does not mean your whole team is ahead or ready for this fight: nearby allies may be low, absent or defending another lane. Likewise, a team lead does not make every individual matchup favorable. A deficit does not rule out every fight; judge local allies, wave and resources, then plan for the opponent’s response and a failed opening.
Read the map and team readiness
Check these conditions together:
- Wave and structure: Is an enemy wave approaching something you must defend? Is your friendly wave close enough to support pressure, or would you arrive alone?
- Players and information: Which allies can reach the play and contribute? Which enemies are visible, and where were the missing ones last seen? Missing information increases risk; it does not prove the route is occupied or empty.
- Readiness: Are you healthy, able to move, and ready with the
abilities needed for the job? A lead on the scoreboard is less useful if the relevant teammate is absent or unable to fight. - Next action and exit: Can you actually defend, take a reachable objective or secure farm? Where can you retreat if enemies arrive? A trade elsewhere only matters if your team can reach and do it.
The dated BoostRoom objectives guide also discusses waves, enemy positions and team readiness before objective pressure.
| Map state | Ahead | Behind | Reassess when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly wave reaches enemy structure | Pressure with support and exit | Trade only if the route and target are reachable | Wave is cleared or enemies return |
| Enemy wave threatens your structure | Assign a defender while planning | Clear safely or request help | No ally can cover or the defense becomes unsafe |
| Objective contested | Gather and check enemy response | Contest with a reachable plan, or trade/concede | Allies cannot arrive or contribute |
| Enemies disappear | Regroup rather than extend blindly | Leave exposed farm for cover | New information changes the route |
Protect and convert a lead
Choose a target your team can reach. A friendly wave can create pressure, but the enemy may clear or ignore it. Keep allies close enough to help and watch other threatened lanes. See when to push or hold.
Spend when it is safe and useful for the next job, rather than carrying a large amount of unspent 
souls into an avoidable fight. But a trip to shop can also leave a structure undefended or make you late to a time-sensitive play. Ask whether someone can cover and whether you can return before the team needs you; if not, coordinate the timing or help first. Specific purchase adaptation belongs in the guide to building from behind.
Stop advancing when your wave is cleared, key allies are absent or low, an escape path is threatened, or opponents who were visible disappear toward your approach. Call that the push is over so allies know to leave; regroup, defend a wave or take safe nearby farm while waiting for a clearer opportunity. Do not chase an isolated enemy through unknown territory simply because your team has more souls; the chase may separate you from allies and the objective.
When behind: recover without leaving the map unattended
Find farm you can leave safely
Clear a wave near your side from cover, or take a nearby camp if your exit is open and no structure needs urgent defense. Recheck the map before moving farther: visible enemies can rotate, and missing enemies might approach. Without a safe path, wait with a teammate or defend.
In a returning-player discussion, players describe the tension between needing farm and approaching it without a safe escape. This is community advice, not tested comeback data.
Cover the wave before moving
Farm is a way to regain options, not a reason to ignore an ally or objective indefinitely. Name the teammate covering the urgent wave while others prepare, and confirm they can safely clear it. If nobody can cover, stop the proposed move and defend together if feasible; avoid sending players one at a time. Give ground together and look for the next defensible position; losing an objective can still be better than losing the objective and several players.
Choose a contest, trade or concession
An objective trade gives up one threatened play to take something achievable elsewhere. It is not automatic compensation: if enemies can intercept or already defend the alternative, defend what you can or regroup instead.
Trade feasibility check: Name the alternative objective or farm, the allies who can reach it, and the route out. If the target is unavailable, the route is intercepted or your team cannot act in time, abandon the trade and choose a defensible next action.
Contest when your team can arrive together, has useful 
health and cooldowns, can reach a target or interrupt the objective, and has a way to leave if the fight turns. An exposed opponent, a teammate nearby or an enemy team split across the map may create a chance even when you are behind. None guarantees a win; decide using the actual positions and resources.
Concede when the fight is already lost before you can arrive, teammates cannot participate, or the only route exposes each player separately. Say what you are giving up and what the team will do next: clear the approaching wave, protect the next structure, farm safely or attempt a reachable trade. If the enemy starts moving toward your alternative, abandon it before it becomes another bad fight.
Should we contest just because we are behind?
Contest if your team can arrive together and meaningfully interrupt or win the play; a deficit alone does not make it impossible. If the route would send players in alone after the result is decided, concede, communicate the loss and defend or take a reachable trade. The concession has a cost, but adding isolated deaths may make recovery harder.
The same situation with two different advantages
These are hypothetical examples, not recorded matches or measured results. In both, a friendly wave approaches an enemy structure, your team has nearby allies, and some opponents are missing.
Ahead: apply pressure with a limit
Your team has health and abilities available. One teammate watches the approach while others move with the wave to pressure the structure. You agree that if the wave is cleared or the missing enemies appear on the escape route, the team stops and regroups. When the wave falls and an opponent appears nearby, you leave together instead of chasing; the structure 
damage was a possible benefit, not permission to stay indefinitely.
Behind: take the opening only if it is real
Your team sees several enemies occupied elsewhere, and nearby allies can reach the same structure with their important tools ready. You might briefly pressure it as a trade while another player watches for a response. If the enemy is no longer visible at the other play, or your teammate cannot reach you, stop and retreat. If you cannot safely reach the structure in the first place, clear your threatened wave instead. The alternative still has a cost: conceding the original objective may strengthen the enemy.
Recognize a realistic comeback opportunity
Look for a change you can act on, not a promise of a comeback: an opponent steps too far without nearby support, several enemies show away from an accessible objective, or your team becomes ready while a threatened wave can be handled. Call the target and check that allies can follow before committing. If the opening disappears, return to the safe plan rather than chasing it into danger. The teamfight guide explains how to coordinate the first contact and follow-up.
After the exchange, take the next reachable action: clear pressure, secure an available objective if your team can do so safely, or reset and spend before the next play. A favorable fight is an opportunity to recover space; it is not evidence that the match has already turned.
In a replay, compare the signal you expected—an enemy remaining occupied, a wave holding or an ally arriving—with what actually happened. Identify the earliest visible change that called for a safe stop or a different next action.