One of the most exciting things you can do in VALORANT is land an ace. But sometimes you or your teammate might not know the proper etiquette when it comes to these hyped moments.

Aces in VALORANT aren’t easy. You need to get five kills in a round, which usually means killing the entire enemy team yourself unless Clove’s ultimate or Sage’s resurrections are involved. In other words, aces require skill, focus, luck, and sometimes help from your team. You’ll often see players use themselves as bait or hold back when their teammate needs an extra kill or two to give them a chance at an ace. This is cute and supportive, but there’s no official rule or obligation to hold back for someone else’s ace. That said, there are some “unwritten rules” to consider when an ace opportunity arises.

In a Reddit thread from July 4th, VALORANT players discussed what they do when it looks like a teammate is about to get an ace, and it really depends on the situation. For example, in casual modes, winning or losing the match doesn’t affect your rank, so it’s generally more expected to let someone get an ace when they have three or four kills. Some players even see it as a “shit move” to intentionally steal an ace. They might even go completely crazy and become toxic towards you.

Ranked games, however, are a different story. With your rank on the line, winning is the top priority, but aces are still very possible. As one player explained, it’s easier to let someone get an ace if your team has a lot of advantages. Otherwise, it’s safer to let someone get the last kills and not throw the round. Another comment pointed out that higher ranked lobbies may care more about winning the round than getting the ace, so there are a lot of factors like this to consider. When in doubt, communicate with your team to see if it’s better to play it safe or take the risk for the ace. Try to read the room and be on the same page as your team to avoid arguments over a missed ace or a lost round.