Helping friends or trashing opponent base?

Oh crap! The enemy is bearing down on my ally with all their might - I need to go to the rescue!!!

...

Not always.

Sometimes helping a friend in need means throwing the game. If your opponents attack an ally with overwhelming, it often means their base is momentarily defenseless, especially early in the game. In this situation, you need to ask yourself:

1. Can I get to my ally in time to save him/her/it, so that my ally is not just a shell of a player - effectively dead?
2. Can we togeher take out the enemy force (and again, in time - the battle takes time too)
3. Is the enemy likely to abandon their attack on my ally to go defend their base when I attack (this is a good thing - it takes time for them to get there and meanwhile you play demolition crew, and your ally is saved)
4. And most importantly - Can i take out an enemy player, by attacking right now, effectively settling the score of losing an ally?

If the asnwer to 1 and/or 2 is no, you have to counterattack against an enemy base - a husk player will help you just as much as a dead player. And you have to charge, cause otherwise its a 1 against 2 battle - not good.

If the answer to 1 AND 2 is yes, BUT the answer to 3 and/or 4 is yes, you have to weight the situation - will you benefit most from taking out an opponent, or keeping your ally? If 3 is yes, you will help both of you more by attacking an enemy than by helping.

In the end, it will always be a judgement call, but these rulescan help make it an easier one