Neutral Game
The stalemate phase where neither side commits, and both fight only over space, information, and cooldowns.
The most important window, where you decide whether or not to start a fight; here you build a resource lead through Soft Engage and choke control before entering the real fight. It has the property that whoever commits first loses, so it becomes a patience contest over who can make the other side spend CDs/Ults first. A team with high-quality neutral is two steps ahead before the fight even starts, and nearly every Ult Cycle originates here.
Right after the reset following a fight. When there is no Ult differential and committing first is the risk. When you want to build a resource lead through Soft Engage and information gathering.
Dragging neutral out too long and conceding OT. Pushing too far on what was meant to be a Soft Engage and getting pulled into a Hard Engage.
Soft Engage
Non-committal pressure designed to extract enemy reactions and cooldowns without taking a fight.
Tempo
The initiative — who gets to choose when and on whose terms the next fight starts.
Bait Cooldown
A light pressure move to draw out enemy defensive cooldowns (Suzu / Lamp / Immo) before the real engage.
Resource Trade
Spending a minor cooldown to force a major defensive one, netting an advantage for the real fight.