User blog comment:Krufix/Assist stealing/@comment-5016488-20120914145408

As someone who mains support, there are times when going out of your way to get an assist can be good or bad.

As a Soraka, using your ult for an assist on a guaranteed kill is a waste, as you will not be able to help your team in any following team fights that could potentially turn the tides.

If in lane and just restoring some health with W is fine, as the assist does generate more money and if you're the only one, go ahead. You need the money. But if you're healing someone in a 3 v 1, you're hurting your team by denying them that extra gold, no matter how insignificant it may be. This doesn't matter though if you're making a kill possible, like with a stun or giving Corki that vital mana for one last Missile Barrage to secure the kill of a fleeing enemy.

Ultimately, you need to choose when assisting will be beneficial to your team or not. League shouldn't just be about the numbers at the end of the match, it's about co-ordinating as a team to win.