So the other day I'm playing some lockdown, and it's a 4v4. I lie, it was a 4v3 even in the waiting room, someone didn't even make it that far into the match.
Anyway, someone hits the "fill 'er up" on Krogmo, and the prize is revealed to be a Ruby Bombhead Mask. I start feeling sorry for the other team already, because the bombhead masks are pretty darn rare rewards (though to be fair, this particular one is, I believe, available from Sullivan, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been), and I can tell that my team (I happened to be on the 4 side of the 4v3) is at least decked out in decent gear.
The game goes very predictably. They make a good effort, but we stomp all over them because they're down a player. We've all seen how it goes, I needn't go into the gory details.
After the match is over and we've won our bombhead mask, I apologize to the other team for kicking their butts, and try to in some small way let them know that I feel their pain and am glad they at least stuck with it through the match and didn't all rage quit.
However, one of the other guys on my team chides me for apologizing. When I pointed out that the other team was down a player (he hadn't noticed at first) he was like "oh, well, you still shouldn't apologize".
So what's the general consensus? Is apologizing to the other team when they're down a player or two and miss out on a good reward appropriate? Patronizing? Welcome? Unneeded?
probably unneeded, but I usually make a comment if everyone on the winning side (whether I'm the lucky one or not) is all like "gggggggggggggggggggg" and there were players missing.
I also /clap upon winning and losing