Reading a leaderboard: how 'best valid time' decides winners
How Feud worksApril 28, 20265 min readBy Lamine Diouf, Founder of Feud
Everything in a feud comes down to one number: your best valid completion time, and where it sits on the leaderboard when the timer ends. Understanding exactly how that board works changes how you practice and when you make your move.
What 'best valid time' means
The leaderboard does not track your average, your last run, or your total attempts. It keeps a single number for each player: your fastest legitimate completion of the game. Post a faster valid run and it replaces your old one; post a slower run and nothing changes. At the scheduled end of the feud, whoever holds the top valid time wins the item.
Why replaying can never hurt you
Because only your best time is kept, a bad run is harmless. This is the most important thing for new players to internalize: there is no risk in trying. You cannot drop down the board by playing more — you can only stay the same or move up. That makes aggressive practice not just safe but optimal.
What makes a time valid
- It is a genuine completion of the game under normal play.
- It does not rely on cheats, automation, exploits, or manipulation.
- It was set within the feud's active window.
Times that fail these conditions are invalidated, and repeated attempts to game the system can get an account flagged or banned. The board is meant to reflect real skill, and validity rules are how that is protected.
Reading your position and timing your push
Check the gap between your time and the one above you — that tells you how much you need to find. Early in a feud, a strong time can sit at the top for a while; late in a feud, the board tends to tighten as serious players post their final runs. The savvy move is to bank a safe time early, then return near the deadline to see whether the board has moved and whether you need one more clean run to hold the top spot.