How do the white plus numbers work in ranked mode?

Question

When playing a ranked match in Splatoon 3 there will sometimes be white "plus" numbers that appear below the team scores. I've seen them in both Splat Zones and Clam Blitz.

What do these white plus numbers mean?

Answer 1

These numbers are penalty points - a buffer each team has to work through before making progress towards their primary score (i.e. the number shown in the colored boxes under the "Remaining" text, which is what counts towards determining the winner of the match). In your example screenshot, the green team will have to earn 57 points (by maintaining control of the zone) before they can make progress on decreasing their primary score below 5. The pink team will have to earn 25 points before they can chip away at their primary 68 remaining points. This system penalizes teams who are unable to keep up sustained momentum making progress towards their objective.

Penalty points are assessed in the following scenarios:

• In Splat Zones, penalty points are assigned to a team that loses control of the zone, upon the other team subsequently taking control of the zone. The number of penalty points assigned depends on the number of points the team gained since the opposing team last had control of the zone (or the start of the match).
• In Clam Blitz, penalty points are assigned to a team when their opponent's barrier is restored after being broken. The number of penalty points assigned depends on the number of points scored while the basket was open.