Teams to Watch at the ALGS 2023 Split 1 Playoffs

All Teams at the ALGS Split 1 Playoffs

North America

Starting off with North America, TSM and XSET are the best and most consistent teams going into LAN. The fan favorite TSM won three out of their six regular season match days and topped Pro League overall. Philip “ImperialHal” Dosen tied for most kills overall at 76, while Evan “Verhulst” Verhulst was third with 74. Meanwhile, XSET (formerly Team Liquid) overcame org and player drama to place second overall. Their lowest placement in any week was 7th with an 8th in finals. The team, led by Brandon “Nocturnal” Singer, will be looking to replicate the success they had at the 2022 Split 2 Playoffs.

The Guard was a new addition to the top of NA this Split, and a welcome one at that. Beau “RamBeau” Shiedy also had 76 kills over the course of the season, helping his team to a third-place finish overall. LAN regulars NRG overcame a big scare in the final days of the Split, earning a first in week nine and fifth in the finals to solidify their spot at LAN. In-game leader Chris “sweetdreams” Sexton even earned Split MVP for his perseverance.

As the strongest region on paper, any of the teams from NA, including back-to-back LAN champions DarkZero Esports who barely snuck in at 10th overall, could make a deep run at Playoffs. However, the spotlight now sits on the fledgling Esports Arena. ESA, led by Josue “Phony” Ruiz, came into the finals just outside of LAN qualification. They then pulled off a five-game match point victory with no other team even making it to the required 50. This level of dominance in an MP final is very rare in Apex Legends. Now, they’ll have a chance to keep that momentum rolling at LAN.

EMEA

In the EMEA region, seven of the 10 teams going to LAN won at least one match day. The only team to win two was Acend. The team made it to both of the previous LAN events, but their best placement was 20th overall. Francisco “k4shera” Alves and company will be trying to do even better in February. Acend were second overall in Split 1, four points behind Aurora. Formerly Team Empire, Aurora brings an element of meta breaking with their unusual team comps and play style. When they’re on their game, Aurora can run through anyone.

European stalwarts Alliance are back at LAN, as are the Fire Beavers (now their own organization). Leaders John “Hakis” Håkansson and Kirill “9impulse” Kostiv respectively are two of the most tenured names in Apex Legends. Their top five placements in Split 1 of Pro League are indicative of these teams being able to perform. The question is if they can earn their first LAN victories.

Among the newer rosters that qualified for LAN is Invictus Gaming. This team strikes an interesting balance. Despite Cameron “Noiises” Walker being the main in-game leader, the experienced voices of Jake “Jmw” Walters and Martin “Graceful” Wongphrom adds nuance to how this iG calls. Vexed Gaming came together after the 2022 Championship and has been on the rise ever since. Led by Matej “MaTaFe” Fekonja, Vexed has a very high base line, never placing below 6th in the regular season. Also, Tyler “Tyler” Wood has the most kills in EMEA at 105, 27 more than second place. No big deal.

APAC North

The fourth best team at the 2022 Championship, Fnatic, has become the top dogs of their region. Sitting 10 points clear of second place, this incredibly mechanically talented squad was top two in four of their six match days and had the second most points in finals. Speaking of finals, APAC North had an insane marathon finale. Crazy Raccoon came out on top after 13 games in what was the craziest day of Apex the region has seen. CR is led by Song “Ras” Hong-gyun, who was the global kill leader in Split 1 at 118, and on mouse and keyboard no less.

NORTHEPTION came back from a dud first three days to place second, first, first, and second in their final four matches. This is the best streak of any team going into LAN, so don’t be surprised if this squad shows up hot. Fan favorites PULVEREX are back at LAN as well, hopefully this time with all three of their players. While they didn’t win a match day, Takumi “Ftyan” Kanasashi is consistently able to get his team to the end game.

ENTERFORCE.36, formerly FAV Gaming, pulled off their best performance ever as a squad. They never placed below fifth in the regular season and earned fourth place overall. Lastly, while fun123 might be orgless, they haven’t let that slow them down. Formerly under esports teamαD, this Lee “KaronPe” Min-hyuk-led team brings a very high ceiling, but potentially low floor. They had a 14th and 19th place in two of their seven performances and still managed to get seventh overall. If they can find consistency, fun123 will be a scary team.

APAC South

With DarkZero Esports leaving for NA, the question arose of who would take the crown of this small yet powerful region. Moist Esports, formerly Team Burger, had many good showings and many mediocre ones in the regular season. Come finals however, the 2022 Championship finalists pulled off one of the most dominant performances ever in Apex. With back-to-back-to-back game wins, Moist took the finals in five games, earning 89 total points and claiming the second overall seed.

First seed overall went to a new food-themed team, Chicken Sandwich. This team earned five top four finishes in the regular season and fifth in the finals. Chicken Sandwich is one of two teams worldwide to have all three of their players in the top 10 fraggers with first, seventh, and ninth (the other was Acend at eighth, ninth, and tenth). Eyes are on Chicken Sandwich as APAC South looks to crush another Apex LAN.

South America

South America’s Team Singularity has won their third straight Pro League title, and in outstanding fashion no less. They placed first in four of their six match days and got the most points in the finals. Their 151 total Pro League points is the most out of any team in the world. Singularity will be looking to make up for their narrow miss at qualifying for the 2022 Championship Grand Finals.

Also with LAN experience already under their belts, GØDFIRE and NorCal Esports (previously the core of Fênix Team) will be heading back to the international playground. Even if South America is historically the weakest Apex region, their 357 and 380 total game points earned puts them among the top earners worldwide and shows that they do know how to rack up the scoring.

The ALGS 2023 Split 1 Playoffs have not had their time or location confirmed. However, we do know that it will take place sometime in February. The location is rumored to be London, England, but could be subject to change.