The Apex Legends Global Series Split 2 Playoffs LAN begins on July 13th. The 40 best teams from around the globe will convene in London for a shot at glory. A $1,000,000 prize pool is up for grabs, as well as Championship Points that provide qualification for the 2023 ALGS Championship in September. There are a ton of strong teams to track and keep tabs on, so here’s our brief list of the top teams to watch at the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs.
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XSET – North America
Over the past year, XSET has made a name for themselves as the most consistent team in the most difficult region in Apex. The core of Brandon “Nocturnal” Singer and Brandon “FunFPS” Groombridge had been lighting it up under the Team Liquid banner previously. With their new third in Nicholas “sSikezz” Odom, this XSET roster has climbed to new heights.
While they don’t have the shining LAN accolades of the TSM’s and DarkZero’s of NA, XSET easily makes up for it with their demeanor fitting of champions. You will rarely come across a professional Apex Legends team able to communicate and fix mistakes as efficiently as XSET. There’s no counter calling or cluttered comms, allowing Nocturnal to lead this squad to victory.
XSET seems to be able to play whatever they want and make it work. Their ability to play edge on Worlds Edge and early rotations on Storm Point speaks to their flexibility. If you ever see XSET die outside of the top 10, make a note, as it happens rarely if ever. Watch for XSET to be a part of as many end games as possible.
Alliance – EMEA
EMEA’s number one team is coming into the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs guns blazing. They took first place in Pro League via total points while also winning the Finals, auto-qualifying them anyways. John “Hakis” Håkansson is the most experienced in-game leader the region has to offer, and Oscar “Yuki” Jiang is one of the top M&K players at the event.
However, Alliances newest member is a big reason why they are garnering so much attention right now. Miron “Effect” Novikov is an 18-year-old Russian controller phenom who has been tearing EMEA to shreds. He’s still in his first year of competitive Apex Legends, yet led Pro League in total kills at 114 (17 kills over second place). There are few if any players more threatening than Effect right now, and Alliance knows how to make full use of him.
Alliance may not be the flashiest team, but their penchant for winning favored circles is second to none. Seeing that green A set up in a god-spot is a sure sign that big points will follow. Still, Alliance is not afraid to get their hands dirty on edge from Thermal or Lightning Rod, where Effect can do his best work.
Moist Esports – APAC South
While APAC South may only have five teams representing the region, underestimating any of them is a mistake. Enter Moist Esports, the team that took the region by storm after the departure of DarkZero. Moist has already proven themselves on the international stage, snatching a 6th place at the Split 1 Playoffs in February. Now with more experience under their belt, they’ll be shooting for that trophy.
During the Split 1 LAN, Moist settled for East Fragment and a small compound south of Cascade Falls, two suboptimal POI’s to say the least. Those POI’s did allow for early rotation, which fit their playstyle to a T. However, Moist’s now-established confidence has them contesting for Command Center and Overlook at LAN, two POI’s that have better loot and similar rotational power.
The fragging duo of Dylan “Prycyy” Price and Ben “Wxltzy” Walton put up 90 and 88 kills respectively in Pro League, good for first and second overall in the region. The fragging power is there, as is the macro courtesy of Matthew “Emtee” Trengove. Talk about Moist dominating a “weaker region” have all but disappeared, and now they are truly feared on the world stage.
Fnatic – APAC North
Fnatic made history in APAC North’s ALGS Pro League Split 2 by winning the final day in just four games. While they weren’t as consistent throughout the Split as some other regional winners, Fnatic’s explosiveness and ability to find game winning spots from nothing makes them a formidable foe.
Leading Fnatic is Yuga “YukaF” Horie, arguably the most prolific M&K talent in all competitive Apex. His 103 kills during Pro League was the most in the region by a whopping 24. This also means that YukaF was second overall in kills worldwide, only behind Effect (notably while playing five less total games). Takamasa “Meltstera” Kawai is no slouch in the fragging department either, tying in second with 79.
Fnatic’s playstyle is as varied as it gets. They opt to play from the North Pad edge on Storm Point, but take zero loot to play from the central Landslide POI on World’s Edge. They’re like XSET in that way, but the similarities end there. Whereas XSET are the picture of consistency, Fnatic are far more willing to risk it for the biscuit. Watch for Fnatic to run down your favorite team if given the opportunity.
Fire Beavers – EMEA
The world has long awaited Fire Beavers’s arrival to the LAN stage once again. We last saw them compete in-person a full year ago at the 2022 ALGS Championship as ZETA DIVISION. The CIS squad made it to the finals, but placed a disappointing 18th. Fire Beavers were supposed to be at the Split 1 Playoffs this year, but couldn’t make it due to visa issues.
Now, the trio of Kiryl “9impulse” Kostsiu, Lev “taskmast33r” Grigoriev, and Svyatoslav “ojrein” Korochinsky are ready to let loose on LAN once again. While the top four fragger spots in the EMEA Pro League season belonged to controller players, the triple M&K Beavers took spots five, six, and seven. Fire Beavers embody a well-oiled machine, and when that machine is up and running, almost nothing can shut it down.
There are few things scarier in Apex Legends than knowing Fire Beavers is right next to you. They are not afraid to push anybody for any reason. While they might not be the highest rated team, no team can brawl their way through a rough situation with more confidence and coordination.
TSM – North America
The darlings of competitive Apex Legends are back at LAN to defend their Split 1 title. TSM started Pro League on the wrong foot, falling behind in points early. Prior to the final two match days, TSM’s leader Philip “ImperialHal” Dosen had seemingly given up on even qualifying for LAN despite everyone else saying they could do it.
Sure enough, TSM won match day six and locked a respectable 7th in Finals, convincingly qualifying for the Split 2 Playoffs LAN. If there is one team that you can never truly count out, it is TSM. Behind ImperialHal is one of the safest pairs of hands in the game in Jordan “Reps” Wolfe, as well as a true prodigy fragger in Evan “Verhulst” Verhulst.
TSM comes into the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs after defending their POI’s from contesters and performing well in scrims to boot. While scrims are by no means indicative of eventual performance in tournament, TSM do look to have picked up where they left off following their Split 1 title. Keep an eye out for TSM, and an ear out for the chants that will happen whenever they reach end game.
The ALGS 2023 Split 2 Playoffs LAN kicks off on July 13th at 5:15 A.M. EST.
