Apex Legend’s biggest tournament of 2023 has come to an end. TSM has claimed the ALGS 2023 Championship trophy after winning three games in a row to get to and close out on Match Point. This is the first ALGS Championship win for TSM, solidifying them as the best team in the history of Apex Legends once again.
Image Credit TSM
Starting Strong then Slowing Down
TSM’s run at the ALGS 2023 Championship started in Group A. While being contested at their POI of Lava Siphon, TSM blasted out of the gate with a second and third place overall in their first two sets. They won three games during this time, putting them frequently in the spotlight. It was no secret that TSM was a favorite coming into the tournament, but this showing solidified their form even more.
TSM’s 103 points was already good enough to qualify for the Winners’ Bracket. That said, they did have a much more low-key performance in their final set of groups at 10th place. The problems shown there appeared again in the Winners’ Bracket. Unlike their fast start in Groups, TSM struggled to get going in this set. After five games, they were firmly below the 10th place cut-off due to three zero point games.
With their backs against the wall, TSM loaded into the final game needing around 15 points or more to qualify for Finals. The zone shifted south of Lava Siphon, allowing TSM to move towards a great end-game spot. The 3v3 against DreamFire for the win went in TSM’s favor, giving them enough points for 7th place overall.
Additionally, TSM’s biggest rival at the tournament, DarkZero Esports, was pushed into 11th place by TSM’s sudden rise. DZ now had to play in the Losers’ Bracket for a chance at Finals. While most predicted DarkZero as sure finalists, they instead fell apart in their second chance bracket. The 13th place finish saw DZ fall out of the tournament, leaving TSM as the sole favorite.
Domination from Others
As the curtains rose on the ALGS 2023 Championship Finals, TSM’s slow starting didn’t change. Their first three games resulted in just five points total. Meanwhile, regional rivals OpTic Gaming had taken the lobby by storm. They won both games one and three with over 10 kills each time, putting them at Match Point.
The Finals formal required a team to reach 50 points total, then win a game to be crowned the champions. With OpTic already at 58, the tournament could have ended at every moment. All TSM could do was chug along and continue building up points. They got to top 10 in the next two games with 6 more kills, but at this pace, they wouldn’t make it to 50 in time.
In game six, the zone took an unexpected shift up to Skyhook. TSM was one of the few teams who read this correctly and managed to claim the best building in the zone despite having a further rotation. Their reward was their first game win of the Finals. This brought them up to 40 points, still short of Match Point. Meanwhile, a total of five teams had gotten to the mark alongside OpTic.
Winning when it Matters
Game seven saw the zone land on The Wall, TSM’s POI. As the zone shrunk and teams filed in, two match point teams found themselves in great spots. OpTic ended up in the bottom floor of the last building in zone, while BLVKHVND had control of the bridge in the middle of the POI. TSM made a late play to lift onto OpTic’s roof, giving them the best spot in zone.
On zone close, BLVKHVND was focused down by other teams. OpTic was stuck in between TSM and The Dojo, and they bled out in third place. The final fight came down ImperialHal in a 1v2 against Dojo. He clutched it out, giving TSM their second game win in a row and bringing them to match point.
Now, a total of seven teams could win it all going into game eight. The zone went to Thunderwatch, a northern POI not far from TSM’s Wall. Many of the match point teams failed to make the rotation early. FaZe Clan, DreamFire, and LG Chivas all fell early on. OpTic lost two players on rotation, and their final man died in 12th place.
The Final Fight
On the north side of the map, TSM met Dojo in a battle for a spot in the zone. Despite being stuck in the tunnel, TSM clutched the fight out and made their way in. As the final ring was set, the team above TSM went to fight Thunderwatch, leaving TSM in a 3v3 against BLVKHVND. Again, TSM came out on top and claimed the best spot in the last zone.
As the last match point team alive, TSM watched the chaos unfold from safety. The last team that walked out of Thunderwatch was SAF Esports, the team that had been above TSM earlier. Utilizing a Catalyst Wall and Horizon Lift, TSM took the fight to SAF and won, closing out the ALGS 2023 Championship.
With this win, TSM are now once again the sole winningest team in Apex Legends history. They won two out of three LANs in 2023 and got second place in the other. Despite this year being the most competitive Apex has ever seen, TSM are in better form than ever. Their achievements in 2023 easily eclipse their XGames and Pre-Season Invitation LAN wins of old.
The discussion of greatest Apex player and team, of all time is shut for now. ImperialHal and TSM stand at their rightful place at the top. Even so, there are no shortage of teams gunning for that throne, and we saw plenty of them make their mark at the ALGS 2023 Championship. 2024 is sure to be yet another exciting installment in Apex Legends esports.
