The action heated up in EMEA tenth day of the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Pro League, with some teams fighting for the final playoff spots and others battling to avoid the relegation zone. In the end, 69iQ won the day and proved its mid-split roster changes were paying off.
The first match of the day featured one of the most open final circles in World’s Edge, pulling into the field between Landslide and Countdown. The knowledge that endgame positions would be few and far between led to much earlier fighting than normal for EMEA, with more than half the lobby dead before the fourth circle closed. Several frontrunners went down with the early fighting, leaving the door wide open for Rascals.
Usually, the tower in the middle of this field is the priority position for any team. The final circle pulled just north of it, however, forcing Nemesis to move off of the high ground earlier than they would have liked and opening up the final circle for all the teams fighting on the low ground. Rascals played it perfectly, poking from behind cover when they could and delaying a full engagement until the last possible moment to take the win. The victory netted them 21 points, with Phoenix Legacy just behind them with 19.
Game two brought the lobby to the cliffs between Epicenter and Overlook. Again, early fighting in the third and fourth circles considerably cut down on the lobby before the final circle, leading to a three-team final circle. Alliance looked the most likely to clean up the game, securing knocks on both 69iQ and Guild. However, Guild stabilized and took a surprising victory.
Despite securing the early knock on Matej “MaTaFe” Fekonja—potentially Guild’s most important player because of his Gibraltar pick—Alliance opted to maintain their cover in the final circle instead of chasing down the remaining members of Guild. This allowed Guild to bring MaTaFe back up. At the same moment, the last-gasp Gibraltar ultimate from 69iQ’s IGL Elwin “KSWINNIIE” Echeveria—before he was taken out by Guild—landed on of Alliance’s heads, knocking a member. Thanks to the diversion, MaTaFe healed to full, and as the only team with a full three members up, Guild took home the victory. The game launched both Guild and Alliance into the top five on the day’s leaderboard, keeping the lobby close.
Game three was a playground for Future Perfect, the team that made noise on day eight with their use of Ash and lobby win despite mustering only four points overall throughout the first half of Pro League. They were out to prove their last lobby wasn’t simply a flash in the pan, and they did so in the third game to the tune of 14 kills.
The victory proved the fighting prowess of the unique Ash, Crypto, and Caustic composition the team has become known for. Despite only one point through the first three games, the team proved that one game is all they needed to get themselves back into the picture, with the 26-point game three launching them into fourth place. Guild, who finished second in game three, were rewarded for their consistency with first place in the lobby halfway through the day, opening up a 10-point lead over Rascals and 69iQ.
The fourth game of the day finally brought a victory to Alliance, who were determined not to repeat the mistakes of game two.
Again finding themselves with the best spot in the final circle, Alliance were ruthless in chasing down kills in the endgame. With seven teams still alive and the final circle closing, the team patiently waited and found cover until the ring closed over the tower, eliminating the powerful high ground position. With the team there forced to drop, Alliance pounced, securing enough damage on a team trapped in a truck to grab three kills through damage delivered before the ring closed on top of them. With only a couple stragglers remaining, it was relatively easy pickings for Alliance from there on out.
The victory was made even more impressive by Alliance’s long journey to Overlook. The team landed in Thermal Station, about as far away from Overlook a team can be on the map. The result tightened the lobby leaderboard once again, with Guild maintaining their lead by just one point over Alliance and 69iQ close behind the leading pair.
Game five brought little clarity to that leaderboard. Nemesis, a team low on both the day’s leaderboard and the Pro League table, won the central zone. The final circle was reminiscent of the final match in last year’s North American ALGS Championship, pulling to the blue bins to the south of Fragment East.
Nemesis proved that their low standing wasn’t due to a lack of firepower and propelled a fast push from 69iQ to secure the win. It was a massive, 18-kill win for Nemesis, securing 30 points and jumping from 15th all the way to second place after the game. They were only behind the team they killed to secure the victory: 69iQ, who found themselves in first. With one game remaining, the top five teams in the lobby were only separated by four points. And if Nemesis’ game five was any indication, it’s that no one in the lobby could be counted out.
69iQ would shut the door in the nicest way possible, however, taking home the victory in the sixth and final game of the day. The team looked like they might have been dead in the water when they were forced to drop down off of one of the cliffs overlooking Fragment East, but clutch calls from KSWINNIIE found the squad a third party opportunity which one them a truck inside the final circle.
KSWINNIIE was a mid-split addition to the 69iQ roster. The team brought the former UNDERRATED man in to be the new in-game leader. It’s difficult to argue the move hasn’t paid off, since the team won the lobby after placing fourth two weeks ago in their first ALGS lobby with KSWINNIIE. Elsewhere, Alliance and Guild took home second and third place on the day. All three teams look to be comfortably in the top 20 for playoffs with only one matchday remaining.
Things didn’t go as well for defending EMEA champions SCARZ, who had a slow start to the day and could only muster a seventh-place finish. The team just hasn’t looked comfortable in Pro League, struggling to maintain their top 20 position. The day’s results left them in 15th place in Pro League, most likely needing a result from the final matchday in order to secure a playoffs spot.
Just one game now remains for all 39 remaining EMEA teams before the playoffs and relegation spots are locked in for split one. Sunday awaits, with the promise of glory or failure.
