Alliance completed one of the most dramatic comeback stories in Apex Legends history on the final day of Pro League action, winning their second matchday in a row and qualifying for the Split Two playoffs of the Apex Legends Global Series.
Backed against a wall after four matchdays and needing a miracle in the middle of day five, the squad put together one of the greatest runs of games the ALGS has ever seen, winning two games in a row and placing fourth on Saturday, March 26 to win their lobby, then repeating the feat on Sunday, March 27 with another game win, two second-place finishes, and a third. As the Pro League leaderboard remained incredibly tight on the last day of competition, the day promised drama of the highest order.
Game one lived up to the hype as teams buckled down and found any sliver of cover to survive in the final circles outside of Lava Siphon. In the end, it was T-REX who cleared out the high ground and took the victory.
The game was also a near-perfect start for Alliance, who have suffered from starting slowly so often this split. With the team looking like they were destined for a “good-not-great” finish in the top 10 in game one, Caustic player Oscar “Yuki” Jiang found the best possible hiding spots among the yellow rock formations in World’s Edge. Able to shield himself above the fighting and even picking up an extra kill, Yuki’s work ensured Alliance would finish second in the game, just three points from the top of the day’s leaderboard, where T-REX sat tied to Zeta Division.
Game two featured a nearly identical endgame, and Alliance used the lessons learned in game one to correct their previous mistakes. This time, they were the team to clear out the high ground overlooking the geyser just outside Lava Siphon. With all the space in the final ring to work with, they made no mistake.
The Alliance tear just didn’t stop. Starting with game four in yesterday’s matchday, Alliance had finished first, first, fourth, second, and first once again in consecutive games to keep their playoff hopes alive. They sat in first place in their lobby after the first two games of the day, with Zeta Division and K1CK Esports close behind them after high-kill totals in game two. Alliance weren’t running away with it just yet, but they were in a great position early on.
The Alliance train was finally derailed somewhat in game three after the team got simultaneously pinched in between Rebel Esports and 69iQ. 69iQ rode that momentum all the way to victory.
The results made a close lobby even closer, with Alliance barely clinging to first place, mostly thanks to their seven kills in game two. K1CK climbed with another second-place finish and entered the Storm Point games just one point behind Alliance. Zeta Division and 69iQ were also firmly still in the picture at the top of the table. All four teams’ playoff spots still hung in the balance, with K1CK the only team that entered the day in the top 10 of EMEA Pro League.
The lobby got even closer in game four, when yet another team trying to secure their playoff spot, Invictus International, weathered a chaotic final circle to take the win.
It looked like game four might be yet another Alliance victory, with the team holding the last available space inside The Mill and iG on the brink of collapse behind their meager cover. A messy engagement with High Society, however, meant Alliance would go out in second place, which allowed iG, playing as a duo, to third party and take the victory. Fortunately for Alliance, their closest competition on the day all went out much earlier, meaning they could extend their lead a bit despite not picking up many kills to go with the second-place finish.
Alliance continued to stretch their lead bit by bit, finding the best spots to play from in the final zones and playing patiently. Their second-place finish in game five took them to the brink of the lobby win, taking an 18-point lead into the final game of the day. It was Rascals, however, that outlasted the rest of the lobby and threw some chaos into the top of the leaderboard.
Rascals pulled themselves up to fifth place on the day with the victory, but the storylines were all at the top of the leaderboard. Alliance, 69iQ, K1CK, and Zeta Division entered the final game of the day in places one through four. All four teams needed a good result to make the playoffs. All four teams had played consistently throughout the day. And now, one game would determine who would make the playoffs and who would be staying home.
Finally, finding themselves on the outside looking in at the final circles for once, Alliance needed a little help from the rest of the lobby after only managing an eighth-place finish with no kills. They got it in the form of Rascals.
When the dust settled and both lobbies finished, the magnitude of Alliance’s achievement was fully realized: Their two lobby wins in the last two days of Pro League, more than doubling their point total from their first four matchdays, had qualified the Swedish organization for the Stockholm LAN. K1CK and GMT Esports secured their spots in the LAN in the top four of Pro League overall, while iG and 69iQ just barely did enough to lock down the last few spots in the playoffs. It was crushing disappointment, on the other hand, for Zeta Division, who turned in a good performance today but fell short of 10th place by six points.
The incredibly close lobbies in EMEA finally revealed their winners and their casualties. Now, the Split Two playoffs, and LAN, awaits.
Published: Mar 28, 2022 04:08 pm