The best teams to watch in the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs

The Apex Legends Global Series is returning to LAN at the Copper Box Arena in London for the second time in 2023. 40 international teams have earned the right to stand on the LAN stage, but not every team has shown the same amount of dominance or consistency throughout Split Two.

Multiple storylines that have evolved over the 2023 ALGS will converge in London, with each team and their players experiencing drastically different paths on the road to Playoffs.

There are returning champions looking to defend their crown, longstanding orgs looking for a return to form, and a wave of new blood eager to claim the trophy at their international debut. With so many teams coming from all different areas, it can be a bit difficult to know exactly who to follow and cheer for, or what teams to look out for when they square up with your favorite squad.

To help viewers understand the chaos, we have created a tier list for all 40 teams attending the event,  alongside a list of some of the hottest teams to watch at the upcoming Playoffs weekend. All teams start the LAN on equal ground, regardless of regional placement, but some teams enter the tournament with more momentum than others, and can heavily affect how well they perform during all four days of competition.

Here are some of the hottest teams to watch at the ALGS Split Two Playoffs.

All ALGS Split 2 Playoffs teams, ranked

The following list isn’t ordered within tiers, as we think each team in a tier will perform at a similar level to each other heading into the Split Two Playoffs. All teams are starting on equal ground in the groups stage and have the same chance to take the biggest share of the $1 million dollar prize pool, but not each team is heading to LAN with the same history or international experience.

S tier

• XSET
• Alliance
• Fnatic
• TSM
• Moist Esports

The teams in S tier are at the top of their regions, with consistent domestic success during the regular season, and proven results at past international LAN tournaments. Each team enters the Split Two Playoffs as the hard favorites to win it all, having already proved it in their respective regions by the overall leaderboards, individual stats, and unique picks that showcase the highest level of competitive Apex.

A tier

• DarkZero Esports
• Fire Beavers
• Pioneers
• Ganbare otousan
• NORTHEPTION
• REALIZE
• Vexxed Gaming
• FaZe Clan
• FURIA Esports
• OpTic Gaming

The teams in A-tier are expected to be top contenders for all rounds of the tournament, and are expected to make the finals without any difficulties. They may not have the same star potential as the S tier teams in their regions, but are able to close out games just the same, and are nearly as likely to win the entire tournament.

Each team here is able to flexibly play hard zone or edge strategies, seamlessly transitioning between hunting for kills or bunkering down for placement if necessary, and are able to use any early-game advantages to snowball entire lobbies and ride the momentum for the entire match day. A tier teams all have their own respective strengths, and know how to capitalize on them, making them strong contenders at all stages of the event.

B tier

• Noctem Esports
• DreamFire
• ONIC Esports
• Element 6
• 100 Thieves
• Complexity Gaming
• Oxygen Esports
• NRG
• Acend
• Aurora Gaming
• JLINGZ Esports
• NAKED
• Entropiq
• LG Chivas

The stretch of B tier encompasses the majority of teams, with many different reasons for their placement. Some teams are lacking in one critical aspect of their gameplay, and domestically suffer for it. Others have slumped for most or part of Split Two, with inconsistent season and regional final results healing into LAN. Each of the teams here have the potential to still make it to the finals, but one good or bad match can significantly impact the starting momentum and overall performance for any team placed here.

Related: Apex Legends star player forced out of ALGS Split 2 Playoffs due to last-minute visa issues

C tier

• Riddle
• MDY White
• BLVKHVND
• PULVEREX
• GoNext Esports
• Crazy Raccoon
• SAF Esports

The teams grouped in C tier and below have a notably bigger distance between them and their counterparts, usually outclassed by the top of the table, and can notably struggle when put in higher-pressure situations. Half of the teams in C tier have previously attended LAN, but exited in the groups stage with disappointing results, despite good regular season performances. Teams in C tier have low expectations, but everything to prove if they want to make history on an international scale.

D tier

• FC Destroy
• ATHXHVY
• GLYTCH Energy
• LeaveNoWitness

The teams in D tier barely make the cutoff in their regions, having to fight for their spot in the last days of the regular season and standing out in the regional finals. They have the lowest expectations to perform and are not expected to make it to the grand finals, either from clear weaknesses that have been exploited domestically, or a lack of LAN experience that can heavily impact team mentality and decision-making when fighting against the different play styles from the best international competition.

Related: How to watch the 2023 ALGS Split 2 Playoffs

Best teams to watch at the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs

XSET

XSET leads North America as the region’s number one seed, maintaining their strong form last seen in the Split One Playoffs, where they ended in fourth place behind regional rivals NRG and TSM. Split Two has proven XSET as the most consistent team in the league, improving and hold onto the number one position for the majority of the season, even widening the gap with the biggest league points difference between first and second place across all international leagues at 19 points between them and DarkZero Esports.

What makes XSET scary is their ability to adapt and their versatility across all maps. Brandon “oh Nocturnal” Singer and Nicholas “sSikezz” Odom sit at third and fourth for NA’s kill leaderboards on keyboard and controller respectively. When it comes to point averages, XSET maintains a solid 50-50 split between Storm Point and Worlds Edge, and the closest average of 52-48 between placement and kill points. No team has shown the same amount of consistency in Split Two as XSET, and fans can safely bet on them to continue their previous LAN dominance.

TSM

The kings of NA took a hard fall after winning the Split One Playoffs. Their first match back on domestic soil disappointed everyone, as they started in 18th place with only two playoff points, and stayed outside of the Playoffs bubble for the first half of the regular season. However, the boys in black were able to find their form once more, winning one of the last match days and scoring well enough in the Regional Finals to secure their spot as NA’s sixth seed. 

No matter how down in the standings TSM may be, you can never count them out from claiming it all. Only DarkZero (formerly Reignite) have been able to defend an international title, but with TSM’s late-season rise and rumors of great scrim performance, all eyes will be on them to see if TSM can start the newest LAN dynasty.

Fire Beavers

Fire Beavers have consistently been one of EMEA’s most exciting teams to watch, and all on mouse and keyboard. Previously, they earned a spot in the Split One Playoffs from their fourth place regular season finish and winning the Regional Finals, but were unable to attend the event due to visa issues.

Fire Beavers returned once again with another fourth place regular season finish in Split Two, and a desire to prove their dominance on an international scale. The key player to look out for is Lev “taskmast33r” Grigoriev, who has topped the international damage leaderboards since Split One. However, the entire team stays united in their signature aggressive calls, taking the fifth, sixth, and seventh spots on the EMEA kill leaderboards.

Ganbare outousan

Ganbare outousan is an orgless roster, consisting of just three players and their coach, who broke into the top 10 of the APAC-N Pro League in their first split, before amazing the international crowd with a grand finals appearance and a 12th place finish. Since then, GO has continued to rise domestically, only ever dropping out of the top 10 in one match day, and directly competing with FNC and NTH, the established giants of the scene. A second place finish in the regional finals helped to secure their spot as APAC-N’s third seed in the Split Two Playoffs, and if their momentum continues, you can expect GO to be one of the top contenders for the London crown. 

Noctem Esports

Previously known as F/A Players during the South America Split Two, Noctem Esports is filled with a star studded roster of experienced players who all have been to multiple LAN tournaments, including IGL Leandro “N3LAS” Francisco and coach Vinícius “Caffezin” Coffoni, who famously made the grand finals while representing Elevate, the only SA team left at the 2022 Split Two Playoffs.

Fast forward to 2023, and Noctem domestically dominated, staying in first place for most of the split by winning half of their match days and finishing the regional finals in second place. Noctem’s consistency shows in the leaderboards, as they hold one of the biggest point differences across all leagues between first and second place at 16 league points. Noctem shines as SA’s crown jewel heading into the Split Two Playoffs, and one of the brightest contenders to the London LAN environment.

DreamFire

DreamFire has always been competing with some of the biggest disadvantages at each LAN they’ve been to. Visa issues have consistently caused the squad to be missing multiple members, only able to field Chen “Roieee” Po-han at the 2022 Championship and at the recent London Split One Playoffs, both times working with two substitute players. Despite these issues, Roie lead DF to the grand finals of the Split One Playoffs with some of the highest kill lobbies, and has helped transform DF’s structure in Split Two. The entire team has come alive in the last weeks of APAC-S, securing first place on the final match day and a second place finish in the regional finals, locking in their spot as the region’s fourth seed.

Now entering an international competition for the first time with their entire roster, DF firmly stands as one of the biggest dark horses at the Split Two Playoffs, having already proven their ability to contend with the toughest Apex squads despite outside circumstances, and have grown even stronger after pushing past these setbacks.

Crazy Raccoon

Crazy Raccoon is one of the biggest organizations to participate in APAC-N since 2020, with the team having some of the highest highs and lowest lows in domestic and international tournaments. In Split One, CR had to play with stand-in Kim “Whisper” Juh-yeon after starter Kang “Mainy” Heyon-jun stepped down from competitive play. They started match day one with a first place finish, leading the entire league and maintaining their dominance throughout the season, culminating with their regional finals win, and a third seed spot at the Playoffs. However, CR’s first ever LAN ended in disaster, with an early exit from the groups stage in 35th place, the second worst APAC-N team to attend the event.

One week before Split Two started, Mainy would announce his decision to return to competitive Apex, and his move to CR’s active roster after six months of inactivity. Despite struggling with reintegration and growing pains, CR managed to show APAC-N once again why they were domestically at the top of the table, and once again secured a spot at the next LAN event as the sixth seed. Returning to London, spectators can watch CR to see if they can give a performance worthy of APAC-N’s largest fanbase, or if history will repeat itself with another disappointing finish in the bottom half.