Takeaways From The ALGS Autumn Circuit Online Tournament #2
The ALGS Autumn Circuit continues to outdo itself. Underdog teams with unproven track records are showing up when it matters. Meanwhile, established teams loaded with Apex Legends vets just can’t figure it out. Tournament #1 was filled with entertaining storylines, and Tournament #2 was no different. Let’s take a look at the results and what we can take away from the ALGS Autumn Circuit Online Tournament #2.
Click to enlargeNorth America Grand Finals
History was made in Tournament #2’s North America Grand Finals. DidWeMakeIt?, an orgless team, put on the best performance ever seen in an Apex Legends Grand Finals. Going into Round 5 of 6 total rounds, DidWeMakeIt? sat in 17th place. After the slow start, they won back-to-back rounds to cap off Tournament #2. One of these rounds saw them finish with an insane 23 kills, the most ever in a Grand Finals. As it turns out, they needed every single one of those kills. DidWeMakeIt? edged out the defending champs, Rogue, by a single point.
For those aspiring pros out there, note that two players on DidWeMakeIt? started their careers on PS4. Two console players, with little history and not signed to any org, came out and demolished established pros signed to top esports organisations. This fact just further echos the parity we harped on in our Tournament #1 recap. Whether you’re on console or PC, controller or mouse and keyboard, it’s possible to make a name for yourself in this scene.
Team Solo-Mid (TSM), the most hyped team in Apex Legends esports, had another disappointing finish. While most teams would happily take fourth place, it’s not enough for an organisation with such a rich and successful history in Apex Legends.
TSM’s downfall was poor decision making and comms. ImperialHal, TSM’s in-game leader (IGL), made some really questionable calls that led to poor placements. These seemingly small decisions moment to moment can have major consequences. TSM’s failures are proof that you can have all the talent and gunskill in the world, but game sense, decision making, and communication are just as vital to a team’s success.
Continuing the trend from Tournament #1, many other top teams failed to even finish in the top ten. Sentinels, Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), and Complexity were unable to consistently place well or pick up kills.
Europe Grand Finals
In the Europe region, another orgless team claimed first place. Orgless and Hungry, led by big-name streamer, MaTaFe, finally won a major tournament. MaTaFe and his teammate, Kouhia, left their former organisation, Ad Hoc, on October 1. It looks like the change of scenery paid off, as they bet on themselves and have full rights to their earnings.
North, one of Europe’s most recognisable teams, bounced back from their disappointing performance in Tournament #1 with a second-place finish. Wygers, the Tournament #1 champions, started out strong yet again. They came out in Round 1 and placed first with ten kills. However, the success may have got to their heads. They choked hard in the next couple of rounds and ended up placing eighth.
1907 Fenerbahçe Goes Back-To-Back
In the Middle East and Africa region, Turkish esports org, 1907 Fenerbahçe, took first place in the Tournament #2 Finals. This makes back-to-back victories in the ALGS Autumn Circuit. The highlight of their tournament was a 25 kill victory in Round 3. While the Middle East and Africa region doesn’t get much attention, this kind of performance from 1907 Fenerbahçe will not go unnoticed.
Crazy Raccoon Puts Up 85
The Japanese team, Crazy Raccoon, absolutely owned the Asia-Pacific (APAC) North region. These guys placed first in three out of six rounds, leading to a final score of 85 points. Second and third place, meanwhile, scored only 47 and 45 points respectively. This means that Crazy Raccoon nearly doubled the score of the second-place team. Crazy Raccoon will be a team to watch out for as the ALGS Autumn Circuit continues on.
Click to enlargeNA and Europe Legend Pick Rates
The first thing that stands out when you look at the Legend pick rates in the NA region is the lack of Bloodhound. In Tournament #1, Bloodhound was picked by 45% of the teams. Fast forward to Tournament #2, and Bloodhound’s pick rate dropped to 30%. In Bloodhound's place, Crypto and Pathfinder saw an uptick in pick rate.
The reasoning for this can be linked to the heavy usage of Wattson. Wattson is an extremely strong Legend in end-game situations. With so many teams huddled up end-game, Bloodhound does not have much of an opportunity to capitalise on their abilities. Instead, teams have opted for Legends like Crypto, Pathfinder, and Gibraltar. In Crypto’s case, his drone hard-counters Wattson. Pathfinder allows teams to claim high ground, finish kills, grab loot, rotate, and more. No other Legend possesses the overall utility of Pathfinder. Gibraltar’s kit is simply much better suited for crowded end-games than Bloodhound.
Europe saw a massive increase in Gibraltar usage. He went from a 25% pick rate in Tournament #1 to a 43.3% pick rate in Tournament #2. This again can be linked to the prevalence of Wattson, and in turn, Crypto. Teams are experimenting with ways to counter the defensive capabilities of Wattson. Most teams have Wraith and Wattson cemented as two of the three Legend picks. So as one may expect, other teams want to either counter this popular comp and/or build a comp capable of competing with it. Gibraltar is another strong defensive Legend but is free from some of the downsides that plague Wattson. Gibraltar and Caustic have entered the meta as reliable defensive Legends able to fill-in for Wattson.
Understanding the logistics behind these team comps is crucial for anyone looking to succeed in competitive Apex Legends.
Click to enlargeAPAC North Legend Pick Rates
It’s worth taking a look at the APAC North Legend pick rates and noticing the stark contrast compared to the NA, and Europe Legend pick rates. Twelve different teams had a Revenant in their squad. Revenant was not picked once in either the NA or Europe regions. Additionally, Wattson, the second most popular Legend in NA and Europe, was not picked by a single APAC North team.
This all links back to our comments earlier. Wattson becomes almost useless vs a Crypto. Crypto is a popular pick in the APAC North region, so teams avoid running a Wattson.
Wraith, Revenant, Crypto, and Bloodhound can all fuse their abilities in ultra-aggressive strategies. With Wattson out of the picture, Caustic becomes the Legend most suited for defending against a Crypto, Revenant, Wraith onslaught. Teams looking to defend are forced to run Caustic over Wattson in the APAC North region.
Finally, it’s important to note that other regions are not as stacked as NA and Europe. APAC North has less talented teams overall, and not as many teams make it to the final circles. With that, top teams like Crazy Raccoon can capitalise with aggressive team comps over more defensive-oriented compositions.
Clips and Highlights
Let’s wrap up our ALGS Autumn Circuit Online Tournament #2 recap with some clips and highlights from the event.
Rogue’s star player, Lou, was faced with a horrific tragedy following Tournament #1. Lou’s father passed away unexpectedly in a terrible car accident on his way home from work to celebrate his son’s victory. In honour of Lou’s late father, Brian Troy Clements, the PlayApex stream held a moment of silence.
SirDel of COOLER gets straight kidnapped by a Wraith portal.
The 2 Brains 1 Controller team combines an Arc Star with a Crypto drone to take height and win the game.
The ALGS Autumn Circuit resumes October 31- November 2 with Tournament #3. Until then, stay tuned here @GGReconEsports for Apex Legends news, guides, features, and more.
Images via Respawn Entertainment | Lenovo Legion | @ApexSinghLabs