TSM keep LAN hopes alive with much needed ALGS win

TSM have kept their hopes of qualifying for LAN alive with a much needed victory in their final day of the ALGS Pro league's regular season. They will now hope for favourable results tomorrow, and then a good showing in the Regional Finals. They could also qualify, of course, by winning the Regional Finals.

However, some of the teams around TSM in the overall leaderboard also performed well. FURIA, LANimals and Luminosity all performed very strongly. However, TSM cannot be disappointed, they did what they needed to do. Wildcard and Complexity struggling has significantly helped TSM however.

If there is any Apex Legends team that has a track record of performing under pressure, it's TSM. The pressure on TSM was immense heading into the days ALGS Pro League action, but they rose to the occasion in game 3.

TSM made full use of a favourable zone in Highpoint, which is close to The Wall where TSM drop. They chose to fight early for a building in Highpoint, dispatching SCS. This was an absolutely fantastic call, the zone ended right on their doorstep, and having eliminated any team that dared to get close to their building they had an incredibly simple end game. Crucially, TSM picked up a lot of kills on nearby fights. They almost killed both of the last two teams as they fought.

This helped them to a gobsmacking total of 19 kills, the highest kill total any team has dropped in North America so far this split. This game launched them up to first place at the half way mark, clear of Oxygen in second. TSM couldn't throw this lead, surely?

Not this time. TSM kept their cool, and saw out the day. They were pushed hard by LANimals, but an early exit in game 6 from Lou and company handed TSM the victory.

This was a vintage TSM performance, they won fight after fight. There was no confusion in their calls. Hal was laser sharp in his decision making, ably supported by Reps. It was a huge transformation from TSM's recent performances, and much more like the TSM we saw in London.

For TSM, they came into the day knowing that nothing but the maximum points would help them avoid needing a win in the Regional Finals. Now, their LAN fate is back in their hands, a decent performance in the Regional Finals will most likely see them qualify, pending tomorrows results.

Despite missing out on first place by just two points, this was the best LANimals performance since the roster formed. They pushed TSM all the way, and have also kept the door open for a LAN qualification of their own. They will need more assistance than TSM, but of course also have the opportunity to simply win the Regional Finals and directly qualify.

LANimals were on top form, finding passionate communication instead of chaotic communication.

What is clear is how confident the LANimals are in fights. Despite being a player short, they still made confident and aggressive plays to clean out a side of zone, and the kills they picked up in this sequence secured them second ahead of Furia.

It has perhaps been surprising to see LANimals not perform to this standard on a regular basis. They have been one of the pioneers of the emerging Rampart sub-meta, and this early adoption has been paying off for them recently.

What is crucial for the LANimals is a strong performance in the Regional Finals. They almost certainly need to win to qualify, barring a miracle. With their very consistent placement today, they will feel comfortable in a match point format tournament. However, they did not close out a victory today, which could be a concern to the LANimals squad.

Luminosity and NRG sit in 12th and 13th respectively, and both have an extra gameday tomorrow.

Thanks to Railey, from the Competitive Apex subreddit, there is a simulation available of how likely each team is to make LAN.

TSM have moved from only a 15% chance of LAN qualification, to a strong 76% chance. Clearly their victory today has handed them significantly more control over their destiny.

What TSM do not have any control over is how teams play tomorrow, and they will watch on nervously to see exactly what is needed from them in the Regional Finals. The match point format creates a high level of uncertainty. Make a slow start, and a team races away and wins in 4? That's your split over. It's all to play for in North America.

For full ALGS Pro League results, check out our ALGS Score hub here.

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