TSM reclaim Apex crown with HUGE ALGS Playoff victory

TSM reclaimed their place at the top of the Apex scene with a mind-blowing performance in Sunday's NA ALGS Playoff. The roster of ImperialHal, Verhulst and Reps dominated from start to finish.

In a day dominated by south zones, TSM looked like favorites from the beginning, putting down strong performances in all of the 7 games.

They have secured $100,000 and all but guaranteed a place at the ALGS Championship LAN.

While expectations are always high on TSM, their struggles since the arrival of Verhulst meant that many were overlooking them for the victory this weekend.

However, ImperialHal is one of the best Apex players in history and combined with Reps they have some of the most experienced rosters anywhere in the world. Despite struggling to settle on which legends to use, and even which input to use, Hal and TSM started as they meant to go on. In Game 1 they leaped towards the golden 50 point mark with a massive 22 point game.

Then, they secured match point, with Verhulst putting his old team ESA to the sword as they won Game 4 to secure match point status.

TSM reached match point first of any teams and had strong chances to win in Game 5 and 6. Calling on their huge experience the TSM boys kept cool under pressure.

It was in Game 7 where TSM executed a perfect end game and secured the overall victory. Unlike other teams, they did not shy away from fighting when they were playing for the victory. They put down an incredible 16 kills on their way to a 28 point game and a $100,000 victory.

The TSM roster has a history of showing up when it matters, no matter who comprises it. With fantastic patience, controlled aggression and some of the best communication anywhere in Apex, TSM played the final 3v3 to perfection.

Verhulst, who admitted to Fallout in the post-game interview that he had struggled with the pressure of being on TSM, has made an amazing rise up the Apex scene.

He took a big risk leaving ESA, who were top of Pro League at the time. He drew harsh criticism from his old ESA teammates being accused of chasing "clout and money".

However, his decision has paid off. Can TSM now replicate their famous 5 Major winning streak from the start of the game?

NRG, who also secured 2nd place in Pro League, finished a strong 2nd place.

The trio of Rocker, Nafen and Sweet could not match TSM's pace and only had one chance to win on match point. They may be disappointed by dying 16th in Game 3, but they still played an overall fantastic game.

The NRG team came flying out the blocks to start the day, with a perfectly played victory in a landslide.

Securing $50,000 and essentially locking in a place at the end of season LAN, NRG will be feeling incredibly confident ahead of the second split of Pro League. This performance was particularly impressive in light of NRG's switch to Loba at the last second. The NRG team benefitted from the additional loot and faster rotates that running Loba provides.

NRG also showed incredible versatility and maneuvered themselves out of some really tough spots, making an incredible recovery from an accidental slip in Game 6.

Sweet took to Twitter to congratulate TSM and gracefully admit that the best team won. However, NRG have been playing incredibly consistently and will walk away with their heads held high following the first split of ALGS Year 2.

ESA secured 3rd place, but could not close out Game 7 as effectively as former teammate Verhulst and TSM.

Despite being 2nd to match point, ESA did not win a single game all day and relied on consistency to maneuver themselves up to the top of the leaderboard. They took control of what could've been a strong spot in Game 7 but were denied by an unfortunate zone pull and Cloud9's well-timed grenade spam.

Just like TSM, ESA have settled in with their new third and the trio of Knoqd, Dooplex and Skittlecakes will be a force to be reckoned with in the second split of Pro League.

At the other end of the leaderboard, it was a thoroughly miserable day for 100T. The reigning Apex Champions failed to get any momentum whatsoever and spent the day rooted firmly to 20th place.

They earned just 11 points and failed to live past 15th place in any of their games bar one. The 100T roster did not make any end-game scenarios and only managed a measly 5 kills.

Scuwry, Onmuu and Vein will be hoping to bounce back quickly and regroup. They will need a much better performance if they want the chance to defend their Apex Championship title.

Just as SCARZ in EMEA struggled to 20th place also, it was a truly terrible weekend for defending champions.

With Pro League Split 2 expected to start at the end of February, TSM will swing from one extreme to the other. Coming into the weekend with low expectations, all eyes will be on Reps, Hal and Verhulst as Split 2 starts. Can TSM win the second split of Pro League and truly establish dominance over NA Apex?

For coverage of ALGS Pro League Split 2 and much more, stay tuned to esports.gg!