TSM take first round of ALGS Pro League (NA Matchday #1)

TSM won the first matchday of the North American ALGS Pro League. In a very closely fought lobby they edged out Atlanta Premier to earn the maximum 25 points in the overall leaderboard.

Despite being pipped by TSM, Atlanta Premier will be pleased with their strong start. This was the first of 10 days of Pro League gameplay.

Elsewhere, Dark Zero earned 5th on their first ever ALGS appearance since relocating from Australia.

It was a strong opening performance from TSM, who have been under the spotlight in recent weeks for their legend choices on Worlds Edge. Since bringing in renowned coach Raven, TSM have been experimenting with off meta legend choices and have changed their gamestyle away from defensive legends and a zone playstyle. They've also moved away from their traditional landing spot of Fragment East.

It hasn't all been plain sailing for TSM over the off-season, but their experimentation seems to be paying dividends. Their new more aggressive style really seems to suit Storm Point, and TSM won back to back matches on that map which ultimately was what put them over the top and secured them the victory.

esports.gg spoke to TSM coach Raven after the games. He told esports.gg that he was pleased with their performance.

"I am pleased with our performance but we still have a lot of work to do. The ultimate goal is winning LAN. We deserved it today though because I am certain we've put in more time than anyone else in the world."

On the use of Fuse, Raven tweeted before the games that he and Hal were going to 1v1 to decide the legend composition.

On Fuse, Raven added that "Fuse is a character you can play when you've mastered the macro. We've changed our drop spots on both maps and are learning new playstyles so it's just not the right time for Fuse. Don't get it twisted, he is still S tier on World's Edge".

He also confirmed that the 1v1 was absolutely what decided the legend choices, "Yes of course [it was real]! 1v1ing is a great way to resolve a dispute. Did I think I was going to win? Not necessarily haha."

TSM have been one of the all time great rosters in Apex Legends. This is down not only to the talent on their roster, but also their desire to adapt and innovate. It has been a long time since there was an Apex meta that TSM weren't a top 5 team in.

With the addition of Raven, TSM are sure to one of the favourites to reach LAN.

Elsewhere, DarkZero made a good start to their Pro League campaign. The all Australian roster finished 5th. They chose not to contest TSM on Worlds Edge, a sign that they are understanding their position in this region is different to APAC South.

DarkZero have adopted a different style since moving regions and are still adapting to life in North America. There must be significant pressure to perform, having left a region which they dominated to test themselves in North America.

Unfortunately, they also experienced one of the strangest bugs ever seen in ALGS. This saw the players stuck on their Valkyrie player even after she was knocked out the air. Then, once the Valkyrie was knocked the two remaining players were seemingly teleported into zone.

However, when they were able to play fairly their standout game came at the end of the days action. They capitalised on a pretty poor showing from MPL to flip a disadvantaged 3v3 on it's head.

In a seemingly terrible position, they managed to use a care package Mastiff to turn the tide and secure a final match victory. As we saw in both Sweden and Raleigh DarkZero are one of the best fighting teams in the world.

IGL Zero spends hours analysing opponents and studying rivals. As they settle into the region they are sure to grow and build on this performance.

Full standings on Liquipedia.

The Pro League returns on Thursday, with FaZe set to make their ALGS debut. Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Apex Legends news and updates.