Vexed Gaming dominate ALGS Pro League Day 2

Vexed Gaming won the second day of the EMEA ALGS Pro League. Groups A vs C went head to head across six games, continuing a fast paced start to the ALGS Pro League second split.

Vexed were pushed all the way by 2R1C, who consistently made end game situations and fell just short of snatching victory in the final game.

The ALGS EMEA Pro League will return next Saturday for the third gameday of action.

Vexed Gaming reigned supreme in the second day of the ALGS Pro League. The trio of Matafe, Unlucky and Tyler found the balance of kills and placement that has sometimes eluded them in the past.

They managed to scrape out enough points in the final game to see off a spirited challenge from 21RC, finding some kills in a 'home zone' at Launch Pad.

They had raced to a huge head after four games, posting back to back wins in games three and four.

Vexed Gaming found themselves in end game situations much more than they did in yesterdays action. Saturday was by no means a bad day for Vexed, but they will be much happier with their performance today across both maps.

Vexed Gaming had rough experience at their first ever LAN. They struggled to get going, and could not replicate their aggressive edge fighting style at the very top level.

Vexed Gaming fans were given solace by the fact that this team had no real LAN experience. Tyler and Unlucky had never appeared on LAN before, and Matafe had not competed at the top level for a significant period of time due to country eligibility issues.

As a result, this LAN experience was always worth more than the prize money and playoff points on offer for this team. Vexed are benefitting from the experienced they gained and have worked hard to adjust and adapt their playstyle to something that will be more applicable to a LAN environment.

One of the most significant adjustments to Vexed Gaming's macro plan can be seen on Storm Point. They are one of the few teams still using Wattson, and have adapted from an edge style to a more flexible style.

Their new game plan was perfectly executed in game four. Vexed took a power position in zone with a great ring call. However, their new plan does not mean that Vexed don't take engagements. They would be fools not to make the most of their micro fighting supremacy. Unlucky and Tyler are two of the best controller fraggers anywhere in the world. Instead, Vexed are unleashing themselves in end games.

Vexed Gaming dominated the end circle in game four, cleaning up and sweeping through the zone towards a six kill victory.

This game plan is much more flexible. The 'looser' the lobby, the more freedom they can have in the end circles. In the Pro League, they can look for more opportunities and be aggressive. When it comes to LAN, they will still have experience in fast rotating and holding down positions until the final stages.

With their fighting skill, if they can get into end circles they can wrap up victory more often than not.

Vexed are still taking more edge engagements on Worlds Edge. They have moved to Lava Siphon from Staging, seeing off multiple challengers during scrims.

This loot allows them to run over zone teams who misscall the zone. In the opening game, Acend found themselves on edge having miscalled the zone. For Vexed Gaming, on double gold shield, this isolated fight was a fairly simple engagement. Lava Siphon allows Vexed the resources to be flexible and adapt their gameplan to both the lobby and the zone.

Speaking exclusively to esports.gg after the games, Vexed Gaming's Coach Levi "Loopy" Arnett shared how focused the Vexed squad are on LAN when it came to their set up today.

"Overall, every change we have made has been in preparation to play at the highest level whether its online or LAN. On storm point we feel like we can make quick disciplined rotates to get great positions that put us in quite a few end games, so zone felt like the right move."

On what was the difference today compared to yesterday, Loopy revealed how 6th place just did not "sit well" with the team: "What worked well for us today is we played with more discipline, we really followed up with some adjustments we needed to make after our 6th place finish yesterday. Yesterday didn’t sit well with us so we adapted."

Finally, on how their LAN experience is driving the team, Loopy was honest about just how disappointed the team was by their showing.

"I think we all kinda look back at it (LAN) like, It happened, and it sucks so we will do whatever it takes to ensure it doesn’t happen again. So naturally all these changes, all this extra practice, new frameworks etc…everything we are doing as a team right now is to get back to the main stage, and make it to the podium and prove we are a World class roster."

The surprise package of the day was undoubtedly 2R1C. Having qualified via the Split 2 qualifier, 2R1C are not a team that many had their eyes on coming into the split.

They finished 13th yesterday, only making one top four situation.

Showing the difference that legend changes can make, 2R1C made adjustments to their legend composition between game days.

The difference was stark. 2R1C won half of the days three games, with fantastic positioning. Consistency in a battle royale is hard to come by, and 2R1C have to be considered a major contender to qualify for LAN based on today's performance.

This performance completes an amazing turnaround for 2R1C, they came close to missing out on Pro League. The match point format saved their chances. 2R1C found themselves on just 17 points after six games, which is the usual length for a tournament series. Then, a huge game seven win, followed by another win in game seven saw them reach match point and they held on in the final game to secure their spot in Pro League.

What this shows is how 2R1C play when confidence is high. When they get going, they appear to be unstoppable. If they can maintain this momentum throughout the rest of the Pro League, they might prove a few more people wrong.

The EMEA ALGS Pro League returns next weekend, for another double header of games. Crucially, after the third game day we will finally get our first true look at the overall standings. Can Vexed Gaming maintain their overall top spot once every team has played two gamedays each?

For full ALGS scores, see here.

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