OpTic Gaming moves to the top of the ALGS Split Two League Standings

(Gray News) - The Apex Legends Global Series Pro League is well into the second split of its 2023 season, and things are starting to heat up for OpTic Gaming. After a disappointing 13th-place finish in Split One, the decision to make a fundamental roster change right at the start of Split Two is starting to pay off as they now top the league standings.

The ALGS Format and Split One Result

The ALGS has five separate regions in which 30 teams get divided into three groups of ten. Each group will play every other group in their region in three six-match series. During a series, each team fights for rank by accumulating round points. Ranking high in a series gains a team more Placement Points, which increases a team’s regular season standings.

A solid finish in the standings allows a team to make the international LAN Playoffs at the end of each split. Doing well during the playoffs means qualifying for the ALGS Championship at the end of the Season.

TSM topped the Split One league standings taking them to the Split One Playoffs, where they won out over second-place NRG and third-place Acend. An excellent start to the season for TSM and NRG, but Split Two is quickly shaking up the expectations of North American Apex fans.

ALGS Split Two so far

OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan, who both failed to make Split One Playoffs, now sit atop the Split Two League standings. Complexity, who also missed out on Split One Playoffs, sits fourth behind newcomer Meat Lovers. TSM currently sits eighth, with NRG holding onto the eleventh-place spot.

TSM and NRG appear to be in a tailspin, but it may come down to the lack of necessity to do well. Both teams, alongside others like Moist Moguls and XSET, have already earned enough Playoff Points to qualify for the ALGS Year 3 Championship. While continuing to play well and boost their league standing never hurts, there is an absence of pressure saying they have to. Will they fully step back and treat Split Two like a series of scrimmages? No. But OpTic and FaZe’s do-or-die mentality isn’t shared with those guaranteed a trip to the ALGS Championship.

OpTic started Split Two with a 6th-place finish in their first match series. On the same day, they signed Mark ‘Dropped’ Thees, who took over Ira ‘dooplex’ Shepard’s place on the starting roster. A week later, they took a 12th-place finish in their second series, meaning they needed to bounce back and start positioning themselves for playoffs quickly.

The next day was their third series of the split, and things began to click. OpTic amassed 80 round points, winning the series decisively, with the second-place CLG only earning 48 round points. This past Sunday, in their fourth series, OpTic proved this wasn’t a fluke earning an insane 97 round points, separating themselves from the second-place team by 39 points. With two series left to play in Split Two, OpTic will hope to keep the top spot and widen their lead in the North American standings.

FaZe also made a roster change going into the second split, knowing they must overperform to make it to playoffs. They added Joseph ‘Frexs’ Sanchez and Josue ‘Phony’ Ruiz to the starting three alongside Eric ‘Snip3down’ Wrona. FaZe’s Split Two has seen a second-place and two third-place finishes. Helping them tie OpTic in Split Two league standings at 72 total Placement Points.

The next ALGS match series will take place this Sunday, April 23rd, at 3 PM PST / 6 PM EST. Group B, which includes OpTic Gaming and NRG, will take on Group C, which includes XSET. To watch OpTic try to hold onto their top spot, tune into the ALGS Twitch channel.

Gray Television is an investor in OpTic Gaming.

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