Apex Legends’ battle royale format gives every team the opportunity to change the lobby’s fate with one rotation or elimination. Year 3 of the ALGS proved the top teams can convert the smallest advantages into large point leads and game wins.
But some of the most memorable moments from this year came from unknown teams who made the most out of their LAN debuts or orgs that may not have shined as bright in their home region. These players took advantage of these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and put their organization on the map for viewers to look for in the coming Year 4 Pro League.
Here are some of the most unexpected performances of the 2023 ALGS LAN events.
The most unexpected performances from Year 3 of the ALGS
Esports Arena at the Split One Playoffs
Esports Arena was one of North America’s hottest teams at the start of Year 3, entering the Pro League through the first Preseason Qualifier and maintaining momentum throughout the entirety of Split One. They would be one of four teams to break 100 Pro League points and punch their tickets to the Split One Playoffs by winning the NA domestic finals.
Disaster would strike as ESA would release Jaeden “Caprah” Valle from the starting roster after his toxic comments towards other players were made public, signing “Cody” Loze as his last-minute replacement for the playoffs one day later.
With only one month to practice before the LAN, many fans expected ESA to underperform, but the team surprised many with their consistency and form throughout the tournament. ESA scored ninth in the groups stage, sixth in the winner’s bracket, and reached match point finals, ending their playoffs run in 15th place. ESA may have lost a key member in their domestic run but proved the team’s overall synergy was enough to get them across the finish line.
Oxygen Esports at the Split Two playoffs
North America is home to some of the best Apex teams—TSM, DarkZero, XSET, and more—with any of their LAN representatives able to pop off at the same level. However, none inspired as much fear as one unsigned team and their signature mantra: “Don’t Challenge the BR Demonz.”
Initially an orgless team in Split One, the BR Demonz quickly gained notoriety throughout the year for their game knowledge and teamfighting skills. They would be signed by GLYTCH ENERGY for Split Two, and improve from Split One’s 16th place to eighth, qualifying for the international playoffs and changing their banner prior to the tournament’s start, as the roster would be acquired by Oxygen Esports.
The Split Two playoffs would be the first LAN tournament for the roster, but Oxygen played without any nerves at all, contesting the best international teams to earn fourth place in groups and the winner’s bracket, alongside a spot in the match point finals.
Oxygen’s ability to cleanly engage and disengage from fights shined the best in the finals, racking up the most top-three finishes out of all 20 teams in the seven game series. Although DarkZero would claim the Split Two trophy, Oxygen’s consistency throughout the tournament would earn them third place behind TSM, an amazing performance the roster can’t be ashamed of, losing only to the two most successful rosters in ALGS history.
The Dojo at the Championship
Timothy “iiTzTimmy” An has been one of Apex’s most influential streamers but had not participated in the ALGS since his time on Golden Guardians in 2020. However, he would re-enter through the Challenger Circuit with his own team, The Dojo, for a shot at making LAN.
The Dojo would play through the CC tournaments, collecting Circuit Points and earning a spot at the NA Last Chance Qualifier, where they would secure first place and a spot at the Championship. Immediately, all eyes would shoot to The Dojo as the biggest dark horse of the tournament, and the team would not disappoint.
Despite the Championship being the very first LAN for all three players, The Dojo would come out swinging, securing 15th in the groups stage, followed by seventh in the winner’s bracket. Match point finals saw The Dojo achieving the highest amount of kills at 15 in one game, and a fourth-place finish, well above other tournament favorites like DarkZero, Alliance, and XSET.
BLVKHVND at the Championship
APAC-S had been dominated by Moist Esports for the past year, with most of its representatives failing to stand beside them on the LAN stage. At first glance, BLVKHVND’s Split Two playoffs finish in 19th place was decent, but followed the same trend of finishing behind Moist. But BLVKHVND would soon show the world their region had grown the most before the Championship.
BLVKHVND would massively improve from their previous groups stage performance of 82 points, upstaging many favorites with a 159 final score and second place, putting APAC-S as the second highest region behind North America. Their winner’s bracket run would showcase their incredible snowball potential, and despite not winning any of the eight games, earned first place in the lobby and 10 advance points in the finals through multiple double-digit kill games.
The match point finals lobby proved to be BLVKHVND’s toughest challenge with a slow start in the first three games. They woke up, though, with repeat top-five finishes, placing themselves on match point by game six. Although TSM ended the tournament on game eight with 83 points and a win, BLVKHVND wrapped their season in third place with 68 points and set a new standard for APAC-S’ LAN success, finally beating their regional rival Moist and their placement records on the biggest stage in Apex history.
