The Apex Legends Global Series Split One Playoffs featured some of the tensest and even competition in professional Apex history—but in the end, viewers were treated to a result that might sound familiar to long-time fans of the scene: a TSM victory.
TSM entered the Split One Playoffs as one of the teams to beat, if not the team to beat, and they delivered throughout the playoffs. From finishing in first place at the end of the Group Stage to qualifying for Finals through the Winners Bracket, TSM remained at or near the top of the standings any time they were playing. It was their perfect final game in the Finals, however, that encapsulated how far they’ve come as a team, and just how far Apex has come as a game.
The deciding match of the finals began with four teams on match point, but seven more squads within nine points of joining match point status themselves. The teams that had taken an early lead (NRG, TSM, Acend, and XSET) needed to win to avoid having half the lobby eligible to end the match point Finals.
TSM rotated early to Thunder Watch from their Wall POI on Storm Point, and nestled safely inside the Thunder Watch building. However, as they needed more freedom of movement and to avoid getting forced into a small choke or out of doorways as the circle closed the team made a perfect Horizon push onto the roof of the building when they heard a fight break out above them, inadvertently taking care of XSET in the process.
Now on top of Thunder Watch, TSM had freedom and sightlines galore—but the final circle pulled away from them completely, and to make matters worse, Acend had managed to survive and take up a godly spot in the final circle.
TSM’s solution was flawless: seeing teams fighting on the opposite side of the safe zone and using Verhulst’s Valkyrie ultimate to dive down on top of the two squads that had whittled away at each other’s health. It made for an easy cleanup of the remnants of Fnatic and Luminosity, and TSM took up residence in the best spot in the final circle. The squad got a bit lucky that no other team was watching to shoot them out of the sky during the initial phase of the Valk ult, but those are the breaks that winning teams sometimes get.
Soon, Acend and TSM were the last two teams left, and a fair three-vs-three fight determined the Split One Playoffs.
It was very nearly one of TSM’s only major misplays, as the team didn’t notice Acends’ K4SHERA sneaking up to their rock, getting a free 60 damage onto ImperialHal to open the fight.
But this is TSM we’re talking about, and they weren’t about to lose a three-vs-three. Almost simultaneously, Verhulst laid massive damage down onto K4SHERA while ImperialHal rose to the top of his Horizon Gravity Lift and nearly one-clipped PostKiLL as the Acend player tried to advance to join the fight. The two Acend players succumbed to TSM’s firepower, allowing the rest of TSM to collapse onto Lufka and seal the match, and the tournament, for themselves.
It was a brilliant display of Apex typical of the TSM squad since coach raven joined the organization. Multiple TSM members were emotional in their post-tournament interviews, and it was clear from start to finish just how much work the team had put in to return to their status as the best Apex squad in the world.
It was a great tournament for NRG as well, who maintained a lead all throughout the Finals but couldn’t find the match point victory they needed, settling for second place. Acend carried the banner for EMEA in third, while XSET finished in fourth. Alliance, Moist Esports, ONIC Esports, Fnatic, Element 6, and Luminosity rounded out the top 10, highlighting strong showings from North America, EMEA, and APAC South.
But only one team entered as arguably the best Apex squad in the world and exited with no questions being laid to that claim. TSM, the original Apex dynasty, are kings of the world once again.
