Last chance qualifiers: the best teams yet to earn a playoff spot
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Last Chance Qualifiers for the ALGS Playoffs finish up today, and several talented teams are still scrambling for their place in the year-ending main event, worth $119,000 each in North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East, and $47,000 each in Asia Pacific North and South.
Only the top five teams in each Last Chance Qualifiers finals lobby will get a chance to compete in the playoffs. Here are the best teams yet to earn a spot:
In 4th place for ALGS points in North America, the CLG roster led by Madness is the best-performing team still looking for a playoff berth. They won the PGL Showdown and the Summer Circuit Playoffs, so it’s a bit baffling to me that they didn’t automatically qualify for the Autumn Circuit playoffs. But their best performance in Autumn Circuit events so far is #4, where they nabbed 4th place. Look for them at the top of the finals lobby today, where they’ll try to put a stamp on their credentials as the most dominant team in the latter half of 2020.
Team Liquilelie is another powerhouse squad who needs to clutch up today to make an appearance in the playoffs. This reformulated Team Liquid squad has been inconsistent, displaying brilliant, high-level play on some days and confusions and miscommunications on others, something that may have to do with the roster’s lack of a definitive IGL for now. With about as many ALGS point between them as CLG, their individual performances are hardly in question, but this is still a fresh squad and some growing pains are to be expected. The finals lobby today is tough and full of seasoned competitors, and I think they need a really good day today to make the top five.
An anonymous tipster reports that well-known pros may be using different names to compete in NA’s LCQ. If the rumor has credibility, the “Breed Different” squad is more dangerous than their unknown name implies. I want to reiterate that this is just a rumor. I’ve reached out to one of the players in question, but if you know anything I could fact-check, drop me a line at ethanadavison@gmail.com.
Given the open nature of ALGS qualifiers, there is no rule (as far as I know) that competitors have to play under a consistent name or team throughout the ALGS season. Going incognito may be a way of taking pressure off a squad or players burdened by certain performance expectations. It may also be just some old-fashioned gamesmanship—messing with opponents. Either way, it’s a fun bit of drama. Would love to see this ‘unknown’ team qualify for playoffs today and I’ll monitor the situation as it develops.
Other squads hoping to clinch a playoff spot are the SIZ roster of Zach, Inhumed and StayNaughty, who won their semifinals lobby; the ????????? squad of Android Dreams, sYnceDez, and WiKeD; and Yessirski (that’s Muffins, SlurpeeG and AckBTW), all good players who could easily ruin a top team’s day. Representing ESA’s Series E, Team Cheez-it could very well squeeze into the playoffs as well.
In EU, many big rosters still need their playoffs spot, and there isn’t enough room for everybody. Lazarus, Gambit, and MajorPushers, the orgless squad of cleaveee, RANCHES, and 9impulse, are looking to cement a spot in the playoffs. MajorPushers have a bundle of ALGS points between them and will be a formidable team in the always-competitive region. The dead inside roster and the recently reunited Poland-era Apex squad 789 made up of Xaniya, Esdesu, and newcomer Believerok have also made the EU/MEA finals lobby—look for them to fight hard for their spots today.
Other notable teams that needed to earn playoff spots and didn’t make it into the LCQ finals were FlavorOfTheMonth, a very good team who performs well in weeklies but hasn’t yet found dominance in the ALGS format; and COOLER, whose gap between huge individual talent and recent results indicates the team is either on a spectacular run of bad luck or needs a compete tune-up.
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Catch the action today at the times below, courtesy of the ALGS discord:
Europe, Middle East and Africa Finals: 5:40 PM GMT (ongoing at press time):
NA Finals: 4:40 PT