NA ALGS Championship Preview: Group C

The Apex Legends Global Series is finally coming to a close next week. Leading up to the June 2nd clash, we are previewing each group and breaking down the storylines. As always drop spots and legend compositions are subject to change while squads continue to map out their plan of attack before the big day. Today we're looking at Group C with Complexity at the top. For more info on Group A with TSM click here and for a closer look at Group B and NRG click here.

1. Complexity

Roster: Monsoon (Octane), iShiny (Gibraltar), Reptar (Bloodhound)

Drop Spot: Refinery/Epicenter/Survey Camp

Complexity were the team to beat in the summer. The addition of iShiny in the middle of the Summer Circuit had instant impact. The former Fnatic IGL led them to a victory in his first tournament: Summer Circuit #3. They went on to grab 2nd in the Summer Playoffs. Complexity looked unstoppable in the Autumn Circuit too while winning the Playoffs. Immediately after, they dropped off in shocking fashion by missing the finals for Winter Circuit #1.

Recently, a 3rd place finish in Winter Circuit #4 shows signs of life. However, ending 12th in Winter Playoffs raises big concerns about their potential at Champs. A few factors indicate that this squad should be performing better. One of the craziest things about their game is the fact that they loot three POIs uncontested. The amount of resources the trio can pick up for free is by far the most of any team. Establishing dominance during the Summer and Autumn Circuits ensured that no one has challenged them yet.

Additionally, Complexity's chemistry is incredibly efficient. There is no set IGL, instead iShiny, Monsoon, and Reptar work in a hive mind fashion to make decisions about rotations and fights. We know their ceiling is top tier consistency, but their floor has been middle of pack, forgettable performances. Which team shows up next week is anyone's guess.

2. Spacestation Gaming

Roster: Frexs (Valkyrie/Gibraltar), Xenial (Wraith/Octane/Bloodhound), Claraphi (Caustic/Gibraltar)

Drop Spot: Lava Fissure

With the Championship less than a week away, SSG still doesn't have a set comp. The former Mouse and Keyboard squad has tried 3 different legend lineups during practice. We could see new meta, off-meta, or even old meta from them. This level of uncertainty is concerning because they will have little time get comfortable on whatever they decide. Aside from their composition indecision, SSG doesn't have much to worry about.

The most important quality of a team in a battle royale is consistency and consistency is Frexs' middle name. His average tournament placement across his entire Apex career is 6th. When he captained NRG, they qualified for every single finals and switching orgs hasn't changed much. Removing SSG's uncharacteristic outing at GLL Masters, they haven't placed outside the top ten in any competition since February. This trio might fly under the radar a bit, but it would be shocking if they failed to continue their run of top ten finishes.

3. HRN

Roster: Rkn (Crypto/Caustic), Euriece (Valkyrie), Hill (Gibraltar)

Drop Spot: Lava City

HRN is bubbling with potential. The mechanics Euriece has displayed in his deluge of highlight clips is enough of an indicator of that. The 17 year old star's focus on comp wavered with the pressure of school. However, ahead of the Championship he seems full dedicated to competing at the top level. Hill and Rkn might not be as flashy or popular as Euriece, but they are both veterans with great decision making and deep experience on their preferred legends. The squad's fighting abilities are rapidly rising as showcased by Euriece and Rkn's game-winning 2v3 of Complexity in GLL Masters.

During scrims, Valkyrie has been a huge part of their gameplan and the team has even spent time roaming pubs to plan rotations on her. Familiarity with the latest legend could be crucial to success in Champs, so HRN's confidence makes them a dark horse next week. If they need to switch it up, Rkn is comfortable on Casustic and Eurice might consider his fabled Pathfinder. This trio is a shoo-in to make it out of groups and could end up close to their GLL Masters finish: 6th.

4. ESA White (Farmboys/Poptarts)

Roster: FarmerLucas (Wraith), Stompez (Gibraltar), ImplusiveDream (Bloodhound)

Drop Spot: Geyser

Boom or bust is the definition of Farmboys outlook in the Championship. The first hint that they could perform well in high level lobbies was a 1st place 11 kill game in Winter Circuit #4. More importantly, they followed it up with a solid 10th place showing in GLL Masters and 6th place in the show match (2nd NA team).

Farmerlucas's IGLing significantly improved during their come up, especially in 3v3s. Recently ESA White dealt with a contest at Geyser from Content, the next team in Group C. Behind ImplusiveDream's fragging, they won the majority of the 50/50s and likely earned the drop. Stompez has been a free agent journeyman. Despite not breaking through earlier, his Gibraltar is underrated. Farmboys is a strong team peaking at the right time and will be dangerous if the trend continues.

5. Content

Roster: WeThePeople (Gibraltar), Coryyy (Bloodhound), Turnzz (Wraith/Octane)

Drop Spot: Sorting Factory

Content enters the Championship hot off of a victory in the Last Chance Qualifier. All the members have equally impressive rosters in different ways. WeThePeople has been a hardcore gamer since kill grinding Modern Warfare 2 in middle school. Turnzz is a mechanically skilled player who competed with Pittsburgh Knights at Poland and more recently We Know Shroud. Coryyy is just 16 years old and already a top predator.

Obviously, Content is scary to meet in a fight. Landing Sorting Factory gives them a central drop with high tier loot. The only issue is they will be forced out when they play Sentinels in Group A. It's not clear where they will drop that day. Scrim performances have been backing up the hype of this team. It isn't improbable to see them reach finals.

Survey Camp is part of Complexity's vast loot area, can they convert their gear into another win at Champs?

6. Obey Alliance

Roster: Crook (Caustic), Ronnie (Valkyrie), Hambino (Gibraltar)

Drop Spot: Train Yard

Obey's recent signing has boosted this squad. After not making any finals lobbies in the Winter Circuit, they won the winter last chance qualifier. In the Playoffs, they looked convincing with an 11th place finish. However, Obey narrowly missed GLL Masters finals. Lacking other history in A-Tier tournaments is worrisome for their chances at Champs.

One positive for this team is their familiarity with Caustic. Crook has been on the toxic trapper even while he fell out of meta. Valkyrie and Caustic is a combination we don't expect on any other squad, so it will be interesting to see how the two work together. Train Yard's loot is notoriously bad which automatically puts them at a disadvantage. As a weaker fighting, escaping group stage will be a tough ask for this trio.

7. Smile

Roster: Pettyboss (Valkyrie), Muffins (Gibraltar), Mini (Bloodhound)

Drop Spot: Uncertain

The roster of Smile has flip-flopped too many times to keep track of, but the latest squad has a lot of promise. Mini and Petty have both been on Smile off and on the past year. Muffins, former Fnatic support player, is coming from Team Razer which consistently underperformed their high expectations.

All three members of Smile lacked a long term team throughout their careers. They're hopefully that this is the answer. However, Petty, Muffins, and Mini stream little to not at all. With no gameplay available, Smile is hard to predict. The trio didn't even play in Winter Playoffs or GLL Masters. Just based upon track records, middle of the pack is reasonable.

8. Flashpoint

Roster: Finicki (Bloodhound), ZDavis (Gibraltar), Cubski (Wraith)

Drop Spot: Dome

If anyone can lead a squad of lesser known players to surprising success, it's Cubski because he has done it before. The prior Flash Point roster with RamBeau and OddFreestyle was shockingly consistent out of nowhere in the Autumn Circuit. They finished top 8 for the entirety of the circuit and 4th in the Playoffs. Following OddFreestyle's retirement, Cub has failed to find the same run of form.

ZDavis and Finicki are the perfect duo to mount a similar underdog story. Both are well-ingrained in the lower tier scene and on the verge of breaking through. On paper, Flash Point is nowhere near the strongest, but you can never count Cubski out. Weakness in 3v3s means that they will need to rely on early rotation and smart positioning to make it out of the group stage.

The Bocek Bow was a new addition in season 9; the weapon could create some flashy kills next week.

9. ESA Blue (Rice Krispies)

Roster: Stuni (Octane), Bird (Gibraltar), Casper (Bloodhound)

Drop Spot: Skyhook

Rice Krispies received huge news earlier this week when eRa Eternity picked up Stuni and Bird along with TechedCandy, their more permanent teammate. Due to roster lock, ESA Blue will feature Casper in place of TechedCandy. The former Team Liquid member has overcome a lot of personal struggles to return to comp, but he appears more focused on playing Valorant right now. In fact Casper grinded to Immortal (Valorant's equilvant to masters).

Saturday marked his first day scrimming with the team, so time is ESA Blue's worst enemy. Stuni's grasp on game strategy is stronger than appears. It's just a question of if they can execute. With TechedCandy, eRa Eternity would be bumped up a few more spots. Chemistry is too big of a factor in a high pressure tournament to expect ESA Blue to do well.

10. We Want LAN

Roster: Osenpai (Gibraltar), Tempest (Bloodhound), Khrummy (Wraith)

Drop Spot: Thermal Station

This team is effectively dead. Tempest has already announced that he will be playing with Wiked and sYnceDez in future tournaments. The bigger concern is that Khrummy has not been present at practice for unknown reasons. For all of the ALPS scrims so far, We Want LAN has been comprised of a rotating list of subs. The trio developed zero chemistry and all of them will be lacking motivation as they look forward to separate opportunities after Champs. Sadly, it wouldn't surprise us if this group placed very last in the tournament. Tempest, Wiked, and sYnceDez is a squad to watch over the summer though.

Look for the preview of Group D and the full power ranking to be released as soon as possible!