Team Empire stayed consistent throughout the day in the Apex Legends Global Series, pacing the lobby in kills on their way to a first-place finish overall. In a competitive, evenly-matched lobby, with no one team standing out from the others, Empire’s firepower made the difference and set the team up in perfect position to qualify for the Split Two playoffs in Stockholm.

Game one brought the lobby to Staging on World’s Edge and featured plenty of experimentation in team compositions. In a game that featured characters like Loba, Crypto, Bangalore, Bloodhound, and even Mad Maggie, though, one character dominated the endgame: Caustic.

Fighting over the high ground above the train tracks, ANC Outplayed used Caustic’s gas to force Rebel off the high ground, which spelled the opposing team’s death. With most of the teams in the lobby now fighting below them, Outplayed lined up the shooting gallery and took home the win after a little delay thanks to one team trapped below the train tracks. It was the perfect start to the day for Outplayed, who were far behind the playoff positions in EMEA Pro League down in 28th place. Zeta Division also turned up in game one in a big way, registering 16 kills in a sixth-place finish reminiscent of a TSM performance in North America the day before.

Game two featured another Caustic team winning the match, and yet another team trapped in a small cubby of safety with the ring closing in. This time, Odin Gamers used the Toxic Trapper’s power in final circles to take the game.

With Fenerbahce Esports inside the Geyser building and a solo player from Nemesis hiding beneath it, Odin had a relatively simple endgame. The team threw a Caustic ultimate down with the final ring closing in the open and the other, Caustic-less teams had little chance. Fenerbahce’s Wraith portal was immediately consumed with Nox gas, and the remaining players quickly fell. The game brought the rest of the lobby back in touch with the leaders. Teams that did well in game one faltered in game two, and the leaders of game two couldn’t collect many points in game one.

A final zone in the group of buildings directly North of Lava Siphon usually means hectic final circles, and game three was no different, with Empire securing the victory and taking control of the overall standings in the process.

Empire turned heads with their selection of Mad Maggie for the World’s Edge games, but the squad relied more on taking safe engagements in the final circle, cleaning up the lone member of SCARZ and letting Fenerbahce and ANC Outplayed have a full team fight uninterrupted. When Outplayed came out on top, it was a simple matter for Empire to move in and finish the weakened squad. The victory vaulted them over Outplayed in the overall leaderboard as well, entering the games on Storm Point with the lead for the first time on the day.

The introduction of Storm Point saw some heavyweights move back to the forefront, and leading EMEA squad Players finally asserted themselves in an endgame after an uncharacteristically slow start for the team. Down to the final two squads, however, Reply Totem showed they would not roll over for the favorites.

The Players squad used Bangalore’s abilities well, employing her rolling thunder ultimate and smokes to mask their movements and isolate fights. Reply Totem’s Gibraltar Dome Shield, however, allowed them to weather Players’ push onto their position, taking almost no damage and letting them peek out for some free shots onto Players before they could get inside the bubble. This early damage won them an incredibly close fight and gave them the match. 

Game five continued the trend of some of the best teams in the region waking up. SCARZ and Guild both broke 20 points en route to a SCARZ victory. Guild looked like they might be in serious trouble, respawning IGL MaTaFe in a place where he couldn’t reach his death box, meaning he had no weapon to use in the final zones. The team maneuvered to a third-party opportunity, getting MaTaFe some loot and the team’s chances back in the game, and they climbed hill after hill to a second-place finish. SCARZ had the best positioning in the end and combined it with some great Wingman shots out of rpr and Taisheen to win the game and bring the team to fifth place overall in the day’s lobby.

With one game remaining, Empire punched their ticket to a first-place overall finish on the day by simply surviving to sixth place. Game six was still full of surprises, and a Nemesis victory propelled the team up the leaderboard, while Zeta Division surprised nearly everyone.

Reply Totem, with their win in game four, a third-place finish in game five and a second in the final game, must have thought they were a lock for second place overall. But Zeta Division once again registered a high-kill game, with 11 takedowns, to go with a fourth-place finish and steal into second overall over Reply Totem by just one point. Nemesis’ victory in the final game was also a big result for them, giving them fourth overall in the day’s lobby.

The results of the day kept Empire and Nemesis safe and sound in the top 10 of EMEA Pro League, while Players and Scarz also held onto qualification spots for the Split Two playoffs. Zeta Division helped their cause considerably as well, with Reply Totem also within striking distance of playoffs with two match days remaining. On the other end of the competition, heavyweight teams Guild and Alliance have some serious work to do if they want to qualify for the Split Two playoffs. Time is running out in Split Two, and the Stockholm LAN looms.