TSM won the Apex Legends Preseason Invitational grand finals today, besting 19 of the world’s top Apex teams and carving a name for themselves in the battle royale’s history as back-to-back champions.
The finals featured some of the biggest names in esports from around the world, including G2 Esports, Natus Vincere, and Counter Logic Gaming. TSM joined the list of competitors to defend their title as the X-Games gold medalists from last month’s Apex Legends EXP Invitational.
Going into the finals, however, many fans had their eyes set on Team 789, the unsigned Russian lineup that topped the winners bracket yesterday. The team kicked off the finals with a round one win after Elvira “Esdesu” Terimova saved her team from near death in the top 10.
789 looked like they could pick up a second win after reaching the top two in round three. But Na`Vi denied them the chance to continue their fairy tale run, snatching the win away from the Russian roster. The European team took the lead over 789 in the tournament standings and sat one point away from the 50-point threshold, which they would later reach in round five.
Seven teams joined Na`Vi in reaching match point eligibility as the tournament headed into round nine. But MVP, the last-placed team with a mere 14 points, refused to let the series end, picking up the win and proving it was still anyone’s game. Sentinels followed suit in round 10 and took the series to an 11th match.
The series ended there, however. TSM, MVP, and GamersOrigin stood as the final three teams when the circle ended at Wetlands. But as the chaos ensued in the final ring of the game, TSM came out on top to win their second Apex title.
With today’s victory, TSM will take home a chunk of the tournament’s $500,000 prize pool. The remaining teams have been ranked based on the number of points they accumulated over the series, meaning Na`Vi have finished the day in second place.
The preseason is now over, but Respawn Entertainment and EA will host more online and offline tournaments for the 2020 season with additional details to follow at a later date, according to an announcement by the tournament hosts during the Invitational.
