The Apex Legends Global Series meta has solidified in all regions over the past three months in Split Two, and so far there’s been a relatively heavy emphasis on Catalyst, Seer, and Valkyrie. But, certain teams have been able to break the mold, leading their respective regions with off-meta picks that no other team tries.
Alliance lead EMEA with 93 circuit points at the end of day seven, achieved with the widest character pool in the region. The team runs three compositions, swapping between Rampart, Ash, and Newcastle for each map, despite each legend’s global success rate.
Rampart maintains a four percent pick rate in EMEA’s pro league, according to Apex Legends Status (ALS), spearheaded by Alliance’s past results on the character. She was first picked by Oscar “Yuki” Jiang on March 11, the first day of Split Two. While many teams stuck to Catalyst as their Controller legend, Alliance took advantage of all of Rampart’s abilities to cement her status as a viable defense character.
Supported by Seer and Valkyrie, Alliance effectively countered the majority of the Apex lobby, scanning through Catalyst’s Dark Veil and gunning down squads with the increased fire of Rampart’s ultimate ability, Mobile Minigun “Sheila.”
Despite not running their own Catalyst for defense, Rampart’s Amped Cover gave Alliance the increased cover necessary when rotating to new positions.
On Storm Point, Yuki sets up cover at previously indefensible positions, allowing for Alliance to stand their ground and revive each other without fear of being shot; an advantage Catalyst does not provide with Dark Veil.
Halfway into Split Two, Alliance also started experimenting on World’s Edge, switching out Catalyst in favor of Ash. The Incisive Instigator has always been a niche pick in the ALGS and maintains a two percent pick rate in EMEA.
Ash is more commonly picked for safe rotations through the wide open fields on Storm Point, but Alliance opts to run her alongside Seer and Valkyrie on World’s Edge, taking advantage of the smaller buildings and skirmishes around the map.
IGL John “Hakis” Håkansson takes control of Ash, using the passive Marked For Death ability to find third-party fights. Hakis rushes ahead of his team to find Arc Snare angles, calling out successful tethers for follow-up grenades.
Hakis is able to play more aggressively with Ash by using her ultimate ability as a safety net. On March 19, Hakis fired from Fragment East’s open bridge, with little natural cover. Once his team called out another squad pushing forwards, Hakis was able to avoid grenades and Horizon’s Black Hole with Phase Breach, retreating while taking minimal damage.
Newcastle found steady use in the Split One Playoffs earlier this year with a five percent pick rate but has steadily fallen off the radar. In Split Two, globally, Newcastle is the least picked legend at a one percent global pick rate and a 0.6 percent pick rate in the ALGS. He has only been played in two regions, with Alliance holding the sole five picks in EMEA.
First played on April 23, Alliance ran Newcastle, Seer, and Valkyrie on World’s Edge, playing to aggressively take space, like their Rampart composition on Storm Point.
Hakis takes up the mantle of Newcastle, building a stable defensive position with Castle Wall in places that would be previously impossible to hold. Enemy Seers can’t capitalize on the scans, and pushes are ineffective, so Alliance is able to focus down squads who try to rush.
Once Alliance is able to wipe out the enemy, Newcastle’s Mobile Shield is used, patching any holes made in the Castle Wall, and allowing Alliance to push forward to the death boxes, safely looting with complete cover.
Newcastle, Seer, and Valkyrie is Alliance’s third and newest team composition, and although they finished day seven in seventh, the team is devoted to experimenting more with the lineup. This composition has, in particular, been finding increased success in Apex scrims with a high kill participation rate.
Alliance has always stood out as one of the ALGS’ best Apex teams through each year of competition and continues to grow in potential with each passing day. Although some may argue the legends are carried by Alliance’s high skill level, each player has repeatedly demonstrated mastery over their respective picks and will continue to experiment with more unique compositions leading up to the regional finals and LAN playoffs.
Alliance next returns to the ALGS on the final day of the Split Two regular season on April 30 at 12pm CT. With their first-place league position, Alliance has guaranteed a spot at the regional finals, which are set for May 7.
Fans can directly spectate Yuki, Hakis, and Effect on their Twitch channels for all their latest composition changes. Spectators can also keep up with the main broadcast and league standings on the PlayApex Twitch and ALGS YouTube channels.
