North American Scrims for the Apex Legends Pro League In Trouble
- North American scrims for the ALGS have been cancelled, and TSM Minustempo claims its due to poor attendance.
- Some are wondering if it might be due to players being able to make better money in Realm SoloQ League than the ALGS.
- Many people speculate that once we get closer to the end of the split, players will start taking it seriously again.
With the Apex Legends Global Series halfway done, it’s still anyone's game and you’d think that would mean teams would be buckling down and focusing on practice. But in North America, there seem to be some issues behind the curtains. Specifically, in scrimmages. Scrims are unofficial matches that are usually run by the community so that teams have a chance to practice against one another, but it doesn't seem like North America is taking theirs seriously.
North American Scrims Canceled
It’s impossible to get the right type of practice for the ALGS Pro League in a normal game of Apex Legends. Even Masters and Predator’s don’t play the same way in normal games as they do in official pro games for the Apex Legends Global Series. That’s why special lobbies are created for pro teams to run games against one another.
But according to the Player Manager at TSM, Minustempo, North American scrims have been canceled indefinitely.
Scrims are cancelled for the foreseeable future.
— minustempo (@_minustempo) April 11, 2023
Players don't know how to prioritize ALGS practice and take it seriously over solo queue for 6 hours since they know they can't win in money in ALGS.
On another note, congrats to:
🥇Tripods
🥈@DropInGamingllc
🥉Reformed pic.twitter.com/yiIImch1JY
According to Minustempo, the fault seems to lie in the players not taking scrims seriously. He points to the fact that there’s no money in the ALGS. This could be alluding to the recent popularity in the Realm SoloQ League that allows top tier talent to compete in a ranked semi-professional setting and earn money while doing so. Earlier this month, North American scrims were canceled when half the teams didn’t show.
The cancellation comes at a pivotal time in the Apex Pro League as the top 10 will be decided in the coming weeks. Every game is going to count as Group A has 2 match days remaining, while Group B and C have 3 match days. That gives them a fighting chance to surpass any of the Group A teams who are sitting near the middle of the pack.
The value of scrims cannot be understated, but there are those who also question just how seriously some teams take scrims. Last month, Nick "NICKMERCS" Kolcheff and his team, Tripods, fell into some drama as they were booted from scrims. Some people claim that not everyone plays in scrims like they would in the ALGS and thus the practice isn’t worth it. Ironically, Tripods did take first in scrims on the last day before they were canceled indefinitely.
Some viewers aren’t worried though and attribute it all to a midseason break. The ALGS is halfway through and the break was a week longer than it should have been due to the recent delay of the Pro League. Redditor I_Shall_Be_Known commented saying, “Once we get through next weekend and 19 teams see themselves still below lan qualification they’ll take it seriously again.”
But others still question the passion of North American teams as they compare them to the teams still scrimming in EMEA and other regions.
A Compromise
Update to NA scrims.
— minustempo (@_minustempo) April 11, 2023
This is more of a compromise. Still gives the players the option of scrims but doesn't waste time with free-for-all scrims.
Turns out a number of teams who voted for 5pm PT didn't even bother showing up so why should they have a say in start time? pic.twitter.com/Jl7z9ah7rV
The day after the North American scrims were cancelled, Minustempo posted again with what he's calling a compromise for scrims. He also calls out those who have been prioritizing Realm SoloQ League over scrims and notes that if at least 18 teams aren't participating in scrims, they will be cancelled.
Where and when to watch the ALGS Pro League
The ALGS Pro League continues every weekend on Saturday and Sunday until the end of May. Tune in on the official Apex Legends Twitch and YouTube Channel. And for all your questions about how the Apex Legends Global Series Pro League works, check out our summary here.
