KCP Chronicles: Apex Squad Dominating NA Circuit in Split Two

KCP Chronicles: Apex Squad Dominating NA Circuit in Split Two

Written by Trey Donovan

The second split of the ALGS has seen a lot of new things happening, including a meta change that pros don’t care for, Zer0 being benched, and even a potential new NA powerhouse. The Pioneers have stormed out of the gates in split two, and as it stands now, they are the number one team in North America with 57 points.

Not that long ago, on Aug. 25 to be specific, the Pioneers announced the signing of “Sirsay”, “J.”, and “Cruelbuckle.” With “Sorawiz” rounding out the squad as the head coach, the team quickly got to work. The start of split two started with a bang for this young Pioneers squad.

The Pioneers would be put in group B alongside teams like NIP, ROC Esports, and Team Liquid, and their first match day would be with group A. That group features team Falcons, TSM, and Sentinels, so it is a tough match day with all the talent in both groups. That did not stop the Pioneers from making a splash, however.

Match one would see the team start modestly with six points, from a sixth-place finish and three KP (kill points). Match two would start the beginning of the ascension as the Pioneers would place third and slay out with 11 KP, leaving the match with 18 points. They would follow that up with a 17-point outing, lifted by 14 KP. The Pioneers would leave Storm Point with 41 total points before heading over to E-District.

The second half of the series wouldn’t be as dominant, but they would earn 14 KP and some solid placement points to secure second place on the day. The star of the show on day one was Sirsay, who ended the series with 21 KP, which tied for the match lead. It was a strong start by the squad, but could they keep it going for their second match day?

To keep it short, yes, they could. In fact, they placed second, again. They would start strong as well with a game one win on E-District to go with seven KP, leaving with 19 points. E-District would be tough for the next two games, as the squad would get seven points combined in the next two matches. Once the series switched to World’s Edge, the Pioneers would win the first match and earn 21 points, with 9 KP.

To round out the series, KCP would earn 11 more points to finish in second behind another surprise squad in Unreal Nightmare, who would have 11 more points than KCP, finishing with 69, nice. With this, the Pioneers would keep first place in the NA circuit after the first round of match days.

The squad's third match day would be a rematch with group A, and the Pioneers would have a tougher time in this series. Match one would see the Pioneers getting zero points, going out in 20th with no KP on World’s Edge. The second match would be better for the Pioneers as they would place in sixth with eight KP. Five of those eight kills would be by Sirsay as he continued his strong start to split two. They would end the first half of the series with some good placement points, finishing third, with two KP.

Games four and five on Storm Point would not bear the most fruit for the Pioneers, as they would only get four points combined. With one more match left in the series and the team hovering around tenth, they would put together their best game of the series with a second-place finish with eight KP. That 17-point outing would raise the Pioneers to fifth on the day, and they would hold the number one spot in NA, overall.

Here are some fun numbers to show how dominant the Pioneers have been in the NA circuit during split two. They lead NA in placement points, tied for first in KP, have the highest average placing with a 7.6, and tied for first in map wins with two. Another fun stat is that Sirsay is fourth in kills in NA with 39, which is ahead of ImperialHal and behind the SR duo of Koyful and Xynew.

The Pioneers Apex squad is on a break this week before returning on Sept. 27 for the group B vs. group C match day. The team is looking to continue their hold of the NA crown and continue building towards greatness. Good luck out there, Sirsay, J., and Cruelbuckle. #KCPWin