KCP Chronicles: KCP Apex Returns to LAN With Top 100 Finish

KCP Chronicles: Apex Squad Leave NOLA at Top 100, but Show Potential in The Elimination Round Run

Written by Trey Donovan

Apex Legends is back in full swing as the ALGS heads to New Orleans for the biggest event in ALGS history. 160 teams entered NOLA with the chance to demonstrate their dominance or prove they could compete with the top players in the pro league. The Pioneers aimed to make some noise as Joe “Slayers” Byrne, Aaron “AJXNTHI” O’Shaughnessy, and Nathan “Falcons” Cochrane took to the stage.

The setup for the tournament had all teams starting on the winner's side, and the Pioneers faced a tough draw as they were placed in a group that included Shopify Rebellion, FaZe Clan, and Team Inferno. The maps for this six-match set were Storm Point and Broken Moon, while the Pioneers selected Lift and Atmostation in the POI draft.

They would have a solid start in this set as they would have back-to-back fifth places, netting them eight points. Game three saw them get their first KP (Kill points) with two and a point for placing 13th. It was a solid first half on Storm Point but would put them in eighth going into the back half of the series.

Game four would have the Pioneers place in 14th, but they would add two KP to get to three points. This game, however, would put them on the bubble heading into game five as the battle for tenth was between them and Zone Spammers. Game five would see the squad place fifth, again, with no KP, but Zone Spammers only got two points, so the Pioneers needed a solid game to advance in the winner's bracket.

It may surprise some, but the Pioneers for the third time placed fifth. However, the story of Winners Round one for them was not getting KP as they only got one in game six leaving them with five points. It would come back to bite them as Zone Spammers would get eight points with five KP and securing tenth place shooting the Pioneers to the elimination rounds by four points.

While it might have stung to only lose out on the winner’s rounds by four points, the squad needed to regain to make the run in the elimination rounds. They would be placed in the elimination round with teams like Team Nemesis, GoNext, and Riddle Order. The maps for this series were World’s Edge and E-District where the Pioneers would select Lava Siphon and Blossom Drive in the POI draft.

With it being lose and go home time, the Pioneers would still feel the effects of their winner's round end as they would get three points in the first two games. Game three became a big game for the squad to get right and that is exactly what they did with a 16-point second place. Falcons would be the catalyst to the squad getting seven KP as he had four KP and 1,541 damage. Then the switch to E-District happened and the Pioneers took over the lobby.

While they wouldn’t win a match, they wouldn’t place lower than fourth on E-District. Game four saw a third-place finish with a big KP match from Slayers as he dropped seven kills. In game five they would get a balanced kill effort with two kills from both AJXNTHI and Falcons with a third-place finish. Finally, in game six they would have a fourth-place finish with Falcons again having a stellar game with five KP. The Pioneers would advance to the next elimination round by having 56 points and placing second overall in the first round with the help of a balanced KP effort led by Falcons 12 kills.

With the momentum built, the squad would go into round two with a chance to get to Saturday. The maps for this set would be Broken Moon and World’s Edge with the squad selecting Lava Fissure and Experimental Labs in the POI Draft. They would have a solid outing on Broken Moon with 10 points but would be in the bubble for tenth place.

With their backs against the wall, the Pioneers would have a weird match where Slayers and AJXNTHI would go out early leaving Falcons alone to “rat” for placement points, which he did placing sixth. Game five would not be so kind to them as team VCAN would fight them early and wipe the Pioneers off the map at 19th place. With them now in 14th place the squad would need to have a great game to get into the next round.

They would have their best game in the series with a third-place finish, but the Achilles heel of the weekend was not getting a lot of KP with one KP. That mixed with the final three teams in game six on the bubble didn’t help the Pioneers. They would place 16th in the second round of eliminations and bow out in NOLA.

While they might feel the sting of defeat after that series, the squad showed the potential to run lobbies with their first elimination round. They have a good foundation in place but just need to refine parts of the gameplan to get consistency. To the squad, you guys played great, and it is going to be great watching that potential grow as time goes on. Time to regain and come back with a vengeance. #KCPWin.