ImperialHal talks ALGS confidence, EWC pain & Falcons’ Newcastle Cryptonite

All eyes are on Team Falcons for the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs, as the best team in Apex Legends history was ripped apart in hopes of a new dynasty moving forward.

Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen is at the nucleus of this, as the world watches to see how the 'CEO' of Apex copes with the dynamics of a new team, especially without stepping up as an IGL and having to bite his tongue more than in previous years.

But after finishing second in the Esports World Cup, Falcons are looking to go one better and prove that the new roster was worth the break-up drama.

I spoke to ImperialHal about the new roster and how it has changed in the short time since the EWC earlier this month.

ALGS Split 2 wobbles in confidence: Newcastle woes, EMEA strength, and Cryptonite

With back-to-back LANs happening for the first time, given the Esports World Cup's schedule sliding in to breakup ALGS Split 2, Playoffs has already been slated to favour those teams who can adapt the quickest.

The legend meta has shifted slightly. There's still the double controller composition, but the pool is washing out Fuse and replacing him with Newcastle, and for most teams who were reluctant to bring the brutus out earlier, it's a mad rush to learn on the job.

"To be honest, I was more confident in EWC," Hal said. mFor Falcons, they fall into the latter category, with Hal specifically having to switch his legend in certain maps and adjust to the Newcastle meta. With this, Hal is feeling the pressure, slightly. Ever so slightly.

"Just because I was playing Fuse on both maps. The main reason I'm not as confident is that I'm not too comfortable on Newcastle right now and I haven't had a lot of time to like practice him."

Players have only had a matter of three weeks to really hone in on the Newcastle comp, and he's been used in over 35% of teams so far. Falcons have used him exclusively on Storm Point, while sticking to Fuse of World's Edge.

During the Group Stages, while still winning some matches with Newcastle, Falcons' two biggest victories came through on Worlds Edge with Fuse. "But there's on a 5 percent difference, of like confidence level, from EWC to now, just because of Newcastle."

Falcons' scepticism isn't just with Newcastle. Hal also fumed at Crypto, revealing, "I hate Crypto, he's just senseless and anybody can use it," before claiming the third-party use of the drone is infuriating.

Despite being heavy favourites, the Esports World Cup proved just how quickly the rest of the world is catching up in quality. The Grand Finals saw 13 teams all sitting on Match Point, including six from EMEA, two from APAC, and five from NA.

Europe especially have showcased a much higher level of quality over the last few weeks, and Hal recognised this as a potential banana peel for Falcons.

"But also, I feel like everyone, especially the EMEA region, they're getting a lot better. There are a lot more teams from the EMEA region that has been in the finals recently, so they're certainly getting better," he added.

Still, he's backed Falcons to show their worth and win the Split 2 Playoffs especially as the confortability grows throughout the event.

Esports World Cup heart(belly)ache

The Esports World Cup was the first time we saw this Falcons roster on stage, but as they prepare to become ALGS Playoffs Champions, Hal revealed that the preview in Saudi Arabia wasn't the Falcons you will see this weekend.

"I was sick at the time. I was I was like completely dehydrated and didn't have anything to eat because I had stomach pain the entire day," he explained.

"So, I was completely fatigued the entire time just because of that. Then having to play 13 games affected me a lot."

Looking forward to ALGS Split 2, he's hoping the agonising second-place finish wont replicate itself and the fully-fit team can show why they are favoured so heavily.

"In my opinion - obviously, I'm biased - but if it was 50 points instead of 60, it would have ended in five games. With it being 60, and then getting fatigued because it was 13 games - obviously everyone has to go through that - we would have won," Hal continued.

I did ask whether Hal would adjust their playstyle to ensure that they peak at the right time rather than living on a prayer round after round, but he was confident that history wouldn't repeat itself and that the Falcons would get the job done in a more timely manner, especially now that Match Point is back down 50.

"We won’t really do anything special to like combat the because it's pretty rare - the last time we had something like that happen was Poland five years ago, which was 12 games, and I highly doubt that ever happens again.

When it comes to ALGS Split 2 Playoffs, anything less than gold is a failure. Keep an eye out for our interview with Eric "Snip3down" Wrona coming later, as he piles the pressure on Falcons and their personality clashes.