James ‘jmw’ Walters hasn’t had as far to travel as most competitors ahead of the ALGS Championship in Birmingham. Before the prestigious 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Apex Legends competition k꧑icked off today, many American players had to deal with awkward plane transfers and then the mess that is the British railway service. Jmw and the rest of Jlingz bootcamped in London, itself only a few hours’ travel from home, and then drove to Birmingham together. The road to the Championship was uncharacteristically sunny, and Jmw believes the future is equally as bright.
“We've all been focusing on the way out his team just keeping a nice schedule together, just keeping it simple, playing the game, and trying to improve.”
Jmw has a point to prove. After bursting onto the lips of every competitive Apex Legends fan inﷺ Split 2 Playoffs last year, when he was a last-minute super sub who helped Reignite win the tournament, he moved to Invictus Gaming. However, positive Covid tests for both Jmw and in-game leader (IGL) Cameron ‘Noiises’ Walker at the ALGS Championship 2022 meant they could never fulfil their potential, and Jmw was robbed of the chance to go back to bac♏k.
“We didn't have IGL because of Covid, and then obviously I got Covid in the final,” he recalls. “That was pretty unfortunate because I feel like we were very confident going into that Championship in Raleigh. We were really confident going in, and I think we could have got the best result we've ever had from there.”
This year, he wants to make up for lost time. He and Noiises have joined up with Ali ‘Naghz’ Naghawi at JLingz, another player who missed out on last year’s Championship, in his case thanks to Visa issues. While the former iG pair are 🐟new to the JLingz banner, their close bond and synergy make it almost as if Naghz is joining them, not the other way around. And, while the team got off to a rocky start, Jmw is confident that they can pull throuꦺgh this time.
“[Preparation] has been way better than the last one,” he says. “We've all just been focusing on practising as a team, keeping a nice schedule together, keeping it simple, playing the game, and trying to improve.”
Preparation has been aided by the addition of Alex ‘Coldjyn’ Nicholls, who joined a few weeks after Jmw and Noiises. The role of a coach is relatively new in competitive Apex, spearheaded by the likes of TSM’s Raven, who takes inspiration from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:as wide sources as Maple Story and G♚uild Wars. Coldjyn has been less focused on niche Korean RPGs💎 and more on the team’s macro, helping them navigate rotations that, as a zone team, are crucial tꦍo their success.
“He's been focusing on helping [Noiises] with getting all this macro down and all that,” Jmw says. “He's really helped him with that and sorting out additional information really, seeing what's best for us and giving us ideas that he thinks are best for us.
“Obviously, he suggested things on the last LAN that we didn't end up doing, but then we want to apply to this LAN. But we’ve just been just taking all the feedback we can, and it's just a four person team, which is always useful in any situation.”
"We can do big things in the final." - Jake 'Jmw' Walters
As a team of three British players with a British coach, all based in the south of England, scheduling practices and meeting up with each ot🐟her is easier than ever. But being the home team doesn’t come without a generous slice of pressure.
“It's a good chance to prove ourselves and show everybody what an all-British team can do, and give them a reason to get involved in Apex or keep watching us,” Jmw says.
JLingz captured the hearts of many an ALGS fan in the Split 1 Playoffs, not least in the Copper Box Arena in London. A series of impressive 1v3s got the crowd on board, and despite the fact that two thirds of the team has moved on, it still has a legion of fans descending on Birmingham. The Championship will be JLingz’ third Apex Legends LAN, and the biggest. Jmw is confident in his team’s abilities, but realistic about their performance in a lobby where they&rsquo🧸;re not expected to challenge the likes of TSM and DarkZero.
“I want to achieve finals minimum,” he says, setting his sights firmly on Sunday’s Match Point series. Anything less would be disappointment and failure in his eyes. “Then we can do big thing꧙s in the final.
“Obviously, we’re a zone team, and I don’t know how the final will play out, but I think it could work. I’m looking forward to that. But I would say that top five is my🧸 goal – obviously, I want to win, but who knows what can ha😼ppen?”
If JLingz gets 🎶to Match Point, it’ll need to switch up its strategy due to the unique team composition it uses. Teams will be on the lookout for them, and will grief them to keep the series alive. It’s just one of a hundred variables in Ap✱ex esports’ Match Point format, but Jmw just wants a chance to prove himself this time around.