With Phase 1 of the National PUBG League (NPL) coming to an end, some teams will not have the luxury of relaxing. While the top of the ladder is looking forward to competing in the FACEIT Global Summit: PUBG Classic, others are feeling the pressure of relegation. Teams that fell below tenth place will have to face off against a group of teams from the Contenders League. Only six out of sixteen teams will be able to hold a spot in the NPL. Look out for a recap of the relegation matches soon.

Phase 1 Team Stats per Round

Photo Credit: nparadizm

The perfect Storm

At the close of Phase 1, Tempo Storm is the undisputed leader of the pack. Their efforts have netted the team a $100,000 payout for the first phase of the NPL and a trip to London for the international tournament.

According to reddit user nparadizm, Tempo Storm had two players in the top five of kills, damage, and survival time per game. Michael “Sharky” Gariti and Logan “Zanpah” Heckman both excelled at all aspects of PUBG for this phase. Luke “Meluke” Laing, another Tempo Storm player, found himself in the top 20 players for kills and survival time per game as well.

With such a dominant performance by these players, it is no surprise that Tempo Storm took first place for Phase 1.

Phase 1 Player Stats per Round

Photo Credit: nparadizm

A Ghost of a chance

After a performance that left much to be desired in the early weeks of the NPL, Ghost Gaming escapes the relegation zone thanks to a strong performance in weeks four and five. At the end of week three, Ghost Gaming was still held down in twelfth place. They were only able to climb into eleventh place by the end of week four. By the end of Phase 1, Ghost Gaming leaped over several teams to take an eighth-place spot on the leaderboard.

Photo Credit: Ghost Gaming

Early performances left fans thinking that Ghost Gaming would be fighting in the relegation matches at the end of the phase. However, there was a roster shake-up! Teams are allowed to change one player in the middle of a phase and Ghost Gaming seized this opportunity. Dustin “Frolicer” Halbert took a seat and allowed the team to acquire Tristan “Shrimzy” Nowicky.

Since the introduction of Shrimzy, the team was able to regroup and avoid relegation. Ghost Gaming will have a break before the next phase starts in May. It remains to be seen if this roster change will be permanent.

Fight for your right!

Spacestation Gaming, eUnited, Vicious Gaming, Lazarus Esports, Noble eSports, and Oxymoron are jumping out of the fryer and into the frying pan. They will all have to fight for their right to stay in the NPL. With the new relegation system in effect, ten teams from the National PUBG League Contenders will be matched with those six teams from the NPL to battle it out. The top six teams will have the privilege of competing in the NPL; however, the bottom ten teams will stay in the NPLC. The teams in the NPLC will have one more chance for promotion between Phase 2 and 3.

Image via @FACEITPUBG

What’s next?

The FACEIT Global Summit: PUBG Classic is the next step for North American PUBG teams. The classic will begin on April 16 and end on April 21. The top four teams from Phase 1 are traveling to London to represent North America on the international stage.

Tempo Storm, Cloud9, Team Envy, and Shoot To Kill are representing the NPL. The only other confirmed teams are from the Chinese region, however, there will be teams from qualifiers across the world. The PUBG Europe League is set to start soon and will send teams to the classic as well.

Let us know what you think about Phase 1 of the NPL. Have any predictions for the FACEIT PUBG Classic? Be on the lookout for updates on the Classic and the other leagues at Daily Esports.