FnDxGaming having simultaneous peaks of big shake-ups in the Apex Legends pro scene maybe started unforeseeable by all accounts. Is that obvious? The Team Falcon has benched Zer0OCE, the in-game leader, in another blow: none other than ImperialHal himself shall be taking his place! You know, THAT Hal, who single-handedly built TSM into a star dynasty. So wild and crazy.
The official Apex Legends Esports Twitter account even gave it the glowing alarm emoji announcement: “BREAKING: @Zer0OCE has been moved to the bench of @TeamFalconsGG, with @ImperialHal stepping in as in-game leader…” The community-horror just erupted. Within minutes, the reply section exploded with hype, confusion, and pure drama.
First off, what does “moved to the bench” mean? Being the first question on the mind of everybody, can Zer0OCE now freely look for another team? Is this a temporary thing? The announcement made more fuel to burn by being pretty vague.” Esports contracts are confusing enough without vague terminology. Man, slay me.
And the replies?? Quite a mixed bag, to be honest. Some of them seemed hyped as hell – this could have probably been some kind of advancement: Someone spammed eagle emoji and heart emoji saying, “Finally 🦅😍😍😍😍😍😍,” while some were basically asking the pertinent questions: “Why though? What happened?” Because to be honest- Zer0OCE ain’t exactly unknown. That guy has been a top IGL put on for years. Then you have comments like, “He’s one of the most toxic players there is,” and “No accountability.” Oof.
The real tea, however, is in the replies involving Hal initiating those IGL duties. Some really began questioning if Hal even suited the role of IGL. Like, seriously? We are talking about a man that won multiple LANs with TSM. The problem, though, is here we go again: Does the debate start of whether Zer0 was carrying Hal or Hal was carrying Zer0? The community is just straight up divided on that.
On the other hand, one user offered up an interesting take: Reps, Hal’s former TSM teammate, is talking with Hal about how “the game sucks rn” on Twitter. Maybe we have something laying behind where the meta is being exploited from? It’s just that the current state of Apex definitely favors some playstyles over others.
Then there’s the whole question of who’s going to be the third? Falcons now have Hal as IGL, but they need one third player to finish their roster. The speculation is already running wild concerning name tossing. Some people are suggesting that Zer0 actually ends at TSM? That would be ironic as hell with Hal just leaving in there.
What’s really interesting is how divided this community is on Zer0’s skills as IGL. Some of them are saying he’s washed, he’s an awful communicator, he sucks as a team leader, and he’s recognized that as the worst motivator of late, while others are standing behind Zer0’s reputation. The general consensus is that Zer0 may be mechanically gifted, but his leadership style may just not be clicking with the team any longer.
Hal taking over those IGL duties is massive. Love or hate him, the guy goes out there and wins tournaments. His style of play matches his aggressive nature, as does his game sense, Dutch nobleman is glowed in glory on the whole scene. But dammit, will he be able to fit in with the swarm? The Falcons and TSM played prat different from each other, and Hal’s calling would need to bend to their stronger suit.
The timing of this is funny because we’re right in between major tournaments now. Teams are probably trying out their roster configurations before the next big tournament. That’s where Falcons could be looking for the perfect vibe that sends them soaring to the next level.
I mean, can we talk about how much of a mess some of these replies are? We’ve got flat out calling out occurring in the comments, people started arguing over who’s better IGL. The Apex community clearly never disappoints in terms of drama.
At the end of the day, personali changes are just part of esports. Teams are forever hunting for that competitive edge, and at times, it means tumbling down hard decisions regarding personnel matters. Whether this move should be for good or for bad, the news for Falcons is still yet to be seen. But one thing is for certain: Everyone will be watching the next matches with a whole lot of new interest.
The move can either be a genius one, shooting Falcons to champions, or a mess that’ll chip away at their faces. There is no middle ground for these kind of roster shuffle situations. It’s a lot of pressure on Hal to prove that he can take this team onward while Zer0 has got to find his way elsewhere and shine.
Yes, it just got much more interesting in Apex Esports. Can not wait to see how this all unfolds come the next tournament.
