FURIA, one of North America’s most iconic teams in the ALGS, shocked the competitive Apex scene with the release of their entire roster leading up to Year Four. The organization has wasted no time in scouting a new squad, including what could be the biggest pick-up of the offseason.
The official ALGS Battlefy website currently lists all invited teams for Split One of the ALGS Pro League in all four major regions, including the updated names of free agent rosters following off-season moves or organization pick-ups. FURIA’s spot has now been taken by Already There, which consists of Ryan “ImMadness” Schlieve, “Keon” Berghout, and an unknown new third member, with leading rumors pointing to Jacob “HisWattson” McMillin coming out of retirement to lead FURIA once again.
Already There’s former third member Alan “Vaxlon” Gonzalez announced his status as a free agent looking for a new team on Dec. 13, signaling that the team had potentially been scouting and trialing free agents to find a new captain before Split One’s start on Jan. 20, 2024. According to rumors from other Pro League players like Elev8’s Zach Mazer, HisWattson is the leading candidate to take the position.
HisWattson had played competitive Apex since 2021, starting on Rare Xcellence in 2021, before becoming FURIA’s team captain on May 31, 2022. His aggressiveness and creativity would lead the team to win the NA Last Chance Qualifier and earn a second place finish at the 2022 Championship, completely revolutionizing the entire world’s view on the meta with his use of Seer to punish the traditional defensive compositions and strategies that involved Gibraltar’s Dome Shield and ability to revive teammates safely.
However, as the scene adapted to the new offensive meta and faster paced fights, FURIA would notably struggle to innovate and keep up in their own meta, leading to their most disappointing international finish at the 2023 Split Two Playoffs, exiting in the Loser’s Bracket Round One at 37th place out of 40 teams. HisWattson announced his retirement from competitive Apex after the tournament, stating he’d be transitioning from pro player to content creator for FURIA.
FURIA’s remaining roster of Nelson “Xeratricky” Medina and Scott “Pandxrz” Maynard would fail to qualify for the Championship through Playoff Points, and despite picking up Mac “Albralelie” Beckwith for the NA Last Chance Qualifier, they fell just short of the international cutoff in third place, ending their 2023 season.
Many fans assumed that the roster would stick together for 2024, but FURIA dropped the entire roster on Dec. 13, with head coach Jxmo attributing the decision to a lack of team cohesion, leading to the org’s decision.
If the rumors prove true, FURIA could be the biggest off-season winners in ALGS, as HisWattson not only represents the highest success the org has ever achieved in the ALGS, but also brings a creative vision for the new competitive year. As teams continue trying out compositions to include the newest legend Conduit, HisWattson’s potential return could lead FURIA to once again innovate on the current meta and lead NA to continued international success.
