Bans, controversy, retirement reversals, and team overhauls have already taken over the Apex Legends Global Series Year Four, teasing the most chaotically unpredictable season of Apex Legends yet.
With so much to remember, it is going to be a challenge keeping track of the most promising, most exciting, and most controversial players. Given their performances in Year Three, their teams in Year Four, and their history of talent, success, and skill, some players are a head above the rest.
Here are eight players that you should be keeping an eye on in ALGS Year Four across all regions.
The 8 must-watch Apex Legends players in ALGS 2024
Effect – Alliance, EMEA
Breakout controller player and young superstar Effect seems set to take over the world in ALGS Year Four. Although showing overwhelming promise as one of the most aggressively successful fraggers in Apex, the 18-year-old had his LAN career disrupted by visa issues throughout 2023. Without these hold-ups knocking his rhythm, he could have been even more impactful.
What really makes Effect a star to watch is the way his playstyle fits seamlessly with the Alliance team dynamic. Credit must be given where credit is due: Hakis and Yuki have provided the perfect environment for Effect to thrive.
Their dynamic is immediately identifiable from an outside perspective. Interviews with Yuki have explored their cohesive and collaborative approach in more depth, particularly the mentor-like relationship Effect’s teammates have with him. In an interview pre-Split 2 Playoffs, Yuki explained how he and Hakis work to set up the right conditions for Effect to sweep in and do what he does best – crank up the kills. He described it as “when you sprinkle some special powder in the seasoning.”
Despite struggling as a team in the 2023 Championship, Alliance has clear skill and a confident strategy. Year Four is looking to be the year Effect firmly cements himself at the top.
HisWattson: FURIA, NA
Year Three was a controversial season for HisWattson, the breakout star of FURIA in Year Two. Significant underperformance and an untimely resignation from competitive play left his ALGS reputation in a dubious place. With new teammates, the backing of Furia, and, allegedly, a new attitude, it will be fascinating to see what impact he has in Year Four.
Attitude and motivation aside, HisWattson is undoubtedly a skilled player. The Year Two Championship saw him pioneer Seer meta before it was the norm, changing the entire dynamic of the Pro League and catapulting him into the spotlight. However, Split Two Playoffs exposed a demotivated side to HisWattson, which was confirmed by him in his resignation from competitive play before the tournament had even ended, leaving his team in limbo.
Year Four will finally show us whether he commits to a rise back to the top. Playing with his close friend and long-time supporter Keon on FURIA’s new roster should put him in the best possible position to prove his worth.
StrafingFlame: Primis Komanda (F/A), APAC South
2023 was BLVKHVND’s breakout year, with their team taking the world by storm in the ALGS Championship. As the team’s in-game leader, StrafingFlame shoulders a great deal of responsibility. He spoke openly about struggling with pressure at these high-stakes events, which perhaps showed in the team’s inability to win the match point finals despite their incredible performance.
If there is one IGL in the APAC South region that shows the most promise, it is StrafingFlame. He has matured into a smart IGL capable of guiding a team to the top of even the most competitive championship leaderboard.
Interestingly, StrafingFlame and his teammates, ThePlayerKay and EzFlash, are currently free agents having not found a new team after leaving BLVKHVND at the end of Year 3. With the opportunity and funding of an organization, we could see StrafingFlame reach career heights in Year Four.
MatsuTasu: Reignite, APAC North region
Despite having taken some time away from competitive rosters since London’s 2023 Split One playoffs, MatsuTasu is certainly still one to watch in ALGS Year Four.
Competing on Fnatic’s Split One roster, he helped the team reach the top 10 and capture the hearts of fans in the finals. The APAC North team received significant praise during the competition, particularly for proving talent can be found in more underrepresented regions.
MatsuTasu will be playing for Reignite in Year Four. Joining him will be ShunMi and SudetakiN, making their roster particularly formidable. SudetakiN has been an active pro since 2019 and is currently signed to Zeta Division as a streamer. ShunMi is a particularly exciting addition to the roster, and it will be a treat to see him compete with MatsuTasu. He saw considerable success playing for Pulverex, an organization that has long been a favorite with fans.
Seeing a former Fnatic player team up with a former Pulverex player and Zeta Division streamer is sure to be exciting and a great opportunity for MatsuTasu to return to the top in APAC North.
Mande: 40%worse (F/A), EMEA
To fans of the ALGS, Mande needs no introduction. He is best known for his incredible success playing for Scarz in the early years of the ALGS, winning the 2021 EMEA ALGS Championship and the 2020 EMEA ALGS Summer Circuit #3.
The legacy player entered a brief period of retirement at the end of 2022 after leaving the Scarz roster, but he was not gone for long. Year Three saw him join the Alliance roster as a sub while the organization struggled to secure a visa for their star player, Effect. He became Alliance’s star player in his own right during the 2023 Split One Playoffs, adapting phenomenally well to playing the LAN with the team and assisting them in achieving their highest LAN placement of the season.
Mande almost missed out on the EMEA Pro League in Year 4, playing in the preseason qualifier with fellow legacy player Shiv and xeriffer under the name “40%worse” and seemingly coming short of the points needed to qualify. However, their competitors, Three Dragons, lost their qualification slot due to one player being banned for TOS violations. EA’s ruling allowed Mande to re-enter the competition in his own right.
With a record of success and an exciting new team behind him, Mande is sure to be a delight to watch in ALGS Year 4.
iiTzTimmy: The Dojo (F/A), NA
Year Three was the stage for iiTzTimmy’s meteoric rise to the top of the world. Progressing from the Challenger Circuit to being a match point team at the 2023 ALGS Championship, it was a year like no other. Now, with a Pro League invitation and rumored signing, iiTzTimmy is in a prime position to take NA by storm.
iiTzTimmy’s story is one of passion, pride, and never giving up. Fans adored watching the ecstatic moment he secured his place at the Championship through the last chance qualifier, a moment which he relished with incredible excitement and enough swearing that the official ALGS broadcast seemingly had to mute his initial reaction.
The Dojo proved that their Championship qualification was no fluke, coming in at a healthy fourth place at the LAN. Alongside his exceptional teammates Dezignful and Enemy, he has the success, skill, and support to make Year Four one that dreams are made of.
Brynn: The Full English (F/A), EMEA
Year Four sets the stage for one of the most hotly anticipated Pro League returns. Once touted as one of the most promising players EMEA has ever seen, Brynn retired from the competition at the end of Year Two after the 2022 ALGS Championship. Fans and professionals alike mourned the loss of such a talented player, and he disappeared from the public eye.
However, pro players never forgot Brynn. His kind personality and undisputed abilities led him to be a firm favorite and close friend to many, none more than his previous teammate on Invictus Gaming, noiises. The icing on the cake is that Brynn is making his triumphant return to the ALGS in Year Four with Noiises and SirDel on the free agent team “The Full English.”
Noiises and Brynn have a long partnership, which has even provided a benchmark for noiises’ other teammates. During the 2023 Split Two Playoff, JLingz coach Alex “coldjyn” Nicholls revealed that noiises expressed to him that the team (at the time comprising of noiises, Jmw, and Naghz) was “like playing with Brynn,” showing how their partnership was still such an important part of his Apex experience.
It is simply brilliant to see Brynn return to the ALGS, particularly with such a fantastic team guaranteed to have the synergy and support needed for success. Regardless of their Year Four performance, Brynn’s return is a joy for all.
Trevstacks: Free Agent, NA
He may not have made it to the Pro League yet, but Trevstacks proved in the recent preseason qualifiers that he cannot be ignored. His incredible long-range shots and quick in-game thinking have rightly gained him the attention of the likes of NiceWigg and should certainly be attracting the attention of his competitors.
In one particularly spectacular play, seen at the start of the PSQ clip below, he was able to shoot a barely visible player out of the sky with seemingly little effort.
One of the beauties of the ALGS is that teams have several opportunities throughout the year to qualify for LANs or the Pro League. If iiTzTimmy could start Year 3 in the Challenger Circuit and end in the Championship, who’s to say it cannot happen again?
This is by no means an exhaustive list. The off-season between Year Three and Year Four has been potentially the most chaotic ever seen in Apex. Very few teams are staying the same, and there are still several high-profile players who have yet to announce their teams publicly.
With so many new combinations and a potential new meta with the introduction of the new legend Conduit, who knows what is in store?
Published: Dec 31, 2023 02:39 pm