ALGS Y5 has been announced following the Year 4 Championship final on Feb. 1, and a huge change is on the horizon to shake up the meta—legend bands. Apex esports fans were delighted by this as they expect a more diverse competitive experience.
While the Apex meta shifts every season, pro players’ adaptability and resilience remain the same. They will have a lot to adapt to as they head into year five of the ALGS—and viewers like myself are excited for what’s to come. Not only do we get Broken Moon joining the list of competitive maps for Pro League, but year five is set to host a massive 160-team LAN event with double Elimination Brackets. The icing on the cake, however, is the legend bans planned for year five, which will turn everything we knew about competitive Apex on its head.
As caster Raynday explained on the Championship livestream on Feb. 1, “the most-picked legend will actually not be playable for the rest of the series.” This means that if Newcastle has the highest pick rate in game one, then teams will have to alter their comp for game two now. This will continue through a series (which are typically six matches long), where the participating teams will pick a new composition based on which legends got banned. This is similar to League‘s new Fearless Draft format.
Fans are “surprised” and “excited” about this change, welcoming it with open arms as they hope for diversity and new legend picks. If overpowered and popular legends continue to get banned, we’re sure to “see at least some variety.” Pros will have to think on their feet and adapt their playstyle and legend pick based on who best counters others. This means we could see the return of ImperialHal’s Horizon or Zer0’s Bangalore. Maybe someone will cook like HisWattson did with Seer back in 2023.
With year five set to kick off on Feb. 22, legend bans promise unpredictability and endless entertainment in just a few weeks’ time. Year four just concluded with a Gibraltar and Newcastle-stacked lobby, where Catalyst or Rampart often completed a team’s composition. Pro players and fans alike will have their own opinions on their favorite meta, but one thing’s for certain—banning legends will throw it all into chaos.
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