Apex Legends’ new season is here, and it’s brought with it a whole new ranked system. It was probably bigger news that the L-Star has hit the Care Package instead of the Charge Rifle everyone wanted, but as players try out new boy Ballistic, it was only ever going to be ranked that they played in. And as it turns out, ranked is much better for noobs than it is for pros right now.

The changes looked good on paper, focusing on placement so that random teammates wouldn’t w-key into every fight to get KP. Solo queue players also get a buff to their matchmaking, and new MMR levels should provide fairer lobbies. It all sounded great for Apex Legends players. On paper.

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As it turns out, the penalties for losing a match are nowhere near bad enough. It doesn’t cost many LP to enter a game, so a loss doesn’t set you back. If you’re playing solo, those aggressive Octanes are still gonna aggro if there are no repercussions. That focus on placement? Maybe too much, as kills seem a little unloved now. Like I said, it’s great if you’re at the bottom of the ladder and not racking up the damage, but it doesn’t quite work at the highest level.

That’s what Christopher ‘SweetDreams’ Sexton set out to prove. He challenged himself to climb all the way to Apex Predator rank – the highest possible achievement reserved for just the top 750 players on PC – without doing a single point of damage. No guns, no ‘nades, no damaging abilities. He played Crypto nearly exclusively so he could scout with his drone, providing intel and comms for his teammates while also grabbing the occasional assist point for scanning an opponent just before they’re eliminated.

He’s out to prove that the current ranked system is skewed far too much towards placement, but in the meantime he’s showcasing his ALGS IGL-ing (that’s in-game leading) skills for the world. Over 10,000 viewers tuned into his stream as he calls wild rotates through zones, utilises Portable Jump Towers to pull off mind-bending strategies, and advises his random teammates on macro and micro levels. Lots of content creators set out on similar challenges on smurf accounts – pistol-only to Masters, no guns to Predator, etc. – but this is by far the most challenging, and easily the most impressive.

However, it also shows the problems with ranked play this season. Many top players are ridiculing the system and belittling the achievements of those climbing high due to the seemingly easier criteria for ranking up. I think we’ll see a hotfix soon enough, or at least with the season’s first patch, but for the time being, the situation is laughable.

apex legends sweets apex predator score

Sweet made Predator in just 50 matches, and reached the final five teams in 45 of them. He got 34 assists thanks to his drone, respawned teammates 45 times, and won an impressive five matches thanks to a combination of great teammates and his own advice. All this time, he’s dealt zero damage. Not one panic punch in a hot drop, not a single accidental Crypto Ultimate at an inopportune time, nothing.

Sweet has proved his point, and then some. This ranked system is busted. He’s climbed to the highest level without engaging in Apex’s core mechanic: shooting. But he’s also proven something else. He’s one of the finest IGLs in the business, whether he’s handed random teammates by the Apex algorithm or hitting the LAN with the NRG boys. Let’s hope he shows up in London to put the question to bed once and for all.

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