ALGS Commissioner John Nelson speaks about new POI Draft system

The ALGS POI Draft system was a controversial introduction to the second split of the ALGS Pro League. Fans and competitors alike were surprised by the sudden introduction, and raised a lot of concerns about the impact it would have.

However, the system has grown in popularity week on week. Players who were the loudest critics have come round to the system, and the impact on the ALGS feels overall positive.

The POI Draft gets tested in a new way this Sunday in EMEA and North America. The Regional Finals use a standard seed, rather than the snake seed used during Pro League. This is the first time we will see the best teams get the best POI's. What sort of an impact will that have?

esports.gg spoke to John Nelson, Commissioner of Apex Legends Esports, about the decision to introduce the POI draft system.

Introducing the new POI draft system was a huge decision by John Nelson and the ALGS team. What was the teams exact goals when choosing to develop and implement this overhaul?

"We introduced the new POI Draft system with three main objectives. First, to formalize POI selection so that it is balanced during the Regular Season’s Round Robin and then rewards performance during Regional Finals and LAN events. Second, to make POI contests more predictable with obvious opt-ins. Third, to reimagine the skydive phase of matches, bringing early loot and rotate times into greater balance."

Those rewards are about to be seen for the first time in Regional Finals, and then will be seen again in Mannheim, Germany. One interesting factor will be for those teams this weekend who have already qualified for the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs. How motivated will they be by the chance for a better drop spot at LAN?

However, one big initial criticism of the new system was when in the season it was introduced. The ALGS operates as a year long season, culminating in the ALGS Championship. Some teams have already booked, or have earned a lot of points towards, their spot at the Championship. A huge change to drop spots mid season raised some questions about competitive integrity in ALGS Year 4.

"Formalizing POI selection, making contests more predictable, and balancing loot/rotate times were objectives that we’ve had for quite some time. We created a solution in partnership with the development team that we were able to introduce to players in early April. We were able to get feedback from players in the weeks leading up to the Split 1 Playoffs and felt confident in players’ ability to compete with the system in place starting with the Split 2 Regular Season."

When the ALGS POI Draft system was initially floated, many professional players expressed their opposition to it. Phrases like "worst change ever made" were thrown about by the likes of ImperialHal. John Nelson acknowledges the weight of feeling expressed by some players when the system was first suggested.

"When we first introduced the concept to players and coaches, feedback was fairly mixed. After some iterations and dialogue with teams, it’s trending in a positive direction, especially as everyone has had more time to adjust their strategies and recognize how it improves the ecosystem."

However, at the time, EA did ask directly for player and coach feedback But, did any changes come as a result of the thoughts shared?

"Yes, player feedback heavily influenced several settings like Drop Elevation, the absence of a Jumpmaster, positioning of drop spots, when the ring spawns, when EVO harvesters spawn, and when drafts are held. While we had a strong vision for the POI draft system going into its release, collaboration with players has helped us polish it even further."

Some teams, who do not have a team of support staff like some larger organisations, also expressed apprehension about the gap between teams getting larger as a result of this new system. There is usually about a week to prepare for your drafted POI, and a lot to consider in that time.

Were 'coachless' teams considered by John Nelson and the team when introducing the ALGS POI Draft?

"When making ALGS decisions, we consider how they will impact all players, teams, and regions. It’s important to remember that the quality of draft picks is balanced across all teams during the Regular Season. While the presence of a Coach or Analyst might help some teams make draft selections, at the end of the day, it comes down to the players executing their strategies once they leave the dropship."

The main focus of both the implementation and discussion of this new Draft system was contesting. Two teams going toe to toe for the same drop spot. Teams either leave because they keep getting defeated, or leave because they are worn down by the other teams persistence. These make good viewing, but there is a lot of RNG involved in these fights. What guns do you drop on? What angle does the Drop Ship fly in from? Teams can get beaten again and again and still "win", because the other team leaves the spot first.

However, there were other potential solutions to this problem besides the ALGS POI Draft. This includes common suggestions like adding more drop spots to a map and balancing the ones that already exist. Changes to loot, including guaranteed weapons in your first Loot Bin, have also reduced contest RNG.

When asked why these solutions were not tried first, John Nelson was quick to point out that he feels contesting can still happen.

"Contests can still occur. If, for example, teams choose both spawn points on the Siphon, Climatizer, or Barometer POIs, they have the opportunity to land very close if not directly on top of each other, producing contests very much like what we’ve seen in the past.

"What was important for us with contests was making them more predictable with obvious opt-ins, rather than random facets of competition. Now, teams can deliberately prepare for contests and create more structured game plans based on their POI.

"Obvious opt-ins mean that a team either selects a POI that has two drop spots with the understanding another team might choose the other drop spot, or a team selects the second drop spot at a POI where the first has already been chosen."

This has been sort of seen this Split. Some teams, like o7/Ninjas in Pyjamas, have taken advantage of the option to contest. They told their fellow competitors, pick one half of Siphon and we will take the other. Teams reluctance to contest meant they essentially got Siphon for free every week as a result.

However, this does not have the same 'drama' as a contest. Thousands tuned into scrims to see Meat and TSM go head to head daily. The E8 and o7 contest was a huge moment in the ALGS Split 1 Playoffs. Will these be missed after the ALGS POI Draft was introduced? John Nelson argues there are still plenty of storylines to get stuck into.

"POI drafts have the potential for an elevated level of drop spot drama, impacting storylines and fan engagement. Each region now drafts every week of the Pro League and we get to see every team’s strategic approach.

"Do they draft based on familiarity? Do they draft to emphasize a map strength or cover a map weakness? Do they take an aggressive approach and prioritize contests? Do they try to stay away from a team they perceive to be strong or close to a team they perceive to be weak? Do they look to steal another team’s oft-chosen POI? The drama, strategy, analysis, and mind games are endless."

Ultimately, John Nelson and the ALGS team hope that the POI Draft will really push teams to keep playing their best even when already qualified. We will truly see if that plan is working this weekend, during the Regional Finals.

"Our team – as well as players and fans – have recognized that our current structure could be better at rewarding final placements not just during LANs, but in every match across a competition.

"Every placement matters, and instead of teams safely qualifying and pivoting to a more relaxed game plan, they’re now incentivized to continue pushing for more points to earn a strong draft placement – which may be the difference between selecting the POI they want or having to settle for one at which they’re less comfortable."

What do you think about how the ALGS POI Draft has worked across Split 2? Let us know on social media!

For more coverage of the ALGS, stay with esports.gg.