Caprah not playing ALGS Playoffs following Discord outburst

Jaeden "Caprah" Valle, a rising mechanical star in the North America region, won't be attending the ALGS Playoff LAN in London in February. This decision came after DMs sent by the 16 year old were leaked onto Twitter.

He used language that caused widespread disgust and outrage when discussing a fellow pro player, Sikezz of XSET. These DMs were sent to one of Caprah's teammates, Lewda, adding extra complexity to the situation

Now, Caprah with his esports arena teammates have decided that he will not attend the ALGS Playoffs in London. He also is unlikely to feature for the team in the Split 2 Playoffs either. Esports Arena qualified for London with a dominant match point win in the Regional Finals.

The Apex scene roundly came together to condemn the 16 year old for his comments. In what was a seemingly run of the mill conversation, Caprah made several derogatory comments about XSET Sikezz when chatting with his teammate Lewda.

Lewda then showed these to Sikez, who shared them on Twitter.

This might appear to be run of the mill drama. However, the discussion that ensued between several pro players shone more light on the behaviour of the 16 year old. Countless pro players explained that this behaviour is not new. XSET themselves had even reached out to Caprah to help him curb his behaviour. However, this had not achieved any results.

For Sikez, this was the final attempt to help Caprah realise he needs to change his ways. Notably, he was encouraged to share these messages by Caprah's own teammate, Lewda.

Clearly, regardless of your age, this language is unacceptable. Rightly, Caprah has received wide condemnation from the Apex community and is now facing the consequences of his action.

But, a chunk of the community pointed to this sort of behaviour as "normal" for the gaming scene. Research has shown that online harassment in games has risen year on year. The much memed "Call of Duty lobbies" are pointed to as a justification that gamers have become 'too soft'.

A young talent like Caprah missing out on a debut LAN is disappointing. However, there is no doubt that this decision will help set a standard in the Apex Community. Regardless of a players age, using appalling language such as this makes you unfit to represent the game and your team on the global stage. It is positive to see wide spread condemnation.

It isn't just the upcoming London LAN that Caprah will not feature in. His statement on twitter also indicated that he was unlikely to feature in the next split of the ALGS Pro League. He went also added that "I know and will own up to the mistakes I have made in the past year."

Caprah has recently emerged into the top tier of ALGS competition. With Esports Arena, he successfully navigated Pre Season Qualifiers and then Pro League to qualify for LAN at the first attempt. He has been a unique breakthrough in the North America region, using Mouse and Keyboard in an era of controller talent.

Yet, controversy has followed the 16 year old since day one. Having won a Pre Season qualifier, Esports Arena automatically qualified for Pro League. Caprah then took to Twitter and insinuated he was being dropped from the roster. The situation was later resolved, but after a fairly hefty wave of Twitter drama.

It is not clear if Caprah is currently contracted by Esports Arena. It is also not yet apparent who will replace Caprah at LAN. Signs suggest it could be Cody "Cody" Loze who was registered as the roster's sub throughout Pro League. With rosters locked, they may not be able to replace the 16 year old.

However, this decision may have been brewing for some time. Lewda, who released the messages revealed that this decision "doesn't have much to do with the screenshot". He also added they had tried to solve "this" (Caprah's behaviour) multiple times already. This may mean that preparation already exists for how Esports Arena would handle playing without Caprah at LAN.

For the remaining roster, focus will now be on preparation for London. International scrims are well underway, and there is less than a month until the ALGS Playoffs begin. Undoubtedly, there will be extra attention on the Esports Arena team as a result of this news.

esports.gg has reached out to Esports Arena for comment.

For coverage of the ALGS, and all other things Apex Legends, stay tuned to esports.gg.