Team Falcons’ ImperialHal breaks down ALGS legend bans, POI Draft, meta shifts, and his rivalry with Zer0 in an exclusive Year 5 interview.
Multi-time champion Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen believes the modern ALGS era demands more than ever — from new POI drops to legend bans — which he discussed in an exclusive interview at the Year 5 Championship. He also touched on the impact of playing alongside former teammate and IGL Rhys "Zer0" Perry.
Competing at the highest level of Apex Legends since 2019, ImperialHal says he still feels like he’s improving as the game and its competitive landscape continue to evolve.
"Apex Legends is a lot harder now."
"I feel like my mechanics have actually been improving as time goes on. Obviously, it's been a lot different being on controller compared to mouse and keyboard back in the day, but I think Apex is a lot harder now compared to the past," ImperialHal said.
"I feel like my work ethic and the demand to keep playing is something that is even more required now, because I feel like the skill level has risen a lot more.
"There's a lot more things added, like the ban system and POI draft, that reinforce my mentality with the game that I should just keep doing what I'm doing."
POI draft, Legend Bans, and the ALGS experience
In the past few years, ALGS events introduced two big systems into their events. 2024 saw the introduction of POI Draft, where teams select different drop points before the game begins.
Then, in early 2025, Legend Bans were added. This was a rolling ban system where the Legend pool gets smaller as the series goes on.
As a competitor, ImperialHal finds these changes to be fun. "[As an IGL,] I feel like it's made it a lot more fun for me because it creates a lot more depth to the game," he said. "I think my favorite part that they added was the ban system - it creates different compositions for every single game."
"You're supposed to understand more than one character [now,] compared to the past," he continued. "You're playing every character, you're playing more maps — it beautifully showcases Apex more."
While much of the interview focused on systems and gameplay, ImperialHal also reflected on relationships that shaped his career, in particular his time alongside Rhys "Zer0" Perry.
"I always respect Zer0."
Regarding his ex-teammate Zer0, ImperialHal had many thoughts to share but no regrets.
I think it's just destiny, honestly, at this point. It comes full circle. I don't regret my decision back in the day to join him; it was a perfect opportunity at the moment.
He also added that being on the same squad as Zer0 was a learning experience for both parties. "We learned a lot, I learned a lot, he learned a lot. It's not like we didn't win anything. For the most part, it was successful for all of us."
Now that both players find themselves on different teams for the ALGS Year 5 Championship, ImperialHal looks upon this with anticipation.
"[We're] on different teams. We have a new rivalry again. I think it's good for the scene and everyone. I'm looking forward to it."
Within 2026 Champs, ImperialHal also named the players and teams he respects the most.
I always respect Alliance. I always respect Zer0. I always respect Shopify Rebellion and ROC Esports. Also a little bit of NIP, depending on the day. It's mainly NA teams I respect. It's hard because the best fighting teams, in my opinion, are always from North America and we play them most out of anyone else, so I respect them the most.
Competitive versus ranked, the ALGS viewing experience, and the Apex Legends meta
With the addition of new systems into ALGS events, the experiences between the live version of the game and the competitive tournaments have drifted apart.
"It kind of impacts our practice, but at the same time, scrims are enough. I just kind of accepted it; how the [live version] of the game is completely different compared to ALGS. Maybe in the future, we'll get there, where ranked and ALGS are more similar. But right now, the regular game is not really an avenue for professional players to practice."
ImperialHal also commented on recent updates and how balance changes affect pros.
"When it comes to the regular game, I feel like... recently they buffed characters that I don't personally agree with. I feel like a lot of the things that are changed in the game are not aligned when it comes to competitive, but they are more aligned to the casual or the normal game."
"When it comes to map changes, and the macro changes, I think it's a lot better. As a professional player... you can't just quit. You gotta take what you got and be the best at what you got."
Despite his occasional negative opinion on balance updates, ImperialHal thinks this is one of his strengths. "The best thing I can do is adapt to metas. I think one of my biggest strengths is learning the maps. We added Olympus to the map pool of [ALGS Year 5 Championship], and we are number one by far on average points for that map," he said.
"I think that's just because I play so much ranked compared to everyone else. We play ranked to learn the maps that we haven't played competitively before. And most of the pros don't play ranked, so I feel like I have a huge, huge advantage of understanding the terrain and environment."
ALGS in Sapporo, Japan
This is the second year in a row that the ALGS Championship is being held in Sapporo, Japan, and the next one is also slated in the same venue. ImperialHal has found himself quite familiar with the area and shared some of his local preferences.
"My favorite thing here is conveyor belt sushi. And, obviously, the 7-Eleven snacks. Anything in there is so good."
He even shared his ideal 7-Eleven haul. "Ooh, egg sandwich, Pocari Sweat, and a Red Bull if I need one."
The ALGS Year 5 Championship continues until Jan. 18, 2026 in Sapporo, Japan. Stick around esports.gg for more ALGS and Apex Legends news.
