- Verhulst will be joining TSM’s Apex roster
- He had a quick rise to prominence
- The player has big shoes to fill
According to an announcement on December 1, Esports Arena Apex Legends player Evan “Verhulst” Verhulst will officially be joining TSM for the remainder of the ALGS Pro League.
Verhulst Joins TSM
TSM’s Apex team needed a third person to fill the gap created by the leaving of Eric “Snip3down” Wrona, and this person turns out to be Evan “Verhulst” Verhulst. The pro entered the competitive Apex scene less then a year ago with teammates Ira “dooplex” Shepherd and William “Skittlecakes” August. The three’s team was called Dudes Night Out and then Team Intel. Under those names, they became the first signed ESA’ team and bloodied their noses during the ALGS offseason. In season two of the competition, they shot up to the top of the Pro League leaderboard.
In recent weeks there were numerous rumors regarding Verhulst’s leaving ESA. Nobody knew where the pro will go next, but a tweet from Esports Arena resolved the mystery.
Verhulst’s Rise to Prominence
The pro had a very quick rise. Unlike his teammates, who had professional Apex experience, Verhulst is the newest pro most likely to qualify for the first split playoffs from North America. Despite having just a few months of experience, Verhulst made an impression on audiences with his Valkyrie in Apex’s sometimes confusing ranked system.
Now that the pro is part of TSM, who has consistently been one of Apex’s most consistent and historically successful teams, he would have to meet the organization’s high expectations. IGL Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen and longtime teammate Jordan “Reps” Wolfe are considered some of the best talents Apex has seen, so Verhulst will have a difficult time filling Snip3down’s role.
It seems there is some more paperwork to be done before Verhulst officially joins TSM. However, considering the pro is already listed on TSM’s competitive roster for the coming weekend’s ALGS matches, and Esports Arena announcing the move on their own channel, it is safe to say that an official announcement will soon be posted.
As to who will come in place of Verhulst in ESA? That will be Logan “knoqd” Layou, who joins the North American leaders after last playing in ALGS with Torrent. With only two more lobbies to play in the regular season, ESA and TSM have the chance to qualify for the LAN playoffs.