Apex Legends pro Genburten talks on importance of Ranked, griefing in scrims & favourite loadout

DarkZero is one of the most storied organisations in Apex Legends esports, racking up countless trophies including the 2022 Championship, the 2023 Split 1 Playoffs, and most recently the 2024 Split 1 Pro League in North America.

With their leader Rhys "Zer0" Perry being known as one of the best IGLs in the world and the newest member Nichola "Sikezz" Odom tearing it up in 2024, DZ are truly a force to be reckoned with. However, out of all the competitors on the roster, it's Noyan "Genburten" Ozkose that's most well-known in the community.

Gen has proven to be one the consistent and dominant controller players in the ALGS, regularly clutching up in against-the-odds skirmishes.

I got a chance to sit down with Genburten at the Year 4 Split 1 Playoffs to discuss the importance of Ranked for pros, griefing in scrims, his favourite loadout, and the Legend he hates most in the ALGS.

How important is Apex Legends Ranked for a pro player?

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For the casual everyday Apex player, Ranked is a chance to test their skills against opponents of a similar level and raise the stakes in the Outlands. However, it's importance amongst pros is hotly debated, with some  swearing scrims and R5 are all they need, whereas others backing Ranked as a solid environment to improve mechanics.

I decided to ask Gen for his opinion on grinding Ranked and whether it plays a part in DarkZero's practice as well as his personal development.

"That's a good question because all the pros collectively talk about whether you should play R5 or Ranked and which one is more beneficial for you, I'd say for mechanics R5 is more beneficial for you, but in terms of mechanics and playing the game Ranked is good too.

"All pro players should be playing scrims though and you should never ever miss scrims, because look at us, TSM and some other teams, we've played all the scrims, that's why we're so good and other teams need to understand that."

Genburten's favourite Apex Legends loadout

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It would be amiss to not ask of one of Apex's best competitors what his ideal loadout is in the current meta. Gen's answer wasn't too much of a surprise, with him highlighting the Hemlok AR as his first choice. The Hemlok is an absolute force at long-range with its minimal recoil making it easy to secure consistent damage from afar. If you're on the hunt for that sought-after 4k or 20 kill badge, it would be wise to follow in Gen's footsteps.

As for Gen's second choice, it's none other than the Volt, a weapon that's skyrocketed into the meta after hefty nerfs to other options in the SMG category. While it does have a relatively slow rate of fire, it's unmatched in the damage per mag department. The gun also isn't limited to close-quarter gunfights, with it also being a major threat at mid-range.

How big of a problem is griefing in Competitive scrims?

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TSM's Philip "ImperialHal" Dosen has been extremely vocal about griefing in scrims, in particular, his issue with the player Will "TeQ" Starck. In his eyes, TeQ and his squad were not looking to practice properly in scrims and were instead just attempting to sabotage TSM.

This topic has divided the community, with some arguing Hal is being dramatic, and others encouraging the ALGS to stop it from happening. I decided to ask Genburten whether he believes griefing is a serious issue in Apex pro practice and why he think it happens at all.

"I just think you should play scrims how you play the tournament, but I feel like teams go on tangent and get bored or just want scrims to be done with, so they just start griefing teams for the fun of it so they can have a laugh.

"That does p**s me off because when it comes to LAN, they do that and then they complain about something else when they could have just practiced, it's annoying."

While Gen didn't call out any names, it is clear some teams take scrimming more seriously than others. If griefing is compromising the practice of certain squads, it may be something the ALGS team will need to look into, as effective practice sessions are absolutely essential.

Gen absolutely hates Newcastle in the ALGS

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Everyone has that one Legend they absolutely hate playing against, and Genburten is certainly no different. For him, there's a specific pick in the ALGS that is not only bad, but immensely annoying to play against (Cover your ears Northeption fans) and that's Newcastle.

"Newcastle, no diss to Northeption but they're really annoying, there was one of the scrim games where they Newcastle walled into the water just to kill us and we got fifth partied, it's a really annoying character, it's useless."

Gen hates the Heroic Defender and doesn't believe he's viable in the ALGS despite some teams trying to make him work. This opinion goes against what Respawn dev Eric Canavese believes, as in his interview with us, he argued that very few competitors know how to make the most of Newcastle due to him being so complicated.

It's always brilliant to a chance to speak to an Apex pro, especially one as talented as Genburten. With the Year 4 Split 1 Playoffs still ongoing and DarkZero breaking records in the kill and damage department, the squad may be about to add another trophy to their cabinet.