Esports career is “Surreal”: Verhulst on Apex & his dream job

Evan ‘Verhulst’ Verhulst has an impressive track record in competitive Apex Legends. The renowned esports athlete secured victory in 2023’s Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Open Championship, making him a household name in the Apex community.

Verhulst just finished competing in the ALGS Open 2025, where 100 Thieves finished 4th, earning $70,000. They performed strongly, being the only North American team to reach the Winners’ bracket.

Esports Insider had the chance to sit down with Verhulst during the action-packed event to ask about his underdog picks in 2025 and how he relaxes outside of the game.

One of the topics we asked Verhulst about was his favorite up-and-coming underdog teams in Apex Legends. He had two primary picks, both of which had impressive plays during 2025’s ALGS Open, but he also said that other lesser-known teams surprised him during the May competition. 

Verhulst told Esports Insider:

“I’d go with Twerkaholics or GREEN STEGO. The top ten in the lobby we just played had a lot of teams we didn’t know were this good.”

Verhulst offered support for a few active underdog teams, though he’d also like to see Respawn introduce more competitive options for ranked players to help prepare aspiring athletes for the esports scene. He said:

“I wish there were a more competitive ranked mode so that players who do really well in ranked can transfer the skill straight to competitive. I think that right now ranked is very different from competitive. It doesn’t transfer over super well.”

Though Verhulst loves Apex as an esport, he voiced concerns over how hard it is to enter the competitive scene in 2025, especially for new players.

“Apex Legends gets harder and harder every year. Respawn keeps adding more and more complexity to the game, new perks, and more legends. The longer the game’s out, the longer players have to get better. Anyone new is going to struggle,” he said.

One way that Respawn could level the playing field between pros and new players is by releasing a sequel to Apex Legends, which Verhulst said would be a good idea. 

“I think they should definitely work on a sequel. A sequel would be a great thing right now. An Apex 2.0, just for marketing purposes, would bring a lot of people,” he added.

A new release could offer an opportunity to balance Apex and its existing legends, plus it would likely introduce millions of gamers to the free-to-play battle royale, increasing the potential scope of the esports community.

One of the biggest struggles for new competitors is map knowledge, especially since the ALGS added Broken Moon to the locale line-up in Year 5, as Verhulst conveyed.

“There’s just so much to learn; learning a map in Apex takes a minimum of four months. I think a huge skill gap in competitive is map knowledge – good players understand every nook and cranny of the map. The more maps out there, the harder it is for new players to get into the game,” Verhulst said.

Broken Moon was one of the biggest additions to the ALGS in 2025, but some players think four maps are too many. New athletes must learn each map effectively, presenting a significant advantage for pros who have been practicing Apex for multiple years.

Apex athlete Verhulst also shared his favorite maps with Esports Insider. He noted that maps that prioritize skill are the best from his perspective, as locations with random or chaotic factors make it harder to practice for upcoming competitions. 

“The best map to me is the map where the good teams consistently do well and the bad teams consistently do badly. It’s not random; there’s a skill gap. Right now, that would probably be Broken Moon or Storm Point,” he said.

Broken Moon and Storm Point are two fan-favorite locations in both the competitive and casual communities, but Verhulst took his favor for them a step further by noting the maps as the best-balanced locations in Apex Legends.

One of the biggest changes to competitive Apex in 2025 is the ALGS’ introduction of a character ban system, where the most-used legends get stricken from the roster for an entire series at the end of every match. Pros like Verhulst often have high adaptability, so we asked how he’s liking the ban system.

“I think it helps our team because we’re all very versatile. No matter what gets banned, we’re confident. It’s probably one of the most fun changes they added to Apex Legends; it’s up there in the great changes to this game,” said Verhulst.

Since Verhulst is an expert on many legends, we picked his brain on which character he likes to use in casual play. Apparently, Verhulst is a huge fan of Pathfinder, as he rushed to explain:

“I think Pathfinder is really fun. He has a huge hitbox right now, and his zipline is kind of bad, but it’s fun to swing around. It’s like Spider-Man.”

If anybody could make Pathfinder work in a competitive environment, it’s 100 Thieves’ Verhulst due to his diverse legend knowledge.

Though Verhulst loves Apex Legends, a work-life balance is essential for any career. Sometimes esports athletes get burnt out after practicing for hours every day, as Verhulst told us during the interview:

“I definitely get burnt out. Playing scrims six hours a day, sometimes you get a slow day, and I’d rather be working out or watching a YouTube video.”

Finding a way to balance your career with secondary hobbies is important to avoid burnout, which could potentially kill an esports career. Many athletes head to the gym daily or pick up real-life sports as a way to relax.

Verhulst has found his bliss by spending time outside when he’s not grinding away on Apex, as he told Esports Insider at the ALGS Open: “Recently I picked up golfing, and sometimes I’d just rather be outside in the sun.”

Outside hobbies offer an escape from work. Whether you’re an office worker or an esports mega-star, everybody needs a way to relax, clear their mind, and temporarily escape from day-to-day responsibilities.

As a previous victor in an ALGS Championship, Verhulst is one of the most prominent members of the competitive Apex community. The athlete told us that getting to live his dream every day is “surreal” and that it’s what he’s always wanted.

“When I was young, this was something I wanted to do, and getting to actually do it is awesome – it’s surreal. I watched a lot of Scump YouTube videos growing up; he made it look fun to be an esports pro.”

As Verhulst continues to compete in Apex esports, he’ll likely continue to add new victories to his belt. 

In 2025, Verhulst is on his way to becoming one of the most notable names in competitive gaming history, and in the Apex Legends community, he’s already reached that point.