Shroud thinks Apex Legends hybrid mouse & controller meta is the future

As the Apex Legends aim assist debate reached a fever-pitch in Season 10, FPS legend Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek gave his two cents on the subject, and speculated that a hybrid controller-MNK approach will overtake the game’s meta.

The advantages of different inputs in Apex Legends has been a highly contested topic since the game’s release. With cross play now the norm, and even the ALGS adopting a shared controller-keyboard playing field in its second year, the debate is more pertinent than ever.

One voice who’s been outspoken on this issue from the start is Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek. Often regarded as one of the best FPS players in the world, his words carry plenty of weight, and he’s now offered up his own two cents on the often touchy subject.

On August 8, Apex Legends creator Jamison ‘PVPX’ Moore tweeted out that he was seriously debating a switch from MNK to controller, all to take advantage of that sweet aim assist. “This s**t is [an] aimbot up close,” he remarked.

Shortly after his tweet went out, a message from shroud popped up in the replies. “I always thought the meta would be to learn both and swap as you play,” he commented, then continued “[especially] since we’re going [so] deep into cross play.”

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Moore appeared to agree, and tweeted back “To be honest, it is. [Using] MNK for looting/rotating/range, then [swapping] to controller for anything up close [is the way to go].” He also confirmed that the hybrid approach is sanctioned during ALGS events, meaning pros can use the method without fear of disqualification.

PVPX is far from the only pro contemplating a switch to the dual input approach. Some professional players, like TSM’s Mac ‘Albralelie’ Beckwith, have even debated making a full-on switch to controller, arguing that the benefits far outweigh any potential pitfalls.

“I don’t care about all the other disadvantages like movement or long range [gunfights],” Beckwith shared while discussing the switch. “All I care about is mid/close range consistency, which is arguably the most important part of the game at a competitive level.”

Other pros aren’t sold on the idea, however. Jack ‘NiceWigg’ Martin, regarded as one of the top controller pros in Apex, disagreed with Beckwith’s plan to switch inputs, and argued that “[There’s] no shot if you were on ‘roller you are doing some of the plays you did on TSM’s 5 tourney win streak.”

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“The versatility a top MNK player brings [to their team] is way more than a controller,” Martin argued, and confirmed that “I think any top MNK player switching [to controller] is making a bad decision.”

The hybrid input craze continues to swamp the pro Apex Legends scene, and while many high-level competitors will stick to mouse and keyboard, with figures like shroud advocating for the hybrid approach there’s bound to be others who try it out — even if they don’t stick with it forever.