ImperialHal on Verhulst breakup: Not IGL-ing “has given me an understanding of how Evan felt”

It was a move that shook Apex Legends to the core, but after five years of dominance under the TSM banner, Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen opted to bow out of the reigning World Championship roster and move over to join Team Falcons with two of his fiercest rivals from DarkZero.

His departure from TSM stunned the community but also affected his relationship with former teammate and friend Evan "Verhulst" Verhulst, who was by his side for three years.

The relationship between the two became quite a public feud after Verhulst claimed that Hal made him "miserable" at times, and while the winning mentality he had was one of the reasons behind their Champs win, his emotions would often boil over and create friction.

As ImperialHal begins life on-stage in Falcons colours, he told GGRecon that the move was necessary, although ditching the IGL banner has made him more retrospective and "understanding" of the team dynamic he left behind. 

ImperialHal opens up about needing Falcons switch

TSM were undeniably the best team in the world and the best team Apex Legends has ever seen, standing the test of time and winning multiple championships over the five-year tenure.

However, it was a breakdown and clash in personalities that saw their demise, and ImperialHal opened up to me about how he felt at the end of the era.

"I don't mind being honest and I don't think it really matters if you know, but, there's always been a thing with my previous teammates where my behaviour was not always the best as a leader. Previous teammates have resented me for that," he began.

"There was a time period when Verhulst just couldn't handle me anymore and that was affecting his gameplay a lot."

Verhulst previously noted on-stream that he even found playing Ranked "miserable" with Hal, actively avoiding situations that could result in temperatures rising. Things even got heated during the 2023 World Championship, where Evan claimed he offered to get physical with Hal for bringing up old mistakes, just hours before they went out and lifted the trophy.

"Obviously, there were times when I tried to talk to him about it," Hal continued.

"I tried to change who I was, but I felt it was impossible. I felt like it was at a point where I tried to talk to him about it and he said, 'Yeah, everything's fine' but it wasn't.

"At the same time, I couldn't change who I was because that's not the only reason why I'm successful, but it got me there in the first place."

Ultimately, ImperialHal joined forces with two of the three from DarkZero, forming a "super team", although the dynamics were about to change quite significantly for him.

ImperialHal on compassion for Verhulst after TSM split

Now though, ImperialHal is not the ringleader, his hat has been passed over and now Rhys "Zer0" Perry is the greatest showman.

Many have wondered just how Hal would adjust to not being the shot-caller after years of success moving TSM around, but rather than the fissures spoiling over and erupting, it appears that time away from the captain's armband has made him reflect on his previous actions.

"It's a very different perspective for me. I get the receiving end. I'm not the one giving it anymore," he said.

"Obviously I can I can give it to Zero too, but I try to hold back. It's his team. He's the IGL."

Now, Hal is to Zer0 what Verhulst was to Hal, and he told me that it made him more compassionate about understanding why the TSM split ended the way it did.

"It's a different perspective and it has given me an understanding of how Evan felt," he continued. The word "respect" was also on the tip of his tongue, before he said "understanding".

"At the time, I did understand why he was feeling that way. But I felt like I couldn't lead if I took a step back, because then I felt like we were not fixing things. Yet if I don't take a step back, then he just shut down. So I was in a predicament."

However, Hal is adamant that despite the criticism for his attitude as a leader and his treatment of Verhulst, he wouldn't change if he could re-do the last year.

"But at the same time, let's say for some reason we play together again with me as IGL, for whatever reason, I’d still do the same thing," he said.

"It's just like a leader thing. People won't understand unless you're in their shoes. There's a reason why only the leaders of any team are like that."

All eyes are now on ImperialHal and Zer0 to see how they meander the new roles and responsibilities, as the so-called super team has the talent to dominate for years to come, but questions about cohesion will never be far away.