Everybody has their favorite characters in Apex Legends. Sometimes, those characters also happen to be at the top of the meta, while other fan-favorite legends might not be “good” but have fun personalities or movement mechanics.
Mad Maggie fits in none of those categories. In fact, there are several arguments to be made that Mad Maggie is the least popular character that has ever been introduced to Apex. Her initial pick rate spike upon release was the lowest of any new character released since at least season nine, when Valkyrie made her first bow in the game. Even Newcastle, who’s been rock bottom on the Apex Legends Status pick rate charts for months now, was initially received better than Maggie.
But lately, Mad Maggie’s outlook has changed significantly. With the aid of some buffs in season 15, the addition of the assault class perks in season 16, and the aid of some high-profile players in the ALGS, Mad Maggie has slowly climbed the ranks over the past several months and has become a sneaky favorite for high-ranked players in Apex.
Mad Maggie’s lack of popularity upon entering the game can be chalked up to several things. She only had a tiny bit of movement ability thanks to the speed boost her Wrecking Ball could give. She felt similar in many ways to Fuse but with a sour personality. For many players, Maggie’s voice repeating itself over and over in some of season eight’s War Games LTMs (those that actually worked) was enough to steer clear of the character upon launch. She also didn’t have many streamers or pros playing her, as she wasn’t an exciting character for content, and she couldn’t touch the dominant Valkyrie-Gibraltar-Caustic composition that had come to define the pro meta in early 2021.
Related: Everyone might have missed Apex’s new Season 17 legend hiding in plain sight
Slowly, those things changed. Her Wrecking Ball was recognized for the speed utility it could afford her team. Her Riot Drill tactical and Warlord’s Ire passive, already tools that made her a monster in indoors and close-quarters combat, got more and more use as players found new applications for them, like smoking out Wattson and Catalyst teams trying to hold down positions, or spotting out enemies that she damaged in Banglore’s smoke with the brief scan that her passive grants her.
Also importantly, pro players and popular streamers began using her unironically in tournaments, showing off her potential to a wider array of players.
And while she’s faded away in the pro meta once more, that hasn’t stifled her growth this season. Instead, her pick rate has slowly climbed to just outside the top 10, according to Apex Legends Status, and she has more Masters and Predator players using her across all modes than that same group picks legends like Seer, Valkyrie, and Catalyst.
It’s a remarkable transformation for a character that once seemed to be the most hated legend in the game. And one that can be instructive for those players that are looking to gain an extra edge in their own gameplay. Tired of losing out fights to teams that bunker up inside a building and refuse to engage? Lock in Mad Maggie, throw out a Riot Drill, and see where the damage takes you.
