Overview
Rhys Perry, better known by his online alias and gaming handle Zer0, is an Australian professional Apex Legends player currently playing for Team Liquid. From Brisbane, Zer0 played professional Apex for DarkZero from 2022 to 2024 as their In-Game Leader (IGL), before moving to Team Falcons. Competing in the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS), Zer0 is a three-time LAN winner, including winning the 2022 ALGS Championship.
Early career and Reignite
In 2020, Zer0 played for EXO Clan, a British esports organization. With EXO, he won the Oceanic qualifier in 2021. The team would eventually be renamed Reignite after the org's Reignite North team disbanded. The trio played in the APAC South region and would win the region's 2022 ALGS Pro League. their win was considered a surprise. On 4 July 2022, the Zer0/Genburten/Sharky trio left Reignite.
DarkZero
After speaking for some time about eventually signing to an organization based in the North American region, Zer0 signed to Las Vegas-based DarkZero Esports. Sharky would then leave the team, with Rody "Xynew" Geissle filling the roster spot. With Xynew, Zer0 and Genburten would win the 2023 ALGS Split 2 Playoffs. Upon winning their third LAN, Zer0 and Genburten became the only 3-time LAN championships in ALGS history. With the win, Zer0 was also awarded his second Monster MVP.
Team Falcons
DarkZero would finish the 2024 Split 1 Playoffs LAN as runner-ups to Reject Winnity of the APAC North region. Following this, it was announced that Zer0 and Genburten would be leaving DarkZero, and joining with Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen, to form a "superteam" for the Split 2 season. Initially unclear if this would be under the DZ banner, Though ImperialHal served as an IGL for his previous team, he relinquished the role to Zer0 when they joined the Falcons roster. The three played together at the 2024 Esports World Cup's Apex Legends tournament, placing second and winning the silver medal.
Player profile
Zer0 served as the captain and IGL for DarkZero and Team Falcons during his time with the respective organizations. In his role, he makes call-outs for his teammates, with his calls being seen as particularly "aggressive" by spectators. He is also often noted for his high damage outputs and kill counts. Also writing for the publication, Justin-Ivan Labilles and Adam Snavely commended Zer0, stating he "stands as the prime example of how textbook Apex should be played, from ring rotations to identifying vulnerable targets and knowing when to fully commit to a fight." Prior to his win at the Stockholm LAN, Zer0 stated that he had a reputation as a "match point choker", having never won in the APAC South region. Following his LAN success in 2022, Zer0 garnered a reputation for his Apex prowess, particularly as an IGL.
Ben Sledge of TheGamer wrote that "adapting to losing star fragger Genburten and teaching your tactics to a newcomer during the competition shows a level of leadership that many Apex IGLs will never be able to match". Indeed, Zer0's reputation as an elite IGL has maintained and heading into the 2024 ALGS Split 1 Playoffs, he was considered one of the best IGLs in competitive Apex. Sledge wrote that out of match contexts, Zer0 is "incredibly laid back ... coming across as casual, confident, and a little cocksure." he ranked fourth all-time after the 2023 ALGS Championship.