Nonfiction · Esports History
Against the Meta traces the evolution of women's competitive Apex Legends, telling the story of a circuit built from scratch by the players, organizers, coaches, and casters who saw it needed to be.
Dr. Sam Leif
Foreword by Jack "NiceWigg" Martin · TBS Publishing
In September 2019, a female player named Esdesu completed a 1v3 clutch on the main stage in Kraków, Poland, in front of a live crowd at one of Apex Legends' first major international tournaments.
Against the Meta is the first documented history of women's competitive Apex Legends, drawn from twenty six firsthand interviews, tournament archives, Discord records, and player testimony. It follows the players, organizers, coaches, and casters who built a circuit from the ground up, chasing the chance to compete on terms where skill was the only thing being measured.
Reported with the rigor of investigative journalism, Against the Meta is a story about persistence, about labor that rarely gets recorded, and about what a community builds when no one else is going to build it for them.
All profits from launch through February 2027 go directly to funding a women's Apex Legends tournament.
"Women competing in these spaces gives an example to little girls like the kid I used to be.
Imagine being able to look up to a woman at that level, showing you that you can do it too. Now imagine being a young girl, and no women are playing at all."
Victoria "VikkiKitty" Perez
Professional Apex Caster
Launch Tie-In · September 12 · 3:00 PM PST
To celebrate the book launch, Ignite Women's Circuits is hosting a women's only Apex Legends tournament. Every legend comp played across the six games is pulled straight from the scene's own history, recreating the comps that defined women's tournaments over the years.
Proceeds Tournament · March 2027
Every dollar of profit from Against the Meta through February 2027 will fund a second women's Apex Legends tournament. Buy an extra copy for a friend, a niece, or the guy at work who still doesn't believe women play ranked. Every copy is one more drop in the fund. Let's make it huge.
Read it your way. Available in both paperback and ebook formats. Out September 1.
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