Mastiff spearheads ALGS Year 4 weapon meta, and here's why you should use it too

The ALGS Year 4 championship is yet to end, and players can see one weapon dominating the matches and stat charts — Mastiff. In previous seasons, this shotgun received significant buffs that made it an SS tier weapon, skyrocketing its pick rate. While Mastiff was nerfed this season, the shotgun is still viable and has been used by the pro players participating in the tournament.

We discuss why Mastiff dominates the ALGS Year 4 Championship charts as the best shotgun in Apex Legends and players should start using it.

Note: This article is subjective and solely relies on the writer’s opinion.

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Mastiff is one of the most-picked shotguns in the ALGS Year 4 Championship

As showcased in the X post by @_ApexStatus, Mastiff is the most used shotgun in the ALGS Year 4 Championship securing a whopping 637 kills and 216,335 damage in only three days. This displays how powerful and good the weapon is, even after the nerf it received recently with the Apex Legends Season 23 mid-season patch.

Since Respawn buffed Mastiff’s spread, the shotgun deals more damage. Moreover, as the spread is tighter than before, the weapon can consistently deal damage to mid-range adversaries. While Mastiff was nerfed right before the ALGS Year 4 Championship, it is still an excellent shotgun because of how dependable the weapon is. Unlike Peacekeeper, Mastiff’s pellet spreads horizontally, meaning players will deal a decent bit of damage even if they slightly miss the target.

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Reasons to start using Mastiff in Apex Legends

If you play Support Class Legends such as Gibraltar, Mastiff will be extremely useful to you as you can use the character’s Gun Shield effectively. Moreover, since this Legend has the perk to automatically reload the equipped shotgun after securing a knockdown, you can keep fighting and help your teammates without having to go back to cover to reload.

Compared to Peacekeeper, Mastiff can consistently deal more damage since the former’s choke needs to be charged before shooting. In CQB, you won't get to charge the choke and potentially lose a decent bit of damage, whereas Mastiff can be very reliable and easily secure knockdowns.

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