@reconzero I've never successfully defended a zone and not moved on in the mode. The thing is tho there are multiple rounds and your points reset each round so doing it once will not be enough. There are also other ways to earn points, such as getting Evo and opening the red bin. Actually, opening the red bin in round 3 is almost a guaranteed advance as it gives 50 points. My friend will die and look for one when coming out of the ship. The mode is horrific with randoms. None of them know how to get or keep a zone. And none seem to get that on the final drop you need to land in a good spot relative to the last point, which is not in the middle. I'll only play it with friends.
As for why people like the other modes over traditional Apex BR. Because it's still BR but with a twist. This means you still get BR feels but with the good feels from other types of modes. For me there isn't one or the other and a BR doesn't mean it has to be a certain way. Heck each BR outside of Apex has different rules so you can't even say a BR has to be a certain way.