Evil Geniuses vs Cloud9

Last but certainly not least, we have an absolute barnburner between the incumbent champions Evil Geniuses and the perennial North American contenders Cloud9. This, for all intents and purposes, is a must watch: both teams are not only stacked and talented beyond measure but are also prone to skirmishing and entertaining those in attendance.

So, if you can, do make sure to tune in as this one's bound to deliver in every way, shape, and form!

Evil Geniuses are obviously favored but make no mistake: it will *not* be as lopsided as the odds would suggest. Cloud9 are a heavily flawed team, but they're also as clutch as it gets, and they have an immense amount of talent, too. All of this, when combined with their staggering experience, should result in them putting up one heck of a fight.

We don't think they'll win, but they sure will push the defending champions to their very limits.

Evil Geniuses are simply cut from a different kind of cloth. We still haven't acclimated to the sights of them dominating, but they're undeniably a towering giant — one whose might has no equal over in North America. They're better than all of their peers and, frankly, it's not even close. 100 Thieves, Team Liquid, and Cloud9 are all incredible in one way or another but they're still not incredible *enough* to truly stand a chance against the incumbent champions.

They're a truly incredible team with what can only be described as one of the best and most capable AD carries in the history of the region — and that's really saying something given Danny's many spectacular forerunners. But it's not just about his individual talent and mechanical prowess but also the way in which Evil Geniuses funnel all of their resources — from minute one until the very end. Danny leads the league in damage, gold, and CS per minute, and these laurels and impressive feats are nothing but a by-product of EG's unique playstyle. More often than not it looks like they're fighting 4 vs. 5 precisely because of Danny's "selfish" (and yet wholly vital) style of play. Whilst his team is fighting elsewhere, Danny's taking down a turret in the sidelanes, clearing out available jungle camps, taking out entire minion waves, and so on. He's building a big enough gold lead for himself so that when those hugely impactful mid and late game teamfights come around he has the tools and weapons to not only fight back but also seal the deal and push his team over the finish line.

Cloud9, however, have a prodigious marksman of their own: Berserker is every bit as good as Danny, and he's found similar amounts of success despite not getting as much gold as his North American adversary. Cloud9, as a whole, are astoundingly talented, but they still don't have any real synergy to speak of. They're engaging at different moments, without a clear identity and game plan in mind. And, well, those are faults and issues that simply cannot — and will not — be ameliorated in time for their clash against Evil Geniuses.

Be that as it may, their individual talent *alone* should be enough for them to stand a puncher's chance; EG would, therefore, be wise not to underestimate them, lest they risk getting upset. That's yet another thing worth mentioning: this series could, by all means, go the five-game distance. Cloud9 have a lot more Best of 5 experience than the defending LCS champions. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll perform better, but should the going the rough, they *will* be able to stand their ground and endure the many trials and tribulations of this most taxing format.

Fudge, Blaber, Jensen, and Zven all have an incredible amount of experience. They've been through it all and are LCS champions, too. There's really nothing that Evil Geniuses can do that would surprise them. Now, we don't think they'll win — they're just not cohesive enough to stand a chance — but they sure will make it competitive. Of that you can be certain.

In the end, it would be ludicrous of us to bet *against* the defending champions, what with them having so many avenues for success. They might not be perfect, but they sure are the best team in North America, and if they come out the gates with their well-known aggression and bravado, they *will* be able to come out on top and, as a result, lock down a ticket to the World Championship.