Evil Geniuses
2022-09-02 20:25:00
Team SoloMid

Evil Geniuses vs Team SoloMid

2022-09-02 15:13:35Posted by Petar

What a truly peculiar match-up. It's lopsided at heart, but there's also a kind of weariness lingering in the air, and it has to do with EG's most recent performance. Well, assuming we can even call it that. Their 1-3 loss to Cloud9 was, to put it mildly, worrying. They looked lost, seemingly incapable of mounting any kind of an offensive. They looked weak and frail and, frankly, mediocre. That was not the Evil Geniuses we all came to know and respect, the crazy, creative, mechanically dominant line-up with a skill ceiling so tremendous one couldn't help but start watering at the mouth.

None of that -- i.e. their many qualities -- was on display a few days ago and we, for one, still don't understand why. Did something happen behind the scenes? Did a most nuanced meta shift occur without us realizing it? Did they just have a bad week of practice? Or were they, conversely, outclassed by a team more capable? We don't want to talk too much about Cloud9 at this particular moment but they did *everything* right. They neutralized EG in ways we hadn't seen before. They exploited their few weaknesses with such ease and precision -- it was an absolute shellacking.

Inspired had an awful series. Impact looked like a scrub. Jojo got first-blooded three games in a row, punished for his hubris and overconfidence. And Danny, EG's most prominent win condition and catalyst? Meek, unimpactful, lost. EG couldn't funnel all of their resources into this exceptional young AD carry and his ability to dominate suffered greatly as a result. He was a complete and utter non-factor. And, in all fairness, he couldn't hold a candle to Berserker.

EG got "skill gapped" -- hard. They also have some very serious champion pool issues. Cloud9 flexed and improvized beyond measure, they always found what worked for them which made executing a lot easier (and more straightforward). Evil Geniuses, on the other hand, sort of had an outdated read on what worked and what didn't. Their drafts were, at the very least, subpar. Danny, also, deserve a bit of the blame. He's just not particularly good at today's most prominent ADC picks. He leans more towards Aphelios and Jinx -- not Zeri, Sivir, Kalista, Draven. He's passive in lane, he collects his gold whenever and wherever possible and then, once the time comes, shines bright in teamfights and makes the game-winning plays. The most popular AD carries, however, require a more proactive approach, to say nothing of exceptional lane dominance, something for which Danny simply isn't known for.

And so if Evil Geniuses cannot harness their most potent win condition and star player, what hope do they have of truly going the distance and leaving a mark?

The odds are certainly stacked against them, although it's still way too early to counter them out. They *do* have lots of things to fix and focus on, which is why this particular Best of 5 is so important: TSM FTX is, in comparison, an "easy" opponent, one with very pronounced strengths and weaknesses.

Evil Geniuses, even on a bad day, should be more than capable enough to deliver and, subsequently, come out on top.

Speaking of the boys in black and white, a lot of credit has to go their way for the fact that they've come this far -- in spite of the odds. They don't have the best players, the highest skill ceiling, or the most talent, and yet they still huddled up and delivered against FlyQuest in an insanely competitive Best of 5. It was a twist for the ages, and they showcased a tremendous amount of grit and resilience throughout the whole ordeal. They've earned our respect, at the very least, and even though they're not going to be leaving much of a mark once everything is said and done they are nonetheless a very feisty challenger and should not be underestimated whatsoever.

They're not on EG's level, though. And, well, that really shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The thing we're wondering right now is: how did EG react to their most recent defeat? It's not an easy thing to stomach, after all. Did they huddle up and unite as a team or, conversely, argue and point fingers? We'll find out soon enough. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one but are nonetheless wary of a potential upset. It's extremely unlikely, but strange things *have* been happening lately in the world of Western League of Legends, so it's definitely not outside the realm of reason.

GamePickBookmakerOddsStakeResult
Evil Geniuses Pinnacle 1.17 1 Win

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