The turmoil that plagued the TI5 champions and overshadowed the release of the next major Dota 2 update is coming to an end. Fresh rumors about Evil Geniuses have appeared online: it is reported that the new team lineup will seem very familiar to fans. Is this news somehow connected with the virtually confirmed Digital Chaos disband?
New information about the current state of the roster has appeared online. Evil Geniuses who yesterday Arthur "Arteezy" Babaev and Saahil "UNiVeRsE" Arora. The Polygon portal, citing its source, reports that Syed Sumail "Suma1L" Hassan and Clinton "Fear" Loomis have decided to continue playing under the flag Evil Geniuses. However, rumors about their departure from the team were not unfounded: Suma1L & Fear really considered this possibility and were close to abandoning their captain, Peter "ppd" Dager, however, ultimately decided that now was not the right time for this.
According to information from Polygon, the new composition Evil Geniuses will seem familiar to fans of the team, but specific names are kept silent. However, fans E.G. They can rest assured that the discord was overcome and their combat capability was partially preserved.
Thus, the fog of reshuffles clears a little, and now we can draw some conclusions. In fact, an article from Polygon tells us about a return to Evil Geniuses a player like Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling from which the champions The International 5 got rid of them after their triumph at the tournament. After today Digital Chaos This scenario seems very plausible. In addition, it is possible that Sam "BuLba" Sosale, who was listed as a member Digital Chaos, will also don the “evil geniuses” uniform again. However, more accurate information will appear closer to the transfer deadline, set for March 27.
About why the current world champions The International 5 found themselves on the verge of disbandment, you can read in
At the beginning of the week, Evil Geniuses introduced new players to their team. Gustav s4 Magnusson and Tal Fly Aizik, who left OG, joined the lineup. Reddit was not prepared for this turn of events. A team with two TI champions, a major champion and Arthur is under pressure high hopes, but in the first matches they don’t go well.
“The main contender for victory at TI8.” What you need to know about the new EG line-up
The American team Evil Geniuses has assembled a lineup that, on paper, frightens viewers and analysts. But it's not that simple.
* This roster has 2 EG players, 2 OG players and Cr1t who is 50/50. Perfect balance as it should be.
* These are two of the best purchases you can imagine. An independent offlaner and an experienced and competent captain. Good luck at the Super Major, guys!
* Fly gets up early. Fly wants the guys to get up with him, go to training and eat a healthy breakfast. RTZ and Sumail send him to hell. Thoughts that this was a mistake begin to creep into Fly's head.
Any team with Arthur and Sumail has huge potential. Let's hope Fly can curb their selfishness.
* We are losing tournaments. Let's add more European players, VGJ.Storm helped!
* Best option for EG. High level players with a good history. Although their previous composition was the same. But since TI is already close, there is no time to create a team from outsiders. And if Sumail imagines, Fly just might beat him.
* n0tail will come when Arthur is kicked from EG after TI.
* I liked the EG lineup until Sumail started posting his selfish tweets again.
* Guys, behave like adults. Sumail and Arteezy just moved to OG. Give them time to discover their talent. Let's not jump to conclusions so quickly. These guys can win TI8, and you will have to bite your elbows.
Changes in OG
OG suffered the most from EG's desire to return to the top. As Sebastian told 7ckngmad Debs, the departure of their teammates came as a surprise to them. The team had to withdraw from Supermajor and spend a week searching for new players. As a result, Anatan Ana Pham returned to the OG lineup, and he was accompanied by the famous puber Topson. Johan n0tail Sundstein will return to support positions to the delight of fans of those same Cloud9.
* Everything is fine. Last time n0tail and Fly went their separate ways, and then reunited and created the best team in the history of the majors.
*What the hell? This will kill OG. Will Misery return to Europe? Is Khezu coming? This is the deadest version of the European scene. Good players flee because there is no competition and no investment. Any team that comes to the LAN from the European qualifiers takes last place.
* As an OG fan, I want to ask Na"Vi and Alliance fans what to expect in the coming months and years. Some psychological support hotline numbers wouldn't hurt either.
*I thought there would never be a sadder day than when Miracle, Moon and Crit left OG. How wrong I was. As for me, this team has always been about Fly and n0tail. No matter how bad they played, I would always support them, but now it's over.
It saddens me that Fly did this to n0tail after they said they would play together until someone retired. I know it's business. But I didn't expect this.
*If this line-up achieves more than EG, I'll laugh.
* Ana always played in 1st position. I think mid has changed now, so light would suit him better. If necessary, he can always move to mid.
* Topson MK Kreygasm. Almost everyone fell apart rating match in Europe with his mid MK. He was also one of the people who popularized the QW Invoker with Meteor Hammer and Spirit Vessel.
*I'm actually glad to see n0tail returning to support. Makes me nostalgic for the c9 days.
Jimmy DeMoN Ho retires
Jimmy the Traveler decided his adventure was over. During his career, he played in almost all regions, was ready to help any team if it needed a replacement player, became the author of unforgettable highlights about Classic Jimmy, and generally gave Dota a lot of positive moments. He tried to return to the game with Team Admiral, but parting with his family and friends was difficult for him. Now he plans to focus on something other than the game. And he expects to be invited to TI8 as an analyst.
* Since he made the announcement so close to the TI8 qualifiers, I can assume that he had a choice between another attempt to play 10 hours a day and leaving Dota with other plans (as a coach, analyst at TI8). It seems that spending so much time in other countries has taken a toll on him, and being kicked out of teams so often has affected his mentality. So the end of my career was inevitable. I wish him the best of luck in whatever he does in the future. He is truly one of the most positive and nice people on the scene.
*I'm sad that he's leaving. This is an iconic personality. I remember him running around the tier 1 tower on Venge on haste, just because he could. And how OG spent a lot of sentry to find a ward that he didn’t place.
Thank you Jimmy for bringing Philippine Dota to the light. This win against OG was monumental for us in SEA. $5 mouse never forget.
* Demon inspired me to take Dota seriously, even though I used to play it just for fun. This was 12 years ago. I'm only top 1000 in America right now, but his play in Dota 1 was a huge inspiration to me and the reason why I got this far. The best Beastmaster in the first Dota and one of best players in the history of the American stage.
* He was an incredible “what if?” player. Jimi is very talented and actually a good player, but the only person who was dragging him back was himself. I remember this lineup of Take 5, which is where SADBOYS came from. This team could be something special if Demon didn't miss matches to get fit.
* It's probably better to catch fire with something else than to try to keep a dying fire going. What really matters is the incredible, impactful memories he has made over the years.
Loda ends her career
Following Jimmy, another legend decided to leave the professional stage. A week before the qualifications for The International, Jonathan Loda Berg announced his retirement. He was one of the original gods in the first Dota, the main bug detector and champion of The International 3. Now he will train the Alliance roster, and Max Qojqva Broker took his place in the team.
* This has been a long time coming. Now their TI3 champions only have s4 left in the game.
*We will miss him. Now there will be more bugs in the game.
* All the best to you, Loda. I know you'll never read this, but I'll just leave this message in the empty space of the internet. You and the rest of the TI3 roster are heroes to me. And I’m saying this, a 40-year-old man. You inspired me, and no one will go through the same path to TI as you.
* Loda gave an interview on May 11 in which he spoke about this. Among other things, he said that he felt as if he had reached his peak in the first Dota. When he was a mid laner, he felt more skilled from a mechanical standpoint.
For example, he compared himself to Miracle. He understood that he was a good player in Dota, but he never managed to rise to the level that he achieved in the first Dota.
* Sad day. Today we lost a Dota pioneer. One of the original gods. He inspired countless people and pro players to dedicate themselves to Dota and played at an insanely high level for a long time. He was one of the first pro players to play in SEA. I was a Na"Vi fan during TI3 and I was never a fan of Loda, but I respect him a lot. The kids may spam their Lulda, but old farts like me remember how much Loda gave to the scene. He was here before he was here money and fame come. All the best to you, Loda.
* Despite all the failures in recent years, his love for the game and desire to return to the top cannot be taken away from him. He dedicated himself to the team he created and did a lot for it. It's a pity that he couldn't return to the level he reached during TI3, but everything comes to an end. This is truly the end of an era. Let's see if Alliance can return to the top and restore the tag to its former glory.
* Another legend leaves. It was an honor to play one of the first DotA games with you back in WC3. And watch you progress and walk towards the light, LordOfDolAmroth. Our paths only crossed a couple of times early in your career, but it was a miracle to watch you play, develop, dominate, and win at TI.
Stumbling Chest
Every year history repeats itself. Valve releases a chest, redditors curse and say that it was better before, but your sets are not very good. But this time Collector's Cache caused very heated discussions. Forum users noted that there were many works left in the Workshop that clearly deserved to be included in the game, and the attention of the developers was received by the same authors as in previous treasuries. Now players are demanding release a second chest that will satisfy their aesthetic needs, and then select items for CC through voting.
* The set on Undying is cool and unique. I also like Warlock. Glad it's rare, don't want to spend too much to get it if it were super rare.
* This set on Weaver is the ugliest set in Dota history. So many amazing works in the workshop.
*Always the same heroes. Veno. Witch Doctor and Invoker have already received a set each, Undying has received sets for the third year in a row.
* It seems to me that reddit never likes the sets that Valve releases. Every time something new comes out, but there is only negativity around.
* I don't like this approach: "Let's fill the chest with all sorts of garbage and put only a couple of decent sets in there, make them rare and let them rock."
*It's not that they chose bad sets. There are a few scary ones, but overall everything is good. Just considering the competition in the workshop, it could have been better.
* The workshop has been in this condition for several years. And I can recommend that authors just don't try. You're doing this kind of work for a very low chance of compensation, and it's a shame. Just accept that there is no equality in the Workshop. If your goal is not to become part of some creative group, but simply to make a network based on inspiration, then don’t worry.
*They tend to favor artists whose content is already in the game because they consider them to be more reliable when it comes to copyright. And even less paperwork to complete documents.
* Plot twist: they will release a second chest and there will be sets in there that you will not like even more.
* Why do you consider yourself to be the voice of every player in Dota and want changes to suit your personal tastes? Out of 17 sets I think 2 are terrible and 3 are mediocre. In my opinion, most of them are beautiful. There may be people who think these horrifying sets are beautiful. There will always be someone who doesn't like most sets.
*If you have to pay to vote, this system will work better. Valve selects the sets they approve, and then each Battle Pass owner can cast a certain number of votes equal to the number of sets in the chest.
*Voting doesn't work because people can manipulate voting for their own purposes. In the case of arcana, this does not matter. Valve will get the money anyway. But the Workshop means that someone will earn 10k, and someone 0.
Group stage Supermajor
Supermajor pleased the audience with a worthy format. Except that every morning I had to watch 4 streams. But the chosen approach to the group stage paid off: the top teams ended up in the upper bracket, those who didn’t win went to the lower bracket, and TNC and OpTic Gaming are fighting for the right to get to TI8 directly.
* Guys, you just don't understand. EG needs to hit rock bottom for RTZ to become a true SadBoy. And then they will reveal their potential.
* I want to see the faces of s4 and Fly when they realize that RTZ is worse than notail.
* VG is not the best team at finishing the game, but let's be serious. This good composition. It's not like EG lost to some Infamous.
* Spirit seems to be performing better than everyone expected. This year's CIS qualifiers will be delicious. There are also Na"Vi, Vega and FTM among the participants.
* Liquid looks like a very beatable team, but they try different strategies and continue to win. Although their group is probably the lightest. I can imagine that they will become a difficult opponent for VP\LGD.
* Ramzes is just a monster. He's probably the least talked about when it comes to MVP and stuff, but this guy kicks ass on carries.
*You know what the VPs will do, but they're just better than you. That's why they are so constant over time. They don't need to interrupt you or surprise you. They'll just outplay you.
* Get ready for the next threads with accusations of Sumail and the draft, but again no one will notice how often Arthur is caught in disposition and he dies, in fact loses games to them. And all because your RTZ boy can't play bad.
* EG looks like a retirement home for retired pro players.
* Has anyone else here gotten a glimmer of the idea that EG needs some good games to strengthen the team's mentality?
* TNC and upper mesh. Name a more iconic duet. - TNC and the lower bracket after the first game in the playoffs?
* Puppey is the inventor of the meta. He picks something strange and loses, but other teams learn from it even more than he does.
* Mushi will always be Mushi, but it's time for their drafter (71) to stop giving ice3 Omni. He may be a top offlaner, but someone has to say it: his Omni sucks
* It’s so nice to watch your favorite team fall apart like this. I was worried at the beginning of the season when they had fy playing in position 3, but I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Chalice and xNova in the lineup. So proud of my boys.
* LGD and VP are the definite top 2 in the world. Why did you even expect OpTic to win?
* PPD is the only reason why American Dota has not become a meme. I can't understand what EG was thinking when they stayed with Sumail.
* Credit must be given to OpTic. They probably won't be able to beat any team in the top 4 in the world, but they are worth loving for the way they play when they're behind.
* What a shame it would be for OpTic not to get into the top 4. They are definitely stronger than VGJ.T, but they are unlikely to take their place in the top DPC.
Statistics of the week
Art of the week
Now Johan n0tail Sundstein will play in the support position. But that's no reason to forget his Lone Druid.
Moments of the week
To the super major - super highlights. Teams are already making rapmags and organizing team fights at The International level. For example, Armel from TNC Predator ruined Evil Geniuses
And OpTic Gaming was able to turn the game around against VGJ.Thunder thanks to excellent and coordinated performances from Neta 22 Shapira and Ludwig Zai Wolberg. Will appeal to those who admired the highlights from Virtus.pro
And where without highlights from Xiu Fy Linsen? This guy always knows where his opponents are going.
Failure of the week
However, failures do happen at a super major. VGJ.Storm took Enigma in the decisive game against Mineski. But it seems that the opponents had too many stuns.
We continue introducing the participants of The International 2015! Next up are the bronze medalists of last year's World Championship - the Americans Evil Geniuses.
Compound
1.Clinton “Fear” Loomis (USA)
2. Sued Sumail "Sumail" Hassan (Pakistan)
3. Saahil "Universe" Arora (USA)
4. Curtis "Aui_2000" Ling (Canada)
5. Peter “ppd” Dagher (USA, captain)
Last year, “Evil Geniuses” were forced to play at The International with a suboptimal lineup: due to a hand injury, Fear was forced to miss the tournament. Mason "Mason" Venne played in his position, but many experts agreed that with Clinton the team could reach greater heights. Now Clinton is in the ranks, and the American team is considered one of the main favorites of The International.
Achievements of Evil Geniuses for the 2014/15 season
1st place - World E-Sport Championships 2014 ($97,556)
1st place - ASUS ROG DreamLeague Season 2 ($40,000)
1st place - Dota 2 Asia Championships ($1,284,158)
1st place - StarLadder Star Series Season 10 ($105,291)
During the season, the team lost Artur "Arteezy" Babaev and Ludwig "Zai" Wahlberg. In their place came the strong, but lacking stars from the sky Aui_2000 and Sumail, practically unknown to anyone before. I would also like to tell you about the mid player from Pakistan that at the time of his victory in the Dota 2 Asia Championship he was only 15 years old!
Strengths
Home support. The Americans will push EG forward very hard!
The Clinton Loomis Experience. Fear is one of the most experienced Dota players in the world. Few can boast of the same game base on top level.
X-Factor: ppd peaks. Peter Dagher is considered by many to be one of the best captains when it comes to choosing heroes.
Flaws
Sumail's youth. A young player, even with all the experience gained this season, may not be able to cope with the pressure of The International.
Favorite status. Many teams will look up to EG during the preparation for the tournament, so the Evil Geniuses will have a hard time in matches against all teams.
Last year, EG's place in the top three came as a surprise to many viewers. If this year the Americans are able to take the Aegis of Champions, it will be quite expected.
Well, for dessert we leave you with the game that was the last at the Dota 2 Asia Championship:
Forecast for The International 2015: 1st place.
Dota 2 is one of the most popular games on at the moment. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that this game began to quickly and rapidly gain momentum, as a result of which it became one of the eSports disciplines.
E-sports - what is it?
eSports is new look competitions where users can compare their gaming skills using computer technology. E-sports originated back in 1997, but then such a concept did not exist. Groups of friends would simply get together and play competitive games to see who was the coolest. Sometimes such “tournaments” even had a prize fund, which was a case of beer, a small amount of money, etc. But times are changing. At the moment, eSports is growing rapidly. There are a huge number of disciplines and tournaments where players from all over the world defend the honor of their team and country. The prize pools of the largest tournaments are measured in millions of dollars.
Dota 2 and eSports
One of the fastest growing areas of eSports is Dota 2. A huge number of teams, many tournaments and simply crazy prize pools that only fuel interest. Do you doubt the reliability of this information? You can give a specific example. Prize fund The International 2014 (the annual Dota 2 tournament) totaled over $10 million! They came to compete for this money best teams from all over the world. One of these teams is Evil Genius Dota 2. You can find out the composition, history and achievements of this team by reading this article.
Story
One of the most popular teams- Evil Genius Dota 2. Photos of the members of this team and its logo are shown below.
The history of Evil Genius begins back in 1999. It was then that the decision was made to create the first North American esports organization. At first the team had few divisions, but then “Evil Geniuses” began to grow, and by 2007 a Counter-Strike division was created, which turned out to be very successful. Thanks to the fact that EG CS won many tournaments, it became possible to master new disciplines. Currently, "Evil Geniuses" have divisions for such games as Counter-Strike, Starcraft 2, Quake Live, World of Warcraft, Super Street Fighter 5: Black Edition. Evil Genius Dota 2 is a division that only appeared in 2011. This happened after The International in Cologne.
Evil Genius Dota 2: composition
Over the years, the composition of the team has constantly changed. Many American professional e-sportsmen were members of Evil Genius Dota 2. The composition of the team today is as follows:
- Peter "ppd" Daeger. The team captain who replaced the legendary Fear. Peter has an excellent strategic mind, thanks to which EG often wins. In the game, "ppd", like most captains, plays the role of support. Peter often plays for Crystal Maiden, Bane, Treant Protector.
- Arthur "Arteezy" Babaev. Serves as a mid player in the team. Arthur often uses interesting tactics, which makes it almost impossible to predict his actions. Plays mainly as Shadow Fiend, Outworld Devourer, Naga Siren.
- Saahil "Universe" Arora. Plays mainly as hardliners. One of the oldest American e-sportsmen. He has been performing on the professional stage since the days of Defense of the Anicent. Favorite heroes: Dark Seer, Clockwerk, Furion.
- Ludwig "Zai" Vohlberg. He plays the role of support in the team. Known as one of the youngest e-sportsmen (he is only 17 years old). Often plays as Wisp, Bane, Visage.
- Mason "mason" Venn. Plays as carry heroes. Although he started playing Dota 2 professionally relatively recently, he shows excellent results. Favorite characters: Luna, Mirana, Weaver.
The diversity of the team is the main feature of Evil Genius Dota 2. The composition of the “Evil Geniuses” is quite diverse. There are both “Dota veterans” and very young players. It helps to look at Dota 2 from different sides and come up with the best strategy. This is what makes EG very dangerous opponents.
Achievements
The EG team often takes part in various tournaments and in most cases takes prizes. Over the past year, she won first place in Starladder Season 10, Asia Championships Season 1, World ESports Championship 2014, DreamHack DreamLeague Season 2. But, perhaps, the main achievement is 3rd place at The Internetional 2014. For this the team received neither much nor little - a million dollars.
The Summit 8. American minor with not the strongest line-up of participants. Evil Geniuses intended to play in the finals. And she didn’t even make it into the top four. For a team of this level, this is a failure. For players who only want to win, this is a disaster. “Evil Geniuses” are not a team that will bite the bullet and work on mistakes until the last minute. That's why they made changes that no one expected.
The team changed its coach, line formation and captain. Sumail Sumail Hassan, one of the best mid laners in the world, is now playing in the off lane instead of Saahil Universe Arora. Clinton Fear Lumis, who recently returned from injury, will take the core position. The captain of EG will be Rasmus Misery Philipsen, who has no experience in controlling such star fives. Yes, against this background, even 5-6th place at The Summit does not look like such a disaster!
However, let's take a closer look. Because each of their decisions has its own grain of logic and truth.
Sumail on a difficult line
The most shocking and unexpected part of the announcement. Yes, Sumail on the middle line was not worried better times with a change of meta. The hardest thing for him was the transition from 1 on 1 to almost 3 on 3 in every game. No matter what pair of supports Sumail played with, he was unable to interact at the laning stage. This meta literally drove him crazy. And EG found an original solution to this problem.
Mid laners moving to difficult line, is no longer news. Gustav s4 Magnusson and Andrian Fata Trinks showed that changing the role is not as difficult as commentators and fans make it out to be. Especially now, when it is the hardliners who often stand 1v1 against each other or a carry left to their own devices. It looks like extremely comfortable playing conditions for Sumail. And if you have to stand against a classic double or triple, well, Sumail has been putting up with this for two years now. But no one will reproach people so much for the deaths and wait with bated breath for comebacks.
But the comparison of Sumail with s4 and Fata can hardly be called equal. The Swede and the German have long served as hardliners in their teams, simply starting from the middle line. Initiate, absorb the initial damage, create space for the carry to farm. Even their hero pool has always looked like a difficult laner. Another thing is Sumail. A fan of active caster heroes, an excellent farmer and a player who demands that the team build tactics around him. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would sacrifice himself or his resources.
However, now it is possible best moment to take a step towards a role change. Puck, Queen of Pain, Tiny - they all settled in the complex lane and are perfect for Sumail. Even after The International 5, trying to smooth out the competition for farming between Arthur and Sumal, Peter PPD Dager made him a kind of mid-offlaner, allowing him to play on Beastmaster, Timbersaw and Nyx Assassin. Sumail has something to dig up in his hero pool. But you will have to work a lot on your playing style, because EG only lacked a hardliner that would eat up the core pair.
There is also an important psychological moment in this change. No matter how sarcastic Sumail was on Twitter towards his former captain, PPD was right - Sumail got lazy and believed in himself too much. He behaved frivolously during training and practically did not devote time to personal practice. He was practically invisible in pubs, but in PUBG he is simply a champion, even on streams! Now he will have to work on himself to master a new role and characters. He's already returned to the pubs to try out heroes and train laning. At least one problem has been resolved. The only task ahead is to become a hardliner at the Universe level and not react to endless comparisons. And there will be more of them than any other player.
Fear on core role
Fear's return to the game was not a triumph. A different position, greater responsibility and even a new injury - all this turned out to be too serious an obstacle. But, as a mentor and internal stabilizer, EG still needs him; without him, the team falls apart in critical situations. The obvious conclusion remains - to return him to his usual and successful role.
If you've been wanting your 2014 to come back to you, this is it. Fear and Arteezy cover each other's backs, share farm, and Arthur selflessly learns the wisdom of Clinton. Many still believe that this couple was even stronger and more harmonious than Fear + Sumail. It is still unknown what exact role each of them will occupy, but in 2014 they actively changed lines depending on the hero. Now it is not only effective, but also fashionable.
The most important thing is that the transition of Fear to the role of carry or mid decides the most important problem EG is a combination of Sumail and Arteezy. They struggled with this at the end of 2015, and faced the same thing after the reshuffle at TI6. When Peter PPD Dagher tweeted about kicking Arthur and or Sumail, he didn't mean that either of them didn't deserve a place in EG. Simply combining them in a core pair “is a dream that, unfortunately, will remain a dream.” Now Sumail is mastering a difficult line, and precious Arteezy has been returned to a more suitable and accommodating partner who does not drag the game onto himself.
But to achieve this, Fear will again have to make several sacrifices. He said that the role of support and captain gave him a little more free time that he could devote to himself and his family. The core role will take it away again. But something else is worse. He went to a support position so as not to risk his newly healed hand, and even without this he earned himself new injury. Training will have to be resumed at the same volume, there will only be more work, and the load on the arm will increase. One gets the feeling that Clinton is going all-in to save two boys who, in two years, have not learned to equally divide the creeps on the map. Well, this team needs a hero. And if others are not ready to risk their egoism and farming, then Fear will make its sacrifice.
Captain Misery
While everyone was discussing changes in the lineup, another event faded into the background. Actually, EG has a new support and captain - Rasmus Misery Philipsen. This guy could have ended up in EG at the beginning of the season, but ended up in OpTic Gaming. The experience of playing with PPD clearly showed Misery that he still had the makings of a captain. There were too many cooks in the kitchen with green walls, and it was of little use. At EG, Rasmus was given a hat, a cookbook, and they hope that he will prepare a masterpiece of culinary art. You just need to be prepared that the cooks around will constantly whisper under your arm and expect that he will listen to their advice and take into account all their wishes. So far, neither Cr1t nor Fear have been able to pass ideas through the right sieve and combine them in the right proportions.
Misery has an important advantage over its predecessors. He's not one of the Boys. He came from outside. It seems that somewhere deep down EG began to understand that their democracy and universal consent did not work. They need, if not the leader of the PPD power, then at least a person whom they will not consider their equal. Welcome to the bridge, Misery.
However, he came to EG not only as a thinker, but also as a player. The Danish pair of supports looks more attractive from the outside than the previous two versions in American team, but still not perfect. Misery has been bouncing from fifth to fourth position lately. “Geniuses” already have enough of this. They need stability in at least one part of the team. Delineate areas of responsibility, let Cr1t farm the starting artifacts - and the game will start.
Misery's task is more difficult than that of Sumail, Fear or Arteezy. The captain is the missing link the roster needs since TI6. And if something goes wrong, then Rasmus will be the first to blame for all sins.
Coach Bulba
The only replacement that has been asking for a couple of months now. Avery SVG Silverman, with all his strategic savvy, did everything he could for this team. In 2016, he first came to EG to help Ludwig Zai Wahlberg deal with the new responsibilities of support. Then the roaming meta had just appeared, and Zai in the support role was always a greedy farmer. The second time SVG came to EG was to save them from the disaster of a pair of supports Cr1t+Zai, who had reached a dead end. At the beginning of the season, he stayed on to help Fear settle into his new role. Now support players do not need his help. He coped with his role perfectly, and it’s time to move on.
Sam Bulba Sosale is a person who was created for coaching, but is afraid to admit it to himself. He won The International with EG, but it is customary not to remember this so as not to spoil the meme about the useless and unsuccessful Bulba. At The Summit, he again reminded how much he knows about the game, how quickly and concisely he thinks. Ideas come into his head that would never be born in any other head, at least in America. And he spent all these resources on tier-2 teams.
But in addition to original thinking and fundamental knowledge, Bulba can bring an important little thing - he knows how to communicate with Arteezy and has long earned his respect. Arthur can laugh at Sam all he wants on stream, but he listens to his mentor. Bulba is also a treasure trove of stories and opportunities to defuse the atmosphere, which is much more important at critical moments in EG. They don't need to be taught to press buttons. They need to be taught to listen and obey.
Future Universe
And now about the sad thing. To accomplish all these changes, someone had to be sacrificed. And the sixth wheel at the “For the Boys” celebration was Saahil Universe Arora. World champion, one of the best offlaners in history, handsome, singer... Now let's be honest.
Over the last one and a half years, Universe hasn't been shining. He had amazing cards and incredible highlights, but the consistency for which he was praised had disappeared somewhere. Maybe it was fatigue. Maybe democracy is not for him. Any player who has spent more than a month on the team with Saahil knows that he is not the easiest hardliner. He does not like excessive control and is ready to take the initiative into his own hands. But at the same time it needs constant direction. Remember Secret.Universe, if you haven't erased it from your memory yet. It was disgusting. All because the leader, captain and situation were not the same.
In fact, Saahil revealed himself only under one captain. That's why Peter PPD Dager rushed to his defense. He only knows the genius-Universe, because he created it himself, but still has not admitted it. And it is far from a fact that any other captain will be able to find the same approach to Saahil.
Where will he go next? Nobody knows. There will be a fight for Universe in America, and even some of the European teams will not be against the world champion on their roster. Any organization that has not yet earned points by acquiring Saahil will rise to 11th place in the ranking. A little more - and you can buy yourself a place at TI!
The most obvious option is OpTic Gaming. Back under the wing of PPD, who knows all your strengths and weaknesses and has been trying to turn Ludwig into a Universe for six months now. But is Zai willing to move up from third position and return to the support role? When he had carte blanche in choosing a role, he wanted to play a difficult one. Moreover, OpTic probably already has a player in mind whom they would like to see in the support position. There is another question. Is Universe ready to play on the same team with PPD? After all, he was one of those who left EG, and then voted for the opportunity to build the lineup around Sumail instead of Peter. Maybe not everything is so rosy and smooth there.
The second option is the mysterious command of Curtis Aui_2000 Ling. Bring back the good old days of Potm Bottom and Team Dignitas. Who, if not they, will believe in each other? In addition, Digital Chaos are clearly preparing to announce a new lineup. In the meantime, we have one tweet left to one of America's best players: LFT.
EG is a team that historically goes all-in. Assembling a roster around a high school streamer and giving the captaincy to the guy from HoN? Easily. Kick a player after winning The International? Why not! Remove from the team the captain who led the team to the top 3 at TI three times? It couldn't be simpler. You could have simply changed the coach - but at EG they changed everything. For a year and a half they resolved problems peacefully and democratically. It's time to break and rebuild.
They know how to go all-in. They are not afraid of change. That's their thing, if you like. That's why being an EG fan is very difficult.
The updated roster is a difficult draft. On paper, it has many advantages and just as many problems. It needs to be executed perfectly. But who will do this if not “evil geniuses”?