End of all that Evil Geniuses had in store for the VCT Americas Stage 1 Playoffs. There is no way to sketch how they wanted it to end, least of all how their fans imagined it. They, out of the playoffs, mean they are not going to be in the running for VCT Masters Toronto. Oof.
What happened? Unable to do what had to be done in the end. It did some shakiness, bad timing, or a better-looking outclassing. Any of the above would rank as a very good excuse for this team’s playoffs run ending so far long before it was expected. And now, no shot at Masters Toronto. That’s gotta hurt, especially for a roster that has so much hype behind it.
But this hurts extra because it will likely only happen once at the VCT Masters Toronto, which is consolidating into one of the big dates on the calendar in Valorant. You forfeit a chance at this event, and you also lose out on competing against the best crews from abroad, on international glory, and, big oof, likely sweet championship points. If this upsets dent in the wall for the organization, it is much worse for a grinding team like EG that rubs shoulders with all of that.
From now on, everyone has started to analyze what went wrong. Some say it is the result of individual behavior; others say the team’s strategy was simply not flexible enough. And as usual, different genres of doomposting happened because-they know it-everyone knows the internet never lets anything go if a favorite falls. But then again, such is the path of esports. One day, you’re on top. The next day, you’re watching everyone else from the sidelines.
What’s next for Evil Geniuses? They’ve got a bit of time to regroup before the next stage. Maybe inconsistent roster changes, maybe just a tightening of the game plan. Either way and quite importantly, though, they better bounce back fast if they want to stay in conversation. Because, in Valorant, if you’re not moving forward, you’re getting left behind.
For now, it goes to the drawing board again. And for the non-VCT Americas competitors, well, there goes one more contender from the picture. The road just got a tad clearer towards Masters Toronto-not for EG, though. Tough break, but that’s just how it goes sometimes in this game.
So yeah, I guess if Evil Geniuses was your team, today is definitely not going to be your day. But you know what, next time is always around the corner. So they tell themselves in the team huddle, probably right about now.
