LCS representative Evil Geniuses showed what the North American league is all about at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI 2022).
Despite a shaky start during the Group Stage, the team bounced back during the Rumble Stage to qualify for the Knockouts. Unfortunately, their international run was cut short by Royal Never Give Up, who swept them 3-0 in a best-of-five series in the semifinals.
Nevertheless, the team remains undeterred by the crushing loss and is emboldened by their deep run. Support player Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme believes EG’s Season 12 roster is still a force to be reckoned with and is one of the most competitive North American lineups.
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Vulcan says Evil Geniuses is the strongest roster he’s been on
“We at EG are probably the strongest roster I’ve been on,” the support player said during the MSI Knockouts post-match conference.
The Canadian player officially joined EG last November, replacing Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun. Before that, he spent two years under the Cloud9 banner and 11 months with Clutch Gaming. During his time with Cloud9, the team enjoyed a brief period of dominance, securing back-to-back LCS Spring championships in 2020 and 2021.
However, playing with EG at MSI 2022 was the closest Vulcan has ever come to an international championship title.
“I think this roster’s pretty close in terms of skill compared to other regions as it was last year on Cloud9,” he said.
EG’s Season 12 roster includes a mix of rookie players, such as Joseph Joon “jojopyun” Pyun and Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki, as well as seasoned pros like Worlds Season 3 champion Jeong “Impact” Eon-young and two-time LEC champion Kacper “Inspired” Słoma.
Vulcan also shed some light on what he perceived to be lacking in Cloud9’s previous roster. With the addition of LEC superstar Luka “Perkz” Perkovic to C9’s 2021 roster, the team found success in the LCS, winning the LCS Mid-Season Showdown. However, they only managed to get as far as the Worlds 2021 quarterfinals, where they were swept 3-0 by Gen.G.
“I think we were maybe less consistent last year on Cloud9,” he said. “Consistency is something that you need if you’re going to have a good run or win an international tournament.”
Evil Geniuses ended their MSI journey in the Knockout Stage, finishing in joint third to fourth place and taking home US$25,000. They will next play in the LCS 2022 Summer Split, which starts on June 18.
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