The lineup Evil Geniuses will field in 2022 is tremendous. There’s no other way to put it. Whether these five players are capable enough to go the “whole nine yards” is up for debate, but they’ll no doubt challenge for the LCS throne and trade blows with the many North American giants we’ve all become so accustomed to.

And, frankly, we can’t wait for them to step foot on stage and compete!

Evil Geniuses have their way of doing things and have garnered much attention for their methodical, layered approach to coaching and scouting. They echo much of what makes Cloud9 so darn great — they give their players room to maneuver and are very cerebral in their methods. So it should come as no surprise that they’ve opted to promote Joseph “Jojopyun” Pyun from their Academy team even though they had the option of signing the venerable Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen of Team Liquid and Cloud9 fame.

This surely seems like a ludicrous move to the uninitiated, one that reeks of cost-cutting and a lack of competitive drive. Fortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Evil Geniuses know what they’re doing and have earned the benefit of the doubt. 

Just try to imagine the amount of confidence they must’ve had in Jojo; to pick a rookie over one of the best and most battle-tested Western mid laners of all time is, at its core, a 200 IQ move. With Jensen, they know what they’d be getting. He’s a phenomenal player, but also one who has probably reached his peak. He’s not going to get any better going forward and has a hefty buyout attached to his name as well. So why not go the opposite route? They already struck gold with Danny, and if it could happen once, it sure could happen again. 

It’s not just about finding the right player (one with a metric ton of promise) but also about giving that individual the right guidance. That’s where most other organizations fail. These rookies need time and space and understanding, all luxuries gave. EG knows what they’re doing and are more than willing to “take a gamble” as the potential reward far outweighs the risk. 

The following five players will all compete under EG’s banner for the 2022 competitive season:

• Top Lane: Jeong “Impact” Eon-Yeong
• Jungle: Kacper “Inspired” Słoma [formerly of Rogue]
• Mid Lane: Joseph “Jojopyun” Pyun [promoted from Evil Geniuses Academy]
• AD Carry: Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki 
• Support: Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme [formerly of Cloud9]

It doesn’t take a genius to notice that this lineup has a metric ton of potential. Let’s ignore Jojo for a second and talk about the jungle and support positions: Inspired and Vulcan are upgrades over their predecessors. They might not be head and shoulders better, but they’re better nonetheless. The former won MVP in a region stacked with spectacular junglers. The latter is a two-time LCS champion and is known for his ability to clutch things out when it matters most. Both players have been incredibly dominant in their respective regions and will bring both experience and incredible mechanics to the table.

While far from a veteran, Jojo has shown immense promise during his Academy stint along with mind-blowing mechanics and a metric ton of bravado. Just how well he’ll fare against the LCS mid lane pantheon remains to be seen, but there’s a reason for optimism. No one’s expecting him to wreck house in his very first split, but if EG can work their magic and provide him with the right support, he very well could.

If Jojo delivers, Evil Geniuses will have all the right tools and players to contest for a spot at the top. They have a varied mix of players, too — some are more reserved and tend to favor late-game skirmishing over early game chaos, whereas others prefer to trade blows from the very moment they spawn on the Rift. Fortunately, these two playstyles — while inherently different — aren’t necessarily conflicting. If things pan out as expected, EG could become a very layered threat, one that’ll be able to play a wide range of styles and strategies.

That’s always a hard question to answer. While undeniably talented and capable, Evil Geniuses will by no means be the only stacked team in North America. Team Liquid and 100 Thieves should be considered the biggest favorites, with EG coming in at a close third. Cloud9 could also, potentially, upend the status quo with their wholly eclectic lineup, and the same goes for Team SoloMid. They might not realize their potential in time to do so in Spring, but by Summer, who knows what could happen.

Evil Geniuses are all but guaranteed to finish in third or fourth place, but we’re a bit hesitant to rank them any higher than that. With that being said, they could exceed our expectations and upend the status quo. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

All of this is contingent on Jojopyun being as good as EG thinks. If he can step foot on stage and rub shoulders with the likes of Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, Felix “Abbedagge” Braun, and Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage, then EG will stand a chance of leaving a mark and, potentially, representing North America at the 2022 World Championship. But that’s a big “if,” and there’s a myriad of ways in which things could go awry. 

We’re cautiously optimistic, but fans should nonetheless lower their expectations as there’s a very good chance Evil Geniuses will need a bit of time before ramping up! Once that happens, though, the sky’s the limit.