We didn’t have to wait long to find out who would represent the age-old North American organization in the mid lane as Evil Geniuses are supposedly finalizing a deal with former Team Vitality mid laner Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro. With this final signing, we know the full 2020 LCS Evil Geniuses roster. Quite frankly, it’s a fascinating mix of players.

Before delving deeper into the Jiizuke signing, it’s important to note that Evil Geniuses went above and beyond to sign former Griffin mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon. He supposedly received a multi-million offer from the North American organization. But, instead, he signed with DragonX and reunited with his former Griffin head coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho.

The organization also investigated signing Kim “Khan” Dong-ha from SKT T1 and inquired about Eugene “Pobelter” Park and Tanner “Damonte” Damonte. However, none of the signings came to fruition. The one that did was Team Vitality’s Jiizuke.

Jiizuke Has Strong Potential

No one doubts Jiizuke’s overall strength and potential mainly because we’ve seen his immense heights back when he first joined the LEC, not to mention his stellar performance at the 2018 World Championship.

Despite his inherent potential, his 2019 wasn’t exactly great. Quite frankly, Jiizuke “fell off a cliff” performance-wise. The same can be said for Vitality as a whole. So, it’s impossible to know whether he underperformed because of his issues or because of team-wide problems. Or both.

He’s somewhat of a proven quantity. Still, it’s hard to see any benefit that comes with importing a mid-tier European mid laner, over signing someone like Pobelter or Damonte. One could argue that Jiizuke displayed more potential overall, but we’re talking nuances, nonetheless.

It’s such a left-field signing. Going from Chovy to Jiizuke is mind-boggling, and that’s not a knock on the Italian mid laner either. It’s hard to believe in Jiizuke after his recent mediocre showing.

Evil Geniuses needed a rock in the mid lane. They needed someone who is mechanically gifted but also stable enough, a consistent performer, much like Henrik “Froggen” Hansen.

Instead, they signed an insanely volatile alternative, a player with talent but also an individual whose playstyle is inherently flawed. When Jiizuke is at the top of his game, he can tango with the best. When that’s not the case, he’s a complete, unimpactful pushover.

Was Jiizuke’s Roster Move a Good One?

You never know how well he’ll do until he steps foot on stage. Jiizuke could perform better against Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok than against a bottom-tier LCS mid laner. He’s that big of an enigma.

Finally, his champion pool often left a lot to be desired. When he got his hands on Ryze, Ekko or Zoe, he was an absolute powerhouse. When that wasn’t the case, he was far less impactful.

There are many questions with Jiizuke’s move across the Atlantic. Will he still be a top-tier competitor now that he’s no longer playing for Vitality — a carnivorous, over-aggressive ragtag group of underdogs? Maybe the big change in climate and environment is what he needed after competing in the LEC for two straight years.

The 2020 Evil Geniuses LCS roster is a fascinating one. On paper, they have all the right tools to reach the playoffs easily. Could they go even further? Could they challenge the upper echelon of the LCS?

The potential is certainly there, but they need to mesh in the right way (and overcome many possible hurdles) if they want to leave a mark come Spring Split.