Evil Geniuses are one of the most controversial CS:GO teams, having invested a lot in the scene for very little return. We’re going to take a look at the history of the Evil Geniuses CS:GO team, and see how they can turn it around in the future.
Recent Beginnings
The Evil Geniuses CS:GO journey actually began fairly recently, with the team entering the game in late 2019. They purchased the NRG roster of Brehze, CeRq, Ethan, tarik, and Stanislaw to enter the NA scene. There was some real talent there! They’d had a couple of small wins under their belt, with tarik having even won a CS:GO Major with Cloud9 and Stanislaw having the experience of playing for Liquid, OpTic, and Complexity.
The project got off to an incredible start. The newly-acquired EG CS:GO roster won the first two tournaments they entered. ESL One: New York 2019 and StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 8 was a dream opening for Evil Geniuses. Ultimately, it proved to be something of a false dawn.
First time’s the charm. Credit: Bart Oerbekke | © ESL
Despite the talent, it proved to be the absolute worst time any team could choose to enter CS:GO. The pro scene was almost immediately hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ushering in the online era of competitive CS:GO. This meant that the EG CS:GO team couldn’t test their mettle on LAN, which hindered their development together.
They really struggled to recover from the online era, but the Evil Geniuses CS:GO organization had some tricks up their sleeve. If they were to become one of the best CS:GO teams in the world, they had to take a new approach.
Evil Geniuses Black and White
Early 2022 was somewhat of a refresh for the Evil Geniuses CS:GO project. Three new players arrived in autimatic, RUSH, and Stewie2K, an enormous influx of talent with years of experience behind them. It was a massive investment that confirmed their commitment to the scene.
Hopes were high for Stewie2K. Credit Adela Sznajder | © ESL
In June 2022, Evil Geniuses took the decision to form two academy rosters: Evil Geniuses White and Evil Geniuses Black. Again, they had to sign ten more players to make this happen, showing how much they were willing to invest to make this work. Generally, only the likes of the NAVI CS:GO team have an academy roster, established teams that always need to be looking to the future.
It was a great idea in theory. Have a bunch of young players to choose from when you need to upgrade your main roster, future-proofing your team. But so far, that’s not how it’s panned out for the Evil Geniuses CS:GO project. Instead, all it has done is create confusion. Players are moving from one team to the other, and they’re acquiring even more players while releasing others. There’s been no cohesion at EG. Having 15 talented players tied down sounds brilliant, but if they never learn how to play together, what’s the point?
Future of The Evil Geniuses CS:GO Project
Lately, it’s just been an exercise in burning money. Of the trio acquired in early 2022, Stewie2K has already been released, automatic is still with the team, and RUSH is playing with the academy in EG Black. Right now, they’re an ESL Partner Team, so they keep getting automatic invites to big tournaments. It’s more of a hindrance than a help, though. They’re not at the level required currently, and being battered and bruised by better teams constantly can’t do much for morale.
Evil Geniuses White has already disbanded. Credit: Joao Ferreira | © ESL
The EG CS:GO team must focus its efforts. They’ve taken a step in the right direction, disbanding Evil Geniuses White in April 2023. That’s still not going to cut it. The recent acquisition of refrezh from Sprout shows their scouting still has a way to go after he got off to a terrible start to his Evil Geniuses CS:GO career. They need to take a look at both of their remaining teams and decide who’s of the standard required.
The project could require a total reset. The funds are clearly there if they wanted to tear it down and start again. It has to start from the very top, though. If they can’t identify the right talent to bring in, then the Evil Geniuses CS:GO project is already dead in the water.
If you want to know more about some of the biggest teams, check out our FaZe Clan profile to learn about one of CS:GO’s most successful organizations.
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