Evil Geniuses kick off DPC 2021 with SEA prodigies

North American Dota 2 esports giant Evil Geniuses is off to an impressive debut at the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021. For a team of such caliber and reputation, fans expected the boys to sweep every series. And even with some struggles, it seems like EG quickly showed fans what they’re made of.

Week 1 of DPC 2021

Despite Evil Geniuses’ loss in the first match, they did close out the series eventually. For starters, Sadboys is a new squad led by former Evil Geniuses players, Clinton “Fear” Loomis and Peter “ppd” Dager. However, these veterans haven’t played competitively for an entire season and are just illusions of their former glory before their EG departure.

.@Arteezy
and team get the kills to get the #EGWIN.
pic.twitter.com/3Y4LKRCD2q

—
Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) January
24, 2021

If there’s one factor that made this series worth watching, it is the relationships these players had. Nevertheless, Sadboys held their own, thanks to their seasoned DPC experience, but their drafts paled in comparison to Evil Geniuses. Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, EG’s hard carry player, played consistently throughout the series, ensuring that his Phantom Assassin was a reliable carry.

Evil Geniuses SEA Members

But EG’s newcomers, Abed “Abed” Yusop and Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang, are the talk of the town. Abed, the mid-player, is known for his aggressive yet calculated plays. On his signature hero, Storm Spirit, viewers were in awe of how he dived into the entire line-up of the 4 Zoomers team, catching them off-guard.

iceiceice, the offlaner, overpowered Sadboys throughout the whole game. He stole the enemy’s neutral item off the ground and single-handedly killed Fear using Abyssal Blade and the stolen neutral item, Psychic Headband. Fear’s Juggernaut comfortably played the game stress-free, oblivious of iceiceice’s underlying threat.

As such, he was caught off-guard and killed while his team were stunned by the big play. Looking at what iceiceice and Abed put on the DPC 2021 table, it’s clear Evil Geniuses needed them for their Dota 2 esports team.

Dota 2 Esports First Major

On paper, Evil Geniuses is indisputably one of the best candidates to qualify for the Winter Major in March 2021. However, other participants also grew since the Mistwoods Update dropped last year. Teams like Quincy Crew and 4 Zoomers honed their skills in various online tournaments last season. Meanwhile, Evil Geniuses hesitated on attending any events, due to not having their official roster available.

It’s worth keeping an eye out on EG in the NA Upper Division and the rest of the competition. After all, none of the direct invitees are weaker than Evil Geniuses players in terms of MMR and skills.

Written by Marcus Wong

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