100 Thieves vs Evil Geniuses

Finally, to close out the first round of the lower bracket part of the playoffs, we have a very interesting clash between 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses. This, in essence, is a match-up between two mid-tier gatekeepers who are fighting for relevancy. Their 2020 season hasn't been all that great, and other than a couple of standout moments (mostly on EG's side), there isn't much to be proud of. And yet here we are, near the very end of the season, with only but a couple of games left -- now it's do or die, and the margin for error is non-existent.

The loser of this one Best of 5 will pack their bags and go home for the rest of the year. It'll all come down to the wire, with just a single in-game call being the difference between potentially going to Worlds, or waiting things out on the sidelines.

Talk about top-tier entertainment!

Granted, both line-ups underwent immense change coming into 2020, and Evil Geniuses weren't even a part of the franchised league, so the fact that they're mid-tier gatekeepers isn't such a big debacle, all things considered. Still, with such immensely talented players -- all competing undernearth such well-known and long-established organizations -- it was impossible not to expect a bit more from everyone involved. 100 Thieves struggled ever since 2020 began and it wasn't until late Summer Split that they actually started stringing a couple of wins. But even then, their triumphs were few and far between, and the fashion in which they won wasn't particularly impressive either. They're a severely flawed team and other than Ssumday, no one's been performing all that well. That's kind of been their leitmotif throughout the entire year, and it's a shame to behold. We all know they're trying their hardest, and with such a solid coaching staff (with a proven track record), it's quite baffling to see them struggle to such a staggering degree. One day they'll blow our minds with exquisite, aggressive, and commanding play from minute one. Then, just a day later, they'll implode without any apparent reason. They're not as volatile as Evil Geniuses, but they're every bit as confusing.

Whenever you're betting on competitive League, you want to understand the team and its underlying philosophy and approach to the game. You want to know what makes them tick, what's necessary for them to start off well, how reliant they are on the pick and ban phase, how consistent they are with the leads (or deficits) at their disposal, and so on. With 100 Thieves, that's been nigh impossible to understand. The way they draft is quite confusing (and inconsistent), they often don't give Ssumday enough agency (who is, without a doubt, their biggest and most important catalyst), and their calls in-game often blow our minds if for all the wrong reasons.

Evil Geniuses aren't much better, but at least you can pinpoint and understand *when* they're good and *why*. They're much more cohesive and their strengths aren't as volatile. They're heavily reliant on the draft and the way things start off, but that's a big part of the problem: their early games leave a lot to be desired. Their individual play is also pretty darn bad at times, and you can never be too sure how well they'll perform. Goldenglue has to hardcarry more often than not, and with Huni being as coin-flip as ever, it's fair to say that EG are a dangerous challenger albeit still inherently flawed and severely inconsistent. Svenskeren, in particular, has been playing poorly for quite some time now, with sloppy engages and moments in which he's getting caught out of position. He's their most potent weapon in the early game and he's just not delivering, regardless of whom Evil Geniuses are up against.

We already saw these two teams fight in the last week of the regular season, and 100 Thieves mopped the floor with EG; heck, it wasn't even close. When they're good, when they're playing as well as they can, 100 Thieves are much more dangerous than Evil Geniuses, but they fail to reach such an impressive point all that often. There's very little rhyme or reason behind their performances, and that's quite vexing, to say the least. Still, they didn't have to play an entire Best of 5 against FlyQuest but were instead given time to rest, recuperate, and watch their opponents play all their cards. That, if used correctly, is as big of an upper hand as you can get. 100 Thieves know what they're doing, and this bonus time to adjust and come up with a unique, opponent-specific strategy should give them edge against Evil Geniuses.

"Should" is the key word here, but the odds are certainly on their side. They just need to double down on their strengths, allow Ssumday to carry, and they should be good to go. We're siding with 100 Thieves on this one, but it's going to be insanely close. Either way, regardless of the final outcome, expect a skirmish-heavy Best of 5 that's bound to deliver!