100 Thieves vs Evil Geniuses

Yet another spectacle -- a clash of epic proportions that's bound to go the five-game distance. And, well, we wouldn't have it any other way. 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses are comprised of some of the very best and most capable players the West has ever seen. They're towering giants in every sense of the word and the fact that they're clashing off at this point for a shot at reaching the finals should really come as no surprise; it was to be expected given their stature and overall depth.

There are, however, a few key details (all of which are quite novel), and they're all endlessly important.

First of all, Kyle "Danny" Sakamaki, EG's prodigious marksman and most prominent win condition has decided to take a break citing mental health reasons. That, in and of itself, is as tremendous a problem as it gets. Danny has been EG's biggest catalyst — from day one, in fact. His astonishing team fighting pushed EG over the finish line on so many different occasions. He's a prodigy in every sense of the word, but a lot of his impact comes from the way in which EG handle their resources; Danny always got the grunt of the gold. He was the one individual EG always played around. His effectiveness, however, took one heck of a dive, and no one was all too sure why.

Whenever EG dropped a game — a fairly frequent occurrence, as of late — Danny's demeanour, his countenance, was wholly worrying. He showed no emotion, no fear, no elation, nothing, really. Like a shadow of his former self. It was obvious that something went awry, although we still lacked the "behind the scenes" nitty-girtty.

Unfortunately, it seems that his state of mind deterioraited even further, hence his withdrawal from forthcoming Best of 5 against 100 Thieves — a supremely important series, no doubt. Their spot at Worlds *has* been secured, but it's still a shame to see EG regress and fall apart in such a disheartening way after running circles around their opposition for the better part of 2022. Danny was instrumental in their many triumphs, and the fact that he's found himself in such a tricky predicament is supremely saddening.

It goes without saying, but if Evil Geniuses couldn't beat the former LCS champions just two weeks ago *with* Danny by their side, what hope of winning do they have now? Next to none, in short. Impact, Inspired, Jojo, and Vulcan are all top-tier players (some of them legends, even), but without such an integral piece of the puzzle they're simply not equipped to tango with a behemoth like 100 Thieves.

Now sure, they're not going to just roll over and surrender -- they never do. They'll fight their way to a defeat like they've never done before, adamant to leave a mark, to impress, to find some redemption, to impress the thousands of fans screaming in attendance. They're showmen; every single one of them. And they're insanely talented, too. They're a spectacular team that still has numerous ways to win, but for them to do so, each and every single player will have to perform like never before. And, well, 100 Thieves will have to fumble and fail, either individually or as a five-man unit. And, well, the odds of it happening are quite slim (if not non-existent).

But make no mistake: they *do* have a shot. They always do. Just look at their Best of 5 against Team Liquid — it was a masterclass. A flawed one, sure, but a masterclass nonetheless. When Danny failed to produce those highlight reel plays for which he's so well known for, the rest of the team stepped up, Jojopyun most of all. His Swain in game five was the deciding factor, his plays, his teamfighting, his rotations — *he* was the one carrying his team over the finish line, and he did so with staggering ease.

100 Thieves, however, are still a cut above. Their identity is more solid, more coherent, there's no friction in the way in which they play and execute. Their most recent loss to Cloud9 must've surely affected their confidence, but if there's one thing we know about them it is the fact that they always come out swinging after a defeat like that one — that's when they really start playing their best League of Legends. They already have a "blueprint" on how to beat Evil Geniuses, and they've demonstrated it mere weeks ago. Not a lot has changed since that point, other than the fact that EG will now compete in a much more "wounded" state. They have one less "weapon," one less hardcarry. And that, in short, *will* make a world of difference.