Evil Geniuses vs Golden Guardians

Our second clash of the day is by no means a must-watch, but it's not far off either. Evil Geniuses vs. Golden Guardians is a match-up that is bound to entertain in all the right ways. We're talking about two exceptional teams with noticeably different playstyles. They also represent two vastly different ends of the LCS spectrum in terms of experience and youth -- Evil Geniuses are packed with grizzled veterans; Golden Guardians, on the other hand, are mostly comprised of talented up-and-comers and the (potential) future superstars of North America.

On paper, this is quite a big mismatch. In actuality, however, the gap between these two teams is by no means as vast and noticeable as some might expect.

Evil Geniuses are currently considered as one of the best and most dangerous teams in North America. They're not perfect. In fact, they're not even close. But what they lack in polish and execution, they more than make up for in sheer grit and determination. They're like a bulldozer. They prefer to take on each challenge head on, no matter the odds. This results in quite an entertaining playstyle, but it's also a double-edged sword. Sometimes it works, but against the best teams in the region their unrelenting aggression often ends up backfiring. They throw wild haymakers so it's only natural that they open themselves up for painful counters. They're also prone to telegraphing their plays and moves in advance -- also something that can easily be exploited by the LCS creme de la creme. Fortunately for EG, the Golden Guardians are far from a top-tier challenger. And even if they were as dangerous as, say, 100 Thieves or Cloud9, they still lack the experience and resilience which are necessary to compete at the highest of levels.

Evil Geniuses can, therefore, make nearly as many mistakes as they want and there's still a good chance that they won't get punished. Regardless, GGS is far from a slouch. They're currently a surprisingly dangerous mid-tier contender, and there's ample potential going forward as well. They're rough around the edges -- which is only natural for such a nascent line-up -- but they're playing their hearts out and have already found more success than anyone expected. They are still the underdogs in nearly every match-up but they don't mind. On the contrary! By being undervalued they can play without pressure and reserve. After all, they have nothing to lose, and they know it as well. They have some deceptively capable players and have noticeably improved in just a couple of weeks. Again, they're far from perfect, but they can definitely pack a punch. Early on they're quite dangerous, although when the mid and later stages of the game come around, that's when their inexperience shines the most -- that's when they fumble and fail almost by default. But even these inherent shortcomings are being shored up as we speak, as evidenced by their very respectable win over Immortals yesterday. It was a hard-fought brawl but it was an important one as it showed their mental fortitude — they persevered despite starting off on the wrong foot. They traded blows from start to finish and eventually emerged victorious. So credit where credit is due.

This time around, however, they're simply outmatched across the board. Heck, Impact *alone* should be enough to sway this in Evil Geniuses' favor. He's been playing out of his mind lately and is an absolute beast which, in today's meta, is absolutely crucial. Evil Geniuses are better, more cohesive, and more experienced than GGS which should, in the end, result in a relatively easy win. Regardless, we should be in for quite an entertaining brawl!