In shocking fashion, Evil Geniuses has been eliminated from DreamHack Masters Malmo. Coming off the back of ESL One New York, Evil Geniuses won the tournament, showing their potential to be world number one. However, Evil Geniuses choked out in this tournament, losing every map they played. Furthermore, Team Liquid has struggled to get going so far in the tournament. NA continue to look confused as the late 2019 circuit continues.
Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses had a fantastic run at the ESL One New York after only dropping one map to Astralis in the Grand Finals. They ended up taking the tournament, defeating Astralis 3-1. In our New York roundup, we summarised that Evil Geniuses has been looking really good since the player break. They had a great Berlin Major, losing to Astralis in the Semi-final. In contrast, Evil Geniuses beat Astralis at New York, showing the potential for them to become rivals, battling out for the world number one slot.
However, Evil Geniuses choking out at this event says a lot about their potential. Since they have been rather consistent, this may just be a fluke result in losing to Greyhound in a bo1 and mousesports in a bo3. After all, Evil Geniuses did have to leave ESL One New York for Malmo mere hours after their victory. This could be a sign of fatigue in a rather busy schedule.
However, if this is a sign of how inconsistent Evil Geniuses can be, then we must take a look at the implications. Evil Geniuses were in the spotlight to overtake Team Liquid given each team’s trajectory over the last 6 weeks. Meanwhile, Astralis are still looking strong. Between Astralis, Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses, the story at the moment is around who out of the three will dominate. With Evil Geniuses burning out, this makes room for Astralis to continue their success. If Evil Genius are prone to hiccups, then this creates room for two major North American teams to coexist. This is similar to 2018, however, Evil Geniuses seems to be in much better form – good news for NA fans. Overall, although this result is bad for the roster, we shouldn’t be too worried just yet.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid had a rough start to DreamHack Masters Malmo. They also lost their opening game to OpTic Gaming, having to battle it out in the lower bracket. They then faced North and went down on the first map. Team Liquid found their form partway through the series, especially on map three, where North was devastated on Dust II.
As it stands, Team Liquid seems to be ever so slowly returning to form. Although, their first big challenge is yet to come. For Team Liquid, they need to not falter in the Lower Bracket as they face elimination from now on. Their next challenge will be against either NiP or Greyhound. If successful, they will face off against either OpTic Gaming or mousesports. There is decent opposition ahead, although the Team Liquid we expect should be capable of advancing to the onstage playoffs.
As for the storylines, Team Liquid are NA’s last hope in the tournament. This is the prime time to regain their composure and once again lead the pack. The biggest storylines are yet to come, and if they get there, confidence should be restored.
Keep an eye on DreamHack Masters Malmo for more news as major stories develop, and make sure to follow Dart Frog on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for all the latest CS:GO news and analysis.
Featured image via: Dreamhack
