Evil Geniuses returns to LCS with disappointing loss against Dignitas
Evil Geniuses, a prominent team in the LCS, made their comeback after a six-year absence. However, their star signings, Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidham and Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen, couldn’t secure a victory in EG’s first game of the 2020 Spring Split against Dignitas.
Svenskeren struggled throughout the series, ending with just one kill and five deaths. The nerfed jungle catch-up experience, combined with Dignitas’ superior vision control over EG’s jungle, allowed Henrik “Froggen” Hansen’s roaming Orianna to punish Svenskeren consistently.
Despite a promising start, where Svenskeren’s Gragas secured first blood by diving Froggen in the mid lane, things quickly took a turn. Zaqueri “aphromoo” Black prevented the rest of EG from capitalizing on Svenskeren’s engagement with a well-timed Braum ult, resulting in Svenskeren’s demise in the bot side river.
To make matters worse, Svenskeren died again in the top lane soon after respawning. Froggen and aphromoo’s two-man squad took him down, while the rest of Dignitas seized control of the map, demolishing bottom turrets and securing multiple objectives. This dominant performance propelled Dignitas to a 2-0 record in the first week of the Spring Split.
The reduced jungle experience in season 10 poses a significant challenge for junglers who can’t operate efficiently. The likes of William “Meteos” Hartman from 100 Thieves experienced this firsthand in their first match, and now Svenskeren joins the list of struggling junglers affected by this unfavorable scaling.
While Patch 10.2 will eventually balance the experience for junglers, teams currently heavily rely on their junglers’ pathing to determine their success. For now, junglers need to demonstrate ruthless efficiency to stay relevant in the game.
Dignitas ends week one undefeated, and EG will attempt to level their record when they face 100 Thieves on Monday night.
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Evil Geniuses, LCS, Dignitas, League of Legends, Spring Split, Svenskeren, junglers, Dignitas, EG, experience, scaling, Patch 10.2, competition, esports, analysis