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Evil Geniuses Return to League of Legends for League Impact Series
North American organization, Evil Geniuses, are returning to the League of Legends scene after a 3-year period. Entering the Game Changers side this time, the organization has picked up Ducks Deluxe roster and is set to compete in the upcoming League Impact Series.
Ducks Deluxe x Evil Geniuses
Earlier this month, Blue Otter announced that they would be bringing back the Game Changers scene to the Americas by hosting the League Impact Series for North America and Latin America.
With 4 stages to the League Impact Series, a majority of the contending teams will begin their journey in the Open Qualifiers, where there are no ranked restrictions. However, 4 invited team slots have been made available, selected through a direct invite process that is reserved for Tier 1 organizations and squads “showcasing the highest average rank among applicants.”
This explains Ducks Deluxe, who have managed to wrangle one of the few North American organizations as their Tier 1 umbrella, thereby skipping the Open Qualifiers and making their way directly into the Group Stage.
League Impact Series: TLDR
The League Impact Series is the Blue Otter organization's attempt at a spiritual successor to the NA/LATAM Game Changers tournaments. Currently not officially sanctioned by Riot Games, the League Impact Series is run more on passion than massive funding.
- $7500 Prize Pool (+$2500 content incentive)
- Grand Finals in Ontario
- Aug 1 - Oct 10
The League Impact Series consists of: Open Qualifiers, Group Stage, Playoffs, and Finals.
| Open Qualifiers | Group Stage | Playoffs | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Elimination | 8 Teams Total, 4 Invited | 6 Teams | 2 Teams |
| Bo3 | Bo3 | Bo5 | Bo5 |
| No Ranked Restrictions | 2 Groups | Double Elimination | LAN |
| Top 4 to Group Stage | Top 3 Advance | 3rd Seed LB Start | St. Clair College, Ontario |
*Invited teams will come from a pool of Tier 1 organizations and rosters with highest average ranks.
Evil Geniuses Return to LoL
Evil Geniuses exited the League of Legends space at the end of the 2023 LCS season as part of a downsizing from 10 franchise teams to 8.
The North American organization held historic value but had been faced with growing criticism in the face of numerous public accusations of mismanagement behind the scenes.
Coupled with the reported downsizing of the organization, laying off multiple staff members, Peak6 capital, Evil Geniuses’ parent company chose to exit the esports space and sell off the remaining Evil Geniuses’ assets.
Evil Geniuses’ return to the League of Legends space is overall a positive, given the pre-existing fans and brand recognition an established name like theirs brings to a North American Game Changers scene that sorely needs all the fuel it can get in the initial thrust.
This, along with FlyQuest and Team Liquid also set to join the League Impact Series, provides a strong starting step for a scene that has long been neglected.
Ducks Deluxe x Evil Geniuses roster as announced:
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Featured Image Credit: Evil Geniuses // X
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