Evil Geniuses upset Ghost Gaming on consecutive maps

Following a spectacular matchup between 100 Thieves and FaZe Clan, the #2 seed from Group A Ghost Gaming was faced up against Evil Geniuses, #3 seed from Group B. Before we dive into the details of the matchup, it is worth mentioning that Ghost Gaming wasn’t able to make it through the Stage 1 Qualifiers, and Evil Geniuses had a 0-5 record in VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 1 - Main Event. So, both teams have experienced significant improvement and their performance is worth applauding.

VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 2 - Main Event

Ghost Gaming

0

X

2

Evil Geniuses

Upper Bracket Quarter Final, Best of 3 - June 16, 2022 - 11:00PM

8

Breeze

13

9

Icebox

13

Ghost Gaming

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

koalanoob

0.99

232

35/34/1

+1

1.03

58.1%

138.5

31%

53%

9

8

NiSMO

0.98

202

30/34/13

-4

0.88

69.9%

126.4

34%

36%

4

7

brawk

0.91

200

28/33/12

-5

0.85

72.2%

150.8

25%

20%

1

4

aproto

0.85

175

25/36/12

-11

0.69

62.9%

115.0

42%

50%

2

2

Johnqt

0.64

134

20/33/9

-13

0.61

65.3%

88.0

14%

50%

3

3

Evil Geniuses

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

jawgemo

1.40

305

45/29/8

+16

1.55

81.3%

184.4

25%

58%

11

8

Apotheon

1.17

203

33/23/17

+10

1.43

76.7%

134.3

32%

50%

1

1

C0M

1.09

214

28/26/23

+2

1.08

83.9%

153.3

32%

50%

2

2

Boostio

1.03

220

35/29/3

+6

1.21

69.8%

142.9

27%

64%

7

4

Reformed

1.00

184

29/31/17

-2

0.94

84.0%

111.6

21%

43%

3

4

Breeze:

Even though, Evil Geniuses lost on Breeze against Faze in the last Group Stage match, they maintained their trust in the map and in hindsight it seems to have paid off. Ghost left the gate in the first half looking to take the pistol and set the momentum early on, but EG had the situation under control.

Regardless of whom you ask, no one can argue against the significance pistol rounds have on developing a strong run and this fact was further solidified when EG took four consecutive rounds providing them enough leeway to account for Ghost’s retaliation in subsequent rounds. Among the four rounds they took, Vince "Apotheon" Le attempted a successful 1v2 clutch taking negligible damage. His accuracy during that play is simply breathtaking.

Overcoming a two-point deficit is not an impossible task, especially since the earlier matchup witnessed a 9-3 lead being negated twice, but Ghost’s defense couldn’t keep up posting only three rounds after halftime before EG closed it out 13-8. Vince "Apotheon" Le had a great showing on the offensive end as well finishing with an overall 1.40 Rating and 231 ACS.

Icebox:

Despite a poor performance on Breeze, Ghost couldn’t be counted out and they presented their case in a rather unorthodox way on Icebox. EG once again took the pistol round and was able to establish momentum early on, except their streak now spanned over six back-to-back rounds instead of only four on Breeze. Ghost’s roster had no time to react as Vince "Apotheon" Le continued his destruction including an ace in round 6.

But the run wouldn’t have been possible without Alexander "jawgemo" Mor’s performance with Jett. Jawgemo continues to exceed the standards and expectations people hold him to, and he is determined to continue the performance to help the team reach its potential.

As wonderful as their six-round streak was, Ghost was able to neutralize the threat without breaking a sweat in the following six rounds including a flawlessly executed 2v4 from Gianfranco "koalanoob" Potestio and Brock "brawk" Somerhalder. However, an appreciation of their run would be incomplete without a mention of Marki "NiSMO" Tayar, who showed up yet again – atleast on defense – with an unmatched usage of Kay/O.

The 6-6 lead was the perfect prelude to an intense, and entertaining second half but Ghost’s attack faltered and fell to pieces as EG pursued them with ferocity and aggression such that three EG players finished the half with 2.75+ KD ratio.

Ghost’s attack couldn’t read their way through EG’s defense and planted the spike on only a handful of rounds. EG closed out the map with a 13-9 final score, being a round delayed due to an insane clutch from Alex "aproto" Protopapas after a relatively quiet game as compared to his last encounter against 100 Thieves. With the conclusion of this match, EG will face off against the winners of VCT 2022 - Stage 1 - Masters Reykjavík and arguably the best team in the region, OpTic Gaming.