“We’re a dangerous team” - EG potter refuses to give up on VCT Americas run

There is no doubt that Christine "Potter" Chi has a deep connection with Evil Geniuses, having joined the project in 2021 and continuing to lead the team to this day. Despite the difficulties in finding their way back to the top amid multiple roster changes over the years, the North American coach remains hopeful that EG can eventually return to where they belong.

Potter spoke with THESPIKE following their loss to FURIA in the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2 Play-Ins stage. This loss sends the team to the Lower Bracket, where they will need five consecutive victories to secure their spot at VALORANT Champions 2026.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2

FURIA

2

X

1

Evil Geniuses

Upper Bracket Semi Final - Qualifier Decider, Best of 3 - August 22, 2026 - 12:00AM

7

Sunset

13

13

Breeze

7

13

Haven

8

FURIA

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Shyy

1.36

265

60/30/12

+30

2.00

85.2%

159.2

21%

100%

3

0

artzin

1.30

238

49/35/35

+14

1.40

83.8%

154.2

18%

63%

10

6

basic

1.08

211

48/38/15

+10

1.26

72.0%

138.1

28%

54%

7

6

koalanoob

0.90

196

42/51/14

-9

0.82

67.1%

132.0

21%

45%

10

12

C0M

0.60

125

24/34/20

-10

0.71

68.6%

92.9

26%

14%

1

6

Evil Geniuses

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

zerona

1.13

234

48/45/20

+3

1.07

68.7%

162.2

32%

44%

4

5

dgzin

1.11

236

51/50/9

+1

1.02

65.4%

144.3

31%

62%

13

8

supamen

0.85

161

34/44/22

-10

0.77

69.0%

105.7

32%

45%

5

6

Paincakes

0.77

165

32/42/15

-10

0.76

64.1%

116.9

22%

40%

4

6

bao

0.56

129

23/42/15

-19

0.55

65.7%

92.4

20%

40%

4

6

Good start, bad finale

Evil Geniuses had a strong start to the Play-Ins, securing the wins needed to move within one series of the Playoffs. However, when it mattered most, something was missing. Despite winning the first map against FURIA, EG failed to carry that momentum into the rest of the series, eventually falling to the Brazilian organization.

THESPIKE: Talk to me a little bit about your thoughts after the series. Good start, rough end. What are you feeling?

Potter: "It was a good start to close things out, but even in map one there was a bit of map jitters, or maybe it's the one-series-away-from-playoffs jitters for us. But we definitely didn't play like we usually do in practices, and the pressure got to us today. I could tell right away in map one, and it started really bleeding into our confidence going into map two.

We just were a little sluggish. On the defense, we had a lot of the info, we had a lot of the setups ready. We just weren't pulling the trigger and actually going to fight when we got the info.

Breeze is a really big map. If you don't take your fights on those timings and you don't have the confidence to shoot your gun, then they're going to run all over you in this meta. And so it's definitely pretty much what happened to us."

What sets EG apart

For potter, this is not the same team from the last couple of months. Beyond the obvious impact of new additions to the roster, the coach believes these players possess unmatched talent and the potential to take their careers to the next level.

They brought a fresh perspective and a much-needed reset. That’s especially important when you’ve had a rough start to the year. With someone like zerona, who is constantly making jokes and having a good time, it’s also helped bring some fun back into the team. That’s one of the most important things in a team, remembering to have fun. At the end of the day, this is a video game, and we have to remember to enjoy it.

In her opinion, EG has always been a home for new talent, for players looking to make a name for themselves, and that’s what makes the organization so different. Even if the results weren’t always what they hoped for, EG was always a home, a place to grow.

Every time I've been competing, everyone wants a team that's made of Tier 2 players, developing players, Tier 3 players, players that are coming up and on the rise, and not established players. I feel like that's been EG's identity since day one, not because we want to be, but because we haven't always had the biggest budget to buy out the biggest stars to make a star-studded roster.

And for her, there’s nothing better than a good underdog run, letting a story of strength and determination shine through. EG is no stranger to the stressful grind, but that’s exactly what makes them even more confident about what’s coming next.

It's really exciting when you're still able to make it to playoffs. We were two rounds away last year in 2025 from qualifying to Toronto. If we qualified to Toronto, that's 2023 all over again. We barely made it in 2023 and somehow a "coach knifed a player" and we made it to playoffs. I feel like the community needs to give my new players a chance to find their footing in the season a little bit and help us with the confidence aspect. It’s helped us claw our way into making a name for ourselves every year.

A stacked region

Playing against Daniel "C0M" Lee can be a little bittersweet for potter, who was such a big part of his career for so long. But she is nothing but a “proud mom” in regard to everything he has accomplished. Despite the loss to C0M, she still wishes him nothing but the best of luck.

THESPIKE: How does it feel to be playing against C0M? Does facing him bring back any good memories from your time in the coaching booth?

Potter: "It's bittersweet. Of course, it's a series that kind of raises the stakes because of the drama and kind of history that we've had, especially this year, but I'm so happy for him. Last week or a couple of weeks ago, when we played, I said, “Good things happen to good people.”

Corbin is one of those good people. One of the few good people we have in esports, and a hard worker. Usually, hard workers are underappreciated and kind of looked over. I'm so happy that he is proving that this game is a lot more than just sexy clips on Twitch."

Not only has FURIA shown great improvement, but the entire region has been “stacked” with talent.

THESPIKE: How do you see this FURIA team? Do you think they have what it takes to go far in this competition?

Potter: "I think they're in a really similar spot with us where one small loss can really crumble the team, but I think they can. Americas is so stacked. It is ridiculous how many teams I can say have a chance of going through. ENVY are looking good. FURIA are looking good.

Everyone's looking good. And I'm mentioning teams that aren't even the pedigreed top of the food chain in America. This last stretch in 2026, it is tough. Everyone is putting everything they've got on the line and it's showing. The pressure is on."

The fight is not over

The VCT Americas 2026 Stage 2 run is not over yet for Evil Geniuses. In the Lower Bracket, every match could be their last, but that’s exactly what makes the run even more exciting. In the hours ahead, it’s all about showing everyone what they’ve been working on.

We’ve got one more shot in a little over 24 hours, and now we’ve got to put our money where our mouth is. We’ve got to prove that we’re not lying and that our scrims actually look as good as we say they do. We are a dangerous team. We've got a lot of talent. The pressure definitely got to us and we crumbled today. But we're a team that's been working hard and has been facing our failures for the last few weeks. We're feeling really confident. It ain't over until it's over.

VCT Americas 2026

The VCT Americas 2026 Stage 2 runs from August 13 to September 6. Only four teams will advance to the Playoffs, where they will battle for a place at VALORANT Champions 2026, which is set to take place in Shanghai, China.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

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