EXCLUSIVE: EG drop Blueprint roster in major overhaul
In an exclusive interview with Dust2.us, Evil Geniuses have confirmed a multitude of changes to their CS:GO division that they hope will solidify their long-term vision for the title. During the hour-long interview with Soham "valens" Chowdhury, EG's Director of Athletics, Counter-Strike, the veteran of the game remarked on the development of the Blueprint and the overall planning of the organization as it reels from a difficult 2023, with the team most notably missing out on the upcoming Paris Major.
The biggest change is that effective today, Evil Geniuses White has been shuttered, with Josh "PwnAlone" Pigue, Ben "ben1337" Smith, Jonathan "Jonji" Carey, Wesley "viz" Harris, and Khizar "Momo" Rehman set to depart the organization. The players' contracts will conclude on April 3rd, after which interested parties are free to sign the quintet. As for EG White's coach, Joseph "Muenster" Lima, he will be retained by the organization for the time being, although his future with Evil Geniuses is currently undecided.
The dissolution of EG White marks the most significant change to the Blueprint project that was announced in June 2022 with the signing of Party Astronauts and Carpe Diem, two of North America's best unsigned rosters. Evil Geniuses went through a lengthy process in determining who will stay on as part of EG Black, with the organization ultimately electing to retain the core of that squad, while releasing the former Party Astronauts to the free agency market.
Prior to being acquired by Evil Geniuses, the former Party Astronauts were at the top of the domestic North American CS scene but their addition to the Blueprint project ultimately kept the squad out of major competitive action due to rules preventing multiple organizations from entering the same tournaments. The only exception to this was Fragadelphia 17, where EG Black and EG White ended up on the same side of the bracket, but did not end up playing against one another.
As part of the overhaul, there are also indications that Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz is on the outs from EG Black. When speaking with valens, he remarked that stanislaw was instrumental in the development of EG Black, and that without him the squad and its players would not have developed anywhere close to where they are now.
The veteran IGL will likely be replaced by Jadan "HexT" Postma, should Evil Geniuses' main team find a European import that could adequately replace him. It would be a demotion for the young player, who has struggled to finding his footing in tier one competition despite being an incredibly vocal and entertaining part of the main roster for his roughly seven-month tenure on the squad.
As of yesterday, it was reported by BLIX that Ismail "refrezh" Ali has reached a verbal agreement with Evil Geniuses to join the main team and would replace HexT. Dust2.us knows that no official agreement is in place at this moment.
The first part of the interview conducted with valens will be released on Tuesday, with the second part set to be released Thursday.
