The eSports veterans are restructuring their ‘Blueprint’ project following a dismal start to the new year.
Evil Geniuses have dropped EG White, previously known as Party Astronauts, only nine months after acquiring the team.
No EG White members will be under contract with Evil Geniuses anymore, but coach Joseph “Muenster” Lima will stay with the organization. Muenster will now take charge of EG’s other academy roster, EG Black.
An update regarding our CS:GO program: https://t.co/HxNkjmlDHZ pic.twitter.com/Vf2Wv4xw7y
— EG CS:GO (@EGCSGO) March 20, 2023
Soham “valens” Chowdhury broke the news during an interview with Dust2.us. The Evil Geniuses Director of Athletics discussed EG’s disappointing start to 2023, which saw them failing to secure a spot in the upcoming Paris Major. Valens stressed the need for change in EG’s academy program, officially known as the Blueprint.
The academy team reshuffle marks the continuity of a period of instability at Evil Geniuses. According to rumors, EG is negotiating with Ismail “refrezh” Ali as a potential replacement for Jadan “HexT” Postma in their senior team lineup. Reports also say that HexT will not leave the EG sphere completely. He might rejoin EG Black to replace Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz.
Why Did Evil Geniuses Release EG White?
Evil Geniuses acquired Carpe Diem (presently EG Black) and Party Astronauts in June 2022 to kickstart their Blueprint initiative. The idea stemmed from EG’s League of Legends success. They formed two junior sides, which served as the pipeline of talents for the company’s LCS title-winning side. Their goal is to replicate the same model in their other gaming ventures.
But, the CS: GO Blueprint initiative is yet to hit the highs of its League of Legends counterpart. While EG Black has succeeded in developing some players for first-team action, no EG White players managed to break into the main side.
EG White had the worst possible start to life under Evil Geniuses as they finished rock bottom at the Pinnacle Cup Championship 2022. They seemed to have left their Pinnacle Cup disappointment behind with a successful ESL Challenger Melbourne qualification campaign. But in the main tournament, they finished last once again.
Winning the Fragadelphia 17 could have been the turning point in EG White’s journey. However, it turned out to be a false dawn as they suffered early eliminations at CCT North America Series 2 and 3 afterward.
The Departing EG White Roster
- Jonathan “Jonji” Carey (Canada)
- Khizar “Momo” Rehman (Pakistan)
- Ben “ben1337” Smith (USA)
- Josh “PwnAlone” Pigue (USA)
- Wesley “viz” Harris (USA)
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