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The VCT Americas League is heading into its most crucial part of the first stage as teams are going to be desperately looking for wins. Week 8 will decide who will make it to the Playoffs, where they will get a chance to battle for a spot at VCT Masters Tokyo. Week 8 will begin with two matchups and one of them is between the two NA teams, NRG Esports and Evil Geniuses.
Week 7 Day 2 ended with two matchups. The first was between KRÜ Esports and Sentinels. The former, having had no wins in the league, were already eliminated from the Playoffs, meaning it was Sentinels that desperately needed the win. They were able to achieve that as they won the BO3 (Best of Three) series by 2-0.
The second matchup made history as NRG Esports became the only team so far in the Americas League to take down LOUD. They did it in a very dominant fashion as well, by winning the BO3 series by 2-0. Finally, Week 7 Day 3 ended with a single matchup between Leviatán and Cloud9, where the former lost the BO3 series by 0-2.
NRG Esports vs Evil Geniuses - Who will win the NA vs NA matchup in the VCT Americas League?
Predictions
NRG Esports had a shaky start in the beginning of the Americas League. However, they were able to bounce back and have converted a lot of their recent matches into dominant wins.
Evil Geniuses were on the same page where they were struggling to find their form and get a win on the board. After VCT LOCK//IN and some changes to the roster, the team was able to make a comeback in what is perhaps the most crucial time of the season.
The matchup favors NRG Esports who have been looking deadly, especially after their win against LOUD. However, Evil Geniuses have shown consistency in their last couple of matches and cannot be taken lightly.
Head-to-head
These teams have faced each other several times before. The most recent one was during the Champions Tour NA: Last Chance Qualifiers in 2022 as NRG won the BO3 series by 2-0.
Recent results
NRG Esports' most recent match was against the top team in the VCT Americas League, LOUD. They won the BO3 series by 2-0.
Evil Geniuses' recent match was against MIBR in the VCT Americas League. They also won the BO3 series by 2-0.
Potential lineups
NRG Esports
- Pujan "FiNESSE" Mehta (IGL)
- Sam "s0m" Oh
- Austin "crashies" Roberts
- Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks
- Victor "Victor" Wong
- Chet "Chet" Singh (Coach)
Evil Geniuses
- Alexander "jawgemo" Mor
- Corbin "C0M" Lee
- Ethan "Ethan" Arnold
- Kelden "Boostio" Pupello (IGL)
- Max "Demon1" Mazanov
- Christine "potter" Chi (Coach)
When and where to watch
Fans can watch the match on VCT Americas League's official YouTube and Twitch channels. They can also tune into the watchparties carried out by streamers and pro players. The match will take place on Thursday, May 18 at 3 pm PST/12 pm CET/3:30 am IST (next day).
