Evil Geniuses and Thunderpick expands the partnership to Dota team
Earlier this year, Evil Geniuses, a North American esports organisation, partnered with Thunderpick for their CS: GO division. Both parties are expanding their partnership to the Dota 2 division ahead of The International 2023.
EG has been a powerhouse in the Dota 2 esports scene. The team won the prestigious International 2015. In the following years, they secured multiple top-three finishes. However, as a North American powerhouse, the team failed to win any Valve-sponsored tournament after their 2015 win.
EG winning The International 2015Credits: Flickr/ Valve
Evil Geniuses Dota 2’s 2022-23
After dominating the NA Dota 2 scene for over a decade, in the 2023 DPC Season, EG made a controversially bold decision. They dropped their entire NA roster and moved to SA. Signing the upcoming SA’s talents, they continued their winning ways.
They placed second in their region at the Winter and Spring Tour. At the Majors, the team made solid runs. They secured a 5th-6th place finish at The Lima Major and a 4th place finish at The ESL One Berlin Major.
However, after securing a top-place finish in their region at The Summer Tour, the team failed to make a deep run at The Bali Major.
Their DPC results earned them a direct invite to The Internationals 2023.
The team also did well in the ESL Dota 2 Pro League. The team secured a seventh-place finish at DreamLeague Season 19 and a sixth-place finish at DreamLeague Season 20.
They secured a 9th-12th place finish at The Riyadh Masters 2023. Recently, the team had a 9th-10th place finish at DreamLeague Season 21.
The Controversy
Sumail at EGCredits: Flickr/ Valve
Evil Geniuses also had their share of controversies. In March of this year, a former player of the team, Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, sued the team for taking advantage of a young and naive young player. The case is heading to trial in November.
What is Thunderpick and what does the partnership mean?
Thunderpick is a crypto betting website. They have been slowly making their mark in the esports industry. They are currently hosting a CS:GO tournament featuring multiple teams. Thunderpick has been a sponsor for EG's Counter-Strike division. As per thunderpick's official statement, the sponsorship will "help boost players’ career opportunities" and "help them grow as individuals in the esports industry." Thunderpick has also extended the sponsorship towards the EG Gold team.
The Partnership will enable Thunderpick to venture deeper into esports. They might eventually become a major sponsor for EG. In case of EG, their financial struggles are likely alleviated with the new sponsor. In current atmosphere of esports, getting a sponsor is always a good sign. We'd have to wait and watch what the thunderpick sponsorship entails.
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Image Source: Youtube/@EvilGeniusesDota2