The tale about eMg, EG and the Lion King

Do you see the connection between a known DotA squad, a canadian multigaming clan and a Disney movie? If not, consider reading on!

One of the most famous North-American clans made yet another big step into the RTS genre, after adding a new CS and CoD4 team the leadership of the canadian multi-gaming organisation

Evil Geniuses (EG) took over the DotA squad of

eMazing Gaming. With signing a DotA division EG is reacting on the big succes, that DotA is having all around the world.

“"While it is somewhat sad to part ways with eMg, and on a more personal level Matt Marcou, we look forward to work with someone as intelligent and experienced as Alex Garfield, and we're ready to prove ourselves worthy of the Evil Geniuses name."

- Pu "Whisper" Liu

Even though parting ways with eMg was no easy task for the players they are looking forward to their future with EG and the numerous sponsors like Intel and Razer, which will make them able to compete in various online and offline tournaments like the ENADC or Dreamhack!

To bring you the

Evil Geniuses a little bit closer and let you know how what Alex "chibsquad" Garfield and Pu "Whisper" Liu feel about their new colaboration and the DotA-scene in general we caught up with them for an interview:

For the full interview check out the spoiler!

Hi Whisper, recently it seemed like you did have some roster problems with your team since some players left and it surely was hard to get good replacements for them, how did you manage to keep the team alive and motivated for the running tournaments?

EG|Whisper: Well, roster issues are nothing that we're new to. We've had them before as WaC, we've had them before as verGe, and as eMg we just took them in stride. We looked at several options, weighed several hard decisions, and did what we had to do, as we always have and always will. We found what we feel to be a good long-term fit for the team in Lopi, who we're excited about. Also, we manged to lure OrgA back into the mix of things. OrgA has always been one of my favorite people in the community, and having him back with us makes me super fantastically happy. We got those two to help fill the holes, but another shake up happened as Remstar and Hitomi both wanted to rejoin the team, and Rwar left due to completely separate circumstances. So now, we're more or less back to where we started, with the strong additions of Lopi and OrgA, and minus our favorite Frenchie Rwar whom we wish the best of luck. I will love you forever, Jamal, even if you only wanted me for my anus.

Looking at the big DotA events and the community of competitive DotA clans nowadays, it is significant that the most successful clans are all located in the European area with a rapidly growing DotA scene in Asia, did North America get pushed out of the focus in this game which is gaining more popularity every day?

EG|Whisper: I don't think that North America is getting pushed out of the focus. The game itself has been and continues to be developed in North America. That alone makes the North American scene crucial to the game of DotA. As much as we, competitive DotA gamers, would like to see changes to the game to benefit competitive play, the map is constantly being changed and rebalanced with not only competitive play in mind, but also the casual, public play. This public play is heavily influenced by the North American players. However, it is somewhat disappointing that the North American competitive teams have kind of taken a step backwards. Honestly, I think it's just that there's been a spark lacking in the United States. Hopefully, the continuation of the Fire in Ice events will help to provide this spark, but up until now, North American sponsors have been quite disappointing in the amount of support lent to competitive teams. Most successful clans are located in Europe and Asia, but I attribute this fact to the inability of North American sponsors to provide their players with satisfactory support. A successful team needs stable, reliable support, and it's both fortunate and unfortunate that we've been the only DotA team in North America that's gotten it.

Hello Alex, since EG is a 'new face' in the DotA scene, may i ask you to introduce your clan briefly?

EG|chibsquad: As much as I'd like to, I take no credit for the founding of EG. Evil Geniuses originated as a Quakeworld clan waaay back in the 1990's, and became most well-known in the early 2000's for our performances in Counter-Strike 1.6. We quickly earned the label, starting around 2002, of Canada's #1 Counter-Strike team, and we've upheld that title for the past five years. Starting in late 2006, though, we also began to bring Americans onto the team, and now, 1 1/2 years since then, we have the #1 or #2-ranked teams in North America in virtually every relevant PC game: CS 1.6, Quake, UT, WoW, COD4, and now DotA.

EG|Whisper: EG has a super cute CS 1.6 girls team too np.

New clan always means some fresh air in the system, I'm sure that there are several projects that either you or EG would love to see getting started in the closer future, but since I'm an European I need to ask if you plan to attend LAN events like Dreamhack or Asus Open.

EG|Whisper: EG is not known as one of the best organizations in the world for no good reason. We will be attending Dreamhack Summer 2008 under the EG flag, and have applied to the ESWC Masters in Paris event with intentions of doing the same. I'm very excited to go to Dreamhack, and see Papa Drayich play nude in person. I also have an interest in meeting his son and turning him against his daddy Dray.

Alex, one multi gaming clan taking over a team from another one hasn't been seen in DotA so far, apparently DotA is taking huge steps towards becoming a serious E-Sport with players that might eventually turn their hobby into the profession one day, do you think that DotA is able to gain as much profesionality as SC:BW or CS1.6?

EG|chibsquad: I don't know that I'm qualified to provide commentary on the growth of the game internationally, but I do have a strong opinion on it in the North American scene. In the past, analyzing RTS in North America was always a bit tricky; it's not that the scene isn't strong, because games like WC3 and SC:BW have sold millions and millions of copies. But at the same time, North America, with some notable and choice exceptions, hasn't had the biggest successes internationally as far as bread-and-butter RTS goes. By all accounts, though, DotA has just spread like wildfire across this continent. I've been to LAN centers that used to be CS hotbeds and are now swarming with DotA players around the clock. Furthermore, as EG.DotA and some other teams have already demonstrated, there's a reasonable amount of international parity; which I think makes more a more exciting global community.

The tournaments for DotA made an incredible evolution from being a total mess with chaotic schedules and a few mousepads as reward, the prizes obviously did change and nowadays some leagues and tours offer prizes of several hundred to several thousand dollars, do you think that the evolution of the tour management has been up to par with the prizes and the level of the players?

EG|Whisper: I think tournament admins have been doing a fantastic job. It's hard work; I had an experience with administrating at the Fire in Ice 2007 LAN, and it made me appreciate even more the work done by S1rro and other admins of DotA tournaments and leagues, especially those conducted online. As much as some people disagree with certain decisions, I think that the professionalism of most administrations has been nearly flawless. I commend everyone who's helped this game grow through hours of effort, and hopefully they can keep it up!

So overall, what is the main thing your missing in DotA?

EG|Whisper: I think all that DotA's missing is the support from the large organizations. With ESWC stepping forward, a big step for DotA is being taken. Hopefully WCG will follow suit, and maybe someday, when the game has been adequately changed to fit time constraints, DotA will edge its way into CGS.

Since DotA is still a very young e-sport the team-leaders have taken responsibility for their teams actions and have held all privileges in their own hands wich made them grew into true experts with their team, is it hard to fit such persons in the big picture of a multigaming clan or is it a chance to learn from each other?

EG|chibsquad: I think that there is a certain amount of accommodation required, yes, but it's not very much. Most squads go through a period of getting used to how things work on an organization like EG, regardless of their game of choice. I'm not concerned about it.

Closing statement: I'd just like to thank our sponsors, Intel, Razer, Stoked, Kingston, and Killer NIC for their support, and for enabling us to pick up this powerhouse DotA team. We're really excited about adding them to the family!

EG|Whisper: I think that team leaders are like the Lion King. There is always an evil lion brother who's trying to usurp power. So beware of the stampede. And protect your Simba. He is the future. It is, after all, the circle of life. And it moves us all.

Thank you and shoutouts go out to Emazing Gaming and Jim Tyler for the support we've received with eMg, and our new sponsors at EG: Intel, Razer, Stoked, Kingston, Killer NIC. Special shoutouts to Rwar, our longtime French teammate. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, mate. And finally, to Matt Marcou. You will ALWAYS crank that souljah boy in my mind.

EG will surely manage to take DotA in North America to a whole new level and we are looking forward to see the Geniuses perform on an even higher level in future competitions!