[MSI 2022] EG Vulcan: "Compared to my past international experiences"

Evil Geniuses finished their day 3 of the MSI 2022 Rumble Stage run with a 1-1 record, dropping their first match to T1, but getting their win against Saigon Buffalo. With these results, EG now sit at 4th place, and are scheduled to have their rematch against T1 and RNG on day 5.

After their win against SGB, EG’s support Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme joined Inven Global for an interview.

You finished the day 1-1. How do you reflect on the team’s performance today?

Looking at the draft against T1, I think that we should’ve won that game, but it’s a shame that we didn’t. We had the chance to just fight them for Rift Herald, but it was an opportunity that we failed to grab. I’m glad that we were able to bounce back and win against SGB, and I’m happy with how we played against them. 

Compared to G2 and RNG, T1 showed weakness in their run during the Rumble Stage so far. Having played all three teams, tell me what your experience has been like playing these teams, from the perspective of EG.

From my perspective, the level is pretty low compared to other international tournaments. All the games felt winnable, so the level isn’t too high. Obviously, it sucks to say this from the position where we haven’t beaten any one of the teams. We aren’t playing that well at the moment as well.

Because of T1’s undefeated season, the fact that they lost two games in the rumble stage has fans concerned. Do you think T1 is not as strong as they were this Spring, or are people just reading too much into bo1?

I think that they’re not performing as well as they used to, but people are always reading too much into Bo1 results.

Danny stated in another interview that he’s been disappointing. The losses can obviously make players feel like they’ve been underperforming, so how do you reflect on your performance so far?

I think in the Rumble Stage specifically, against G2. I lost the game solo; that one’s on me. Other than that, I played okay, but not the greatest, I'd say. However, against SGB right now, I completely 1v9’d.

How does this bot lane meta compare to the meta on 12.6 in the LCS Spring Playoffs? 

The biggest difference in the champ pool. LCS playoffs was all about Jinx/Aphelios, but right now, we’re seeing a lot more Ezreal, as well as Kai’Sa because of the matchup against him.. For ADCs specifically, champions like Jinx and Aphelios snowball a lot harder with early leads, whereas champions like Ezreal have a slower tempo in terms of snowball. Pretty different from the hypercarries that we’ve seen on 12.6. Looks like the top lane is a bit different too with Gangplank and Gwen taking over the meta at MSI.

How do the supports at MSI compare to your top competition in the LCS? Is there anyone specific that stands out to you? 

I don’t think Keria isn’t playing on top of his game, so no. If he was, he’d be the best support player in the world. CoreJJ is the only support that really stands out in the LCS, and I think the rest of the support players play on the same level.

Has your experience at MSI 2022 benefited you in any way at this event? 

Not particularly at this event, no. Compared to my past international experiences, the overall level of this MSI has been lower. There haven't been too many eye-opening experiences so far. Obviously, the other top teams are playing better than us, but I wouldn’t say there has been anything too crazy.

You’re no stranger to the global stage and the pressure that comes with it. How do you think Danny and Jojo are doing so far at their first MSI, both in and out of the game?

For Jojo, I think he’s doing well. He’s slowly playing a lot better because he’s consistently playing against better players at MSI. He’s had a slow start, but he’s taking criticism well and improving quickly. Danny’s been struggling a bit more, but you can see the improvement in his gameplay. With Danny getting his confidence back, I’m looking forward to going into bo5s.

Moving forward in the Rumble Stage, what does the team need to work on to pick up victories in the remaining matches?

I think communication and being on the same page would be the biggest thing. Specifically against T1, we were on different pages, and comms were sometimes confusing.

EG seems to be at their best in a bo5 environment. Stylistically speaking, is there a specific opponent you’d like to face in the semifinals should you qualify for the knockout stage? 

Even though we’re 0-5 against them, I think G2 is probably the favorable opponent. We’ve had sizable leads against G2, but there was that one game where I just completely inted on Rakan during Groups. So yeah, G2.