In this post-match interview,
Evil Geniuses head coach,
Christine "Potter" Chi, provides an honest reflection on the pivotal victory against
FURIA that secured EG's place in the playoffs in the
VALORANT Champions Tour Americas. She expresses both relief and dissatisfaction regarding their performance on the stage, explains the rationale behind swapping Jacob
"Icy" Lange and Jaccob
"Yay" Whiteaker between Duelist and Sentinel roles, and defines the evolving “
scrappy” identity of the roster as it incorporates new members.
How do you feel about the team’s performance after this win against FURIA?
Christine "Potter" Chi: "I'm of course relieved that we made it. But I will be honest, I'm disappointed in how we played. Our focus this week has been heavily on playing how we practice. And we definitely still have a lot of room to prove to ourselves that we're not gonna let the stage nerves get to us. We need to prove to ourselves that we can play our normal selves, and that we're not going to let the pressure get to us.
Icy is the main Duelist, but on certain maps Yay switches to Duelist while Icy moves to Sentinel, as on Ascent today. What’s the thinking behind these role swaps?
Potter: It's been a lot of figuring out what works with this combination of five players. But really, the priority has been on player comfort. A lot of it has revolved around activating Icy and Yay and making sure these two are going to be able to play their own game. So we've had to compromise a lot with some of our comps this year, but I'm no stranger to that. In 2023, I had Demon1 (Max Mazanov), who was also very particular with some of his agents. It's definitely not brand new for me, and we can still definitely figure out how to win.
How would you describe EG’s team dynamic this season, both inside and outside the game
Potter: Inside the game is fresh. Outside the game, is find ourselves. So inside the game, I always feel like we're really fresh or trying to be and trying to stay young. And whereas outside of the game, I feel like for a lot of us, we have a lot of baggage. Let's just look at Yay. It's the biggest clear example is he's coming from a lot of ups and downs in his career, and he's had a lot of downs. Derek (Derrek Ha) as well, all of us, have a lot of baggage. So, figuring that out has been quite a journey this year. I think we're right there. I was just telling the guys that we're at the precipice. We're right there. We just need to trust each other and figure out how to have fun on the stage together because we definitely do it in practice. It's just a little different on stage.
Looking back to the start of the season with EG, what identity are you trying to establish? And which benchmarks from last season indicate that this identity is actually manifesting on the server?
Potter: I guess it would be "scrappy", like how I would always put EG rosters. Figuring out how to look bigger than you are has always been our identity, and it's where my strength is. The benchmark from last year, I'm not sure exactly if there is one to show it, but I guess the benchmark would always be that. If you're always having a new roster, and I do have my core still. I have my core, but we have two new players this year as well. The benchmark is that we're having to re-find our identity and try to make Scrappy a huge part of that.
You mentioned Yay ups and downs. There has been a lot of speculation about his level. In your view, has he reached his full potential yet, or not?
Potter: Yay's mechanical skills have always been insane. You know, when you watch him in the game, the eye test, he's fucking on, he's never missing his shots. His shots have never been his issue. His issues have been things like awareness, having new teammates, the meta shifting, new maps coming up, all the things. A lot has happened in two years. And so when you're shifting and going from team to team and trying to figure out how to play with new teammates and your main agent is out and there's new agents, there's just a lot of shit that's happened. So I'll say for Yay, his aim and his mechanics have never been the issue. It's definitely been just catching up on the meta and figuring out how to activate yourself outside of just the normal Chamber plays that he knows and loves so well. So my biggest focus over the year has been activating and making sure he's aware of what to expect, even though he's not on Chamber.
Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Beyond lifting a trophy, what would constitute a successful season for EG in terms of culture, stability, or long-term growth?
Potter: Champs is always our goal. Right now, because of how our last few weeks have gone, it sounds funny, but I was in the same position in 2023, where I was saying "Champs is our goal. We're going to make it there." And people were like, "What? How? You guys look like shit. How are you going to make it there?" So for us, though, that's been our entire prep and focus from the start of this year. And I truly believe that we're right there. All it takes is one win, and we just got it. So now we're preparing for the playoffs, and it's up to us to realize how special we are.
From EG’s 2023 Champions title run, what are the most durable lessons you still apply every week, and how have those lessons evolved with a new season, new challenges, and a new roster?
Potter: It's always been the same. My main focus in coaching has been to do my job. It's really easy to look over to your teammate and critique them and have hindsight comments and be like: "What are you doing?" And you're always thinking about other people. But for me, my focus is really, you only have things that you can control. So many things throughout the day. There are so many actionable things you can do as a player that are fully within your control. So I make sure that I point out those things to my players, and they're fully focused on their job and not other things.
Many of your former players shine on top teams. They say they learned a lot during their EG era and still use what they learned. If you had to choose one word to describe how you feel about watching them grow, what would it be, and why?
Potter: The one word would be "rewarding" because it's really satisfying to see that growth. But I guess the one word would be for me, the true word is a "fan". I'm a big fan. I love watching people take over and the idea that they might take over again on a different roster. It's amazing. So I'm a huge fan. I guess the biggest word would be fan for me.
You’re a model for women coaches and players aiming for the VCT. What advice would you share with women who want to move into coaching or pro play and reach this level?
Potter: I usually have kind of the same advice. I'll do a new one. It's something I've been thinking about more and more lately, but the grass is not greener on the other side. It's something everyone needs to really focus on. It's gonna mean something different for everyone, but when I was playing, when I was coaching, you always look at the other team and you're always like "Damn, they look so cool" or "Damn, those guys are insane" or "Damn, I wish I had a teammate like that" or "Damn I wish my coach would do that for me". And it's always, you're looking over there and, you know, envious. So I'll say it's never greener on the other side. Every team has its own set of problems. Every person has their own shit that they're trying to figure out. And it might be packaged differently. They might talk about it differently, but it's the same problems at the end of the day. So I'll say that the grass is never greener on the other side. It isn't."
Header Photo Credit: Tina Jo/Riot Games
