Evil Geniuses is reportedly set to round out its new League of Legends roster with former Team Vitality mid laner Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro, according to ESPN’s Jacob Wolf and Tyler Erzberger.
Wolf and Erzberger also reported that this deal was made after EG failed to recruit former Griffin mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, who will reportedly be staying in Korea to join DragonX with Griffin teammate Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon. Chovy was one of the most talented mid laners in the world in 2019 and was one of the most prized free agents once his contract was dissolved by Griffin on Nov. 25.
Before this reported decision, ESPN said that EG management discussed the possibilities of an imported top laner. Former T1 top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha was considered, while resident NA players like Tanner Damonte and Eugene “Pobelter” Park were looked at as options in the mid lane.
Jiizuke will reportedly be joining former Cloud9 star jungler Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen, support Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam, top laner Colin “Kumo” Zhao, and former 100 Thieves AD carry Bae “Bang” Jun-sik on EG’s LCS starting roster. Svenskeren is also expected to declare North American residency for this upcoming offseason, which frees up an import slot for EG.
Last season, Jiizuke had a tough time with Vitality. He had the fourth-most deaths in the LEC and one of the lowest KDAs of any mid laner in the league. His team failed to get past the first round of the playoffs in both splits.
This move represents a fresh start for the 23-year-old after having spent two years with Vitality. He’ll be aiming to push forward and help make EG’s LCS debut a success story to look back on next year.
