In one of the most intriguing storylines of Group D in ESL Pro League season 15, Evil Geniuses might find themselves in hot water if they finish last in their group—and it wouldn’t be the first time for the CS:GO team.
Partnered teams in franchised leagues are generally safe from the consequences of their poor performances, and the fact that Evil Geniuses finished dead last in their group in the past two seasons (with one and zero series won along the way) has not been a significant issue for the North American whipping boys so far.
If their current squad revamp also fails to bring success, however, they might actually run afoul of a partnership requirement. Here’s what the relevant part of the Louvre Agreement has to say about this:
“Partner Teams have a permanent slot in Pro League every season. The permanent slot shall be subject to review if Partner Team places last in their group in 3 out of 4 seasons.”
With a group made up of NAVI, Heroic, Astralis, Complexity, and AGO, it’s not entirely unrealistic to see EG rooted to the bottom of the standings again once all is said and done in Group D by April 3.
The wording of the clause means that this is just an option for ESL, and not one they’re forced to exercise. The size and prestige of Evil Geniuses could shield them from the consequences of their poor performances for a while, but the CS:GO community has never been keen on undeserving teams hogging invitation spots. Just think of the ridicule EG got for their Legends spot at the PGL Stockholm Major a couple of months ago.
