On Tuesday, 9/6/2022, Evil Geniuses announced that superstar bot laner Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki would be stepping away from the team. It was cited that it was due to mental health reasons and that the team would be without him for their run in Chicago. This comes just days after Danny helped Evil Geniuses make their way to Worlds 2022 with a series win over Team Liquid 3-2. The next question of who would start for the team in Chicago was a likely answer. According to a post made by Empyre on Discord, Head of LCS Scouting for Evil Geniuses, Hasan “Kaori” Şentürk will fill in for Chicago.
The full statement by Evil Geniuses CEO, Nicole LaPointe Jameson is shared below.
Kaori is from Turkey and started his career there playing in the TCL for Aftershock Esports in 2018. He was most known for his time on the Istanbul Wildcats and SuperMassive. He came over this past offseason and joined Evil Geniuses Academy. Since then he has been considered one of the best Academy Bot Laners and many wondered when he might get his first taste of the LCS.
He will be coming in with little time to prepare as not only does he have to fly out to Chicago but also his team will be playing 100 Thieves in the first series of the weekend on Saturday, September 10. It will be interesting to see how this team plays as Danny has been their main carry all season. Will Jojopyun, Impact or likely MVP Inspired be able to step up now when Evil Geniuses need it most?
The team won its first championship in Houston just in the Spring and now they have already qualified for Worlds. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how the team plays without its star bot laner.
Regardless, all the best to Danny as he takes the time needed away from the game to take care of his mental health.
You can find more pieces like “Evil Geniuses Kaori” and you can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Sander!
“From Our Haus to Yours”
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
