EG Demon1 on visa issues, getting his start in VALORANT, and more

Evil Geniuses became one of the few teams to defeat LOUD in an international tournament playoff. The team has had a miracle run so far at VCT Tokyo Masters with wins over FUT, DRX and LOUD. Esports.gg spoke to EG Demon1 after their 2-0 victory over LOUD about the team's preparation, how he got into VALORANT, and more.

Maly: You had a crazy trip to get here staying awake for 50 hours to get a passport to fly out. Your team had only three days of practice. That type of pre-event prep would typically throw someone off. How come you were able to deal with it? Why did you turn up today?

Demon1: Kind of the playoffs you know. I'm going to show up in the playoffs every time. I've been in the VCT Americas and I hear the same thing. In international playoffs we made it and I'm going to play even better. It was definitely difficult. We barely had any practice as a team. People arrived late as well, they had visa issues as well. We turned it around, we got some practice in. The more games we play here, the better we're going to get here. 

I saw that when you arrived in Tokyo, you were streaming. And there was someone who said you were a fake Demon1. Can you tell me about that game? What was it like streaming on the server? 

Demon1: When I turned that stream on, people were just in my stream on the opposite team and then on my team and when I was speaking they were like "Real demon1", "fake Demon1". It was super fun. People were super chill and nice. It was a great experience. 

They fed you the ace. There were four kills and there was one left. 

Demon1: It was on Lotus. I was sitting on the bombsite and they were just running around and I got the ace.

What does it feel like dealing with international fame cause you're like a mega-star? Has it sunk in or is it still surreal? What's the feeling like for you?

Demon1: It's definitely growing on me but I'm just myself. I don't really look into it. I appreciate all the fans and all the love, but I'm just going to keep doing me. 

What did Baby Demon1 want to be as a kid?

Demon1: (thinks) A track star. 

Did you have any success?

Demon1: I started in middle school and I would've been in high school until I got injured. And then COVID hit and I just couldn't go outside. So I picked up Video gaming. So it was more like three years ago when COVID hit that I started playing. 

Did you compete in Track? 

Demon1: Yeah I did the 100 and 200 meters. 

Whoa! Can you tell us your speed?

Demon1: Okay! (laughs) I was like trash, but I knew I had potential and if I kept going I probably would've been good. Track in college and all that - probably would've been successful. Cause I picked up VALORANT and I was successful in this, so I think it would have translated. 

How did you know that VALORANT was the game that you wanted to play? Did you try other games?

Demon1: I've played other games but VALORANT was mainly the fun one compared to other games. Plus it was easier, the game is not hard. 

In the normal season, you said if you beat Leaf you were the best Jett in NA. Is that confirmed now and how do you think you compare on the international stage?

Demon1: I think I must've said that on stream. When people were like who do you think is the best Jett, Who do you think is better than you, I think I said Leaf out of respect. But I kind of knew I was already the best. I mean I feel like I am top three. We'll see later in the playoffs. 

Were you this confident as a kid? 

EG Demon1: My Whole life yeah. 

Where does this come from please tell me!

EG Demon1: Genetics. My number 1 answer.

How would you describe your own performance in Tokyo at Masters in three words?

Demon1: Not bad. Could be better. 

Could you tell me how you did this? (We show him a clip of his Jett play on Ascent)

I have my mouse in my hand, right? I turned to top left cause that's where he was. And I just point and clicked. 

EG Demon1: He just ran at me and he whiffed. I was just spamming mistakes. 

Are you not going to claim credit for this? 

Demon1: What? The Dash Away? I was just spamming buttons.

Anything you want to say to your fans?

EG Demon1: I appreciate all of you., I love you guys a lot. Can't wait to play more and show you what I've got.