After defeating Cloud9 2-0 in the VCT Americas playoffs, Evil Geniuses unexpectedly qualified for VCT Masters and Valorant Champions 2023. After the game, an esports source revealed that Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel gave Kelden ‘Boostio’ Pupello his start as an EG Valorant player. Also, after just missing the playoff stage in VCT Americas, Evil Geniuses began their own Cinderella story by qualifying for VCT Masters Tokyo and the Valorant world title. Kelden ‘Boostio’ Pupello and Max ‘Demon1’ Mazanov were two players who stood up in the last weeks of the regular season and were prominent throughout the team’s victory over Cloud9 to qualify.
Demon1 joined EG in 2023 and is a relative newbie to top-tier Valorant play. Conversely, Boostio began competing at the highest level in 2020. During the game’s beta phase, Boostio took part in the ESPN Esports Invitational, a preliminary event, to break into the scene. One of the event’s planners disclosed on Twitter that Boostio was selected for one of the tournament teams only because Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, a former Overwatch professional and content creator, withdrew, allowing Boostio to shine.
The competition for the beta show is where EG Valorant first competed
The Valorant tournament that the sports network organized in the early days of the game was Boostio’s introduction to the Riot Games title, according to Tyler Erzberger, who worked for ESPN Esports before it shut down in 2020. Eight teams of esports gamers and streamers from games like Overwatch, Apex Legends, CS:GO, and Fortnite competed in the ESPN competition. The Apex Legends team won the competition as the players participated in groups representing their respective competitive titles. In 2020, Boostio participated in Overwatch Contenders and represented Team Hereos in the invitational rather than xQc.
Boostio became the only available replacement as xQc abruptly withdrew from being the squad captain for Overwatch. The team was played by Boostio, who appeared to be a star while carrying the load. He received DMs and offers to begin his career in Valorant after that, according to Erzberger.
Ezberger received a sincere response from Boostio on Twitter. “I’m crying because of you. Jesus, man,” he exclaimed. Team Heroes placed first in the beta tournament, and Boostio was the only member of that team to pursue employment with Valorant. After the invitational, Boostio played for free-agent rosters, Spacestation Gaming, and Evil Geniuses before joining them in 2021.
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