- The Finnish player is now a free agent after a disappointing Stockholm Major performance
- There were already rumors he might be leaving many days ago
- JerAx thanked his teammates and hinted he's looking for a coaching role now
Evil Geniuses have parted ways with one of the oldest Dota 2 veterans Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka, after a disappointing run at the Stockholm Major.
Evil Geniuses and JerAx Part Ways
Often when teams finish a big esports event, they learn a lot from their mistakes and apply changes. One such team is Evil Geniuses, who after a disappointing run at the Dota Pro Circuit Stockholm Major decided to part ways with Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka.
There have been rumors that JerAx would be leaving the team for many days now. They all started while the Major was still ongoing and were jumpstarted by the fact that Evil Geniuses removed the player from the team’s DPC registration slot on May 22, essentially revealing the management’s intentions. This all happened after EG dropped out of the DPC Stockholm Major.
EG’s Disappointing Performance
The Finnish player originally joined EG during the team’s roster shuffle following The International 10, ending a two-year hiatus from competitive Dota 2. This marked his return to competitive Dota 2 after he retired when he helped OG win their second-straight TI in 2019.
When in EG’s roster, JerAx swapped from his traditional position four role to position five, a move many fans seem to criticize. His team was eliminated before the playoffs despite entering the event as the top seed out of North America. After that, the 30-year-old player got his performance at the Major was criticized.
With leadership by JerAx, EG finished third in NA’s Division I regional league for the Winter Tour and fell to TSM in the Regional Final. Despite this, the team won a three-way tiebreaker against TSM and Quincy Crew, claiming the top place in the Spring Tour. However, their luck ran out at the Stockholm Major.
What’s Next for the Player
Despite leaving the organization, JerAx seems to be in relatively high spirits. He thanked Evil Geniuses for the opportunities they gave him, mentioning the hardships the team went through.
JerAx did not forget to thank his former teammates for the time he spent with them. “They taught me lessons about life that I won't forget. I'm grateful that I got to play by your side. I wish you all the best moving forward,” he wrote about them on Twitter.
The messages of thanks were followed up by an optimistic tweet of JerAx saying he is ready for the next challenge, as well as promoting his services as a position 4 or 5 player, and even as a coach.
After JerAx’s departure, EG is left in a tough spot. They need to fill their hard support role but also lost 97.5 DPC points due to removing a player from the roster. This made the team drop out of the top 12 in the 2022 DPC rankings. It looks like the new roster will have to work extra hard in the Summer Tour and the next Major if Evil Geniuses want a direct invite to TI11 in October.
