EG Revenge wants to make it to Worlds 2023 so he can beat his rival T1 Zeus
Robert Paul/Riot GamesEvil Geniuses have started off the LCS Summer Split with a bang despite their team being almost completely torn apart in the off-season, and Revenge wants to make it to Worlds 2023 with EG so he can fight T1 Zeus, a top laner he befriended and practiced against during last year’s international.
Mohamed ‘Revenge’ Kaddoura was, in many ways, the worst-kept secret in the LCS. At first glance, it’s easy to look at a team that has struggled for years like Immortals and think that there is no way it could have players on the roster who are at the top of their roles.
In reality, Revenge was a player who tried his absolute best to win games for his team and would regularly go toe-to-toe with any other top laner in the LCS. And, though he was known primarily for his play on hard carry champions when he came into the league, he’s since shown his versatility by rolling with the punches and fitting well into the current weakside-heavy meta on Evil Geniuses, his new team.
However, that doesn’t mean his ambition of beating his opponent in 1v1s is gone. Revenge was T1 Zeus’ scrim and 1v1 partner during Worlds 2022, and his goal this year is to make it to Worlds 2023 so they can play against each other on the big stage.
EG Revenge has been freed from the shackles of Immortals
Though Immortals invested in revamping their roster for Summer 2023, they’ve been near the bottom of the LCS for years. In addition, Revenge joined the team at a particularly awkward time: Right off the bafck of Immortals getting tenth place in 2020. While he was a stable member of the team for over 2 years, every other role seemed to be a revolving door.
During his time on the team, Revenge played with three different junglers, five mid laners, five ADCs, and four supports. Those numbers are a tad inflated due to some players subbing in for a game or two, but they show that IMT often had massive roster shifts from split to split.
While Immortals wasn’t exactly poised to be the best team in NA, they were also set up to fail more often than not. And Revenge stuck with the roster through all of it, doing his best to improve individually as his team continually fell short of success.
Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games“I mean, I do think you learn a lot from losing,” he told Dexerto. “And I learned a lot from my time on Immortals. (laughs) I think I’m going to be able to show myself in a way that will be impressive. I think I’ll show how good I am on EG. I had a lot of highs on Immortals through the years, a lot of lows as well, but I don’t have a lot of regrets.”
Revenge had some borderline 1v9 performances in Immortals’ wins, with him making a name for himself despite the odds. Standing out on a low-tier team isn’t easy, but he’s certainly pulled that off over the years.
The great thing about being on an EG roster that has so much strong individual talent is that Revenge has been freed up to play weakside champions. He doesn’t have to be the win condition every game, something that’s especially relevant with the current meta favoring bot lane.
While he still has a passion for hard carry 1v1-focused top laners like Fiora and Irelia, he’s ultimately been playing teamfight champions in unfavorable matchups.
Being able to weather the storm of a matchup like Sion vs. K’Sante, in which the latter champion is heavily favored, is no small feat. Taking bad matchups for the sake of EG is a noble thing for Revenge to do, and a role that he’s filled well. He isn’t a priority for the team in draft, and that’s by design.
“The way I’m drafting and the things I’m playing just fits what I think is the best way to win and what our coaches think is the best way to win. I still have a lot of picks to show. I think I’m just trying to show I’m a very versatile player, and I hope that I can still show everyone that I can still play the other style.”
While EG’s Revenge seemed a bit bummed that he’s been on weakside duty, he’s also glad that he’s been able to get rid of the “stigma” that he couldn’t play weaksiders.
“To be the best LCS top laner and get scouted to other teams or get any recognition, you do have to be good at everything in a way, all styles in the meta, if you really want to elevate your team. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Revenge is set on making it to Worlds after earning T1 Zeus’ respect
If nothing else, Revenge is determined to make sure his time spent in the LCS means something. Despite the very recent passing of his grandfather, he chose not to take time off during the first week of the LCS and has kept competing through hardship. Moreover, he left medical school in 2019 to join the LCS.
Revenge isn’t playing in the LCS because it’s his best and most promising path in life, but rather because it’s what he wants to do above all else.
Having sacrificed so much to stay in the LCS as a competitor while consistently finishing between 7-10th place can’t have made it easy to keep morale high. Still, Revenge found ways to keep his head held high and look at the bright side.
“What mattered the most to me is that I was improving, honestly. I knew that I was improving and that I was showing it. That’s what mattered most to me at the time. That’s what kept me going.” he explained. What’s more, he never once thought of retiring through all the hardship because he and those who kept them to their rosters over the years saw that he was worth keeping in the LCS.
“I’d only want to leave the LCS if I felt like I’m not good enough anymore to be the best or achieve my goals. And, like, my goals are very high. They’re very hard to reach. I know I need to be good for that and believe in myself and I’m showing my improvement. That’s all that matters to me.”
As for his goals, EG Revenge shares the same target as many of NA’s best players: Making a Worlds run worth talking about. Cloud9 set the benchmark with their semifinal run in 2018, and no one from North America has managed to get that far since.
“I think [my goal] would just be to perform at Worlds and do well. However far we can make it. I want to be an NA team that goes far, and I want to be able to beat international top laners. Play on the big stage. These are all very big goals of mine that I want to achieve.”
However, unlike many players who have never been able to make it to Worlds, Revenge doesn’t just have other top laners he looks up to or people he aspires to face. Instead, he built up a friendly rivalry last year and has one player in particular he wants to face and practice against: T1’s Zeus.
Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesOf all the players in the world, T1’s top laner is the one he wants to face the most.
“Yeah, it would definitely be to face Zeus. When he was in NA we did 1v1s. We made an NA team that scrimmed T1, that’s how we got into doing 1v1s in the first place. He really respected me and said that he wants to meet me internationally. I really want to meet him on stage and beat him, or just continue 1v1ing him or learning from him because he’s a great player. I’ve always rooted for T1, even before I was a pro player. It’d be really cool to meet them and beat them on stage.”
Revenge believes that he has massively improved his team fighting ability and overall macro play since he entered pro play, and he also still views himself as a strong 1v1 player. He was able to push T1’s top laner and be a great sparring partner despite Zeus being the one who’s getting podium finishes at international events.
It’s still early in the split, but EG’s off to a strong start with Revenge on the team. And, if he can turn this budding rivalry into something we get to see on the big stage, Revenge may just be able to change the narrative around North American players and put the LCS on the map like many before him have failed to do.