llya "something" Petrov of Paper Rex competes at VALORANT Champions Los Angeles Playoffs Stage at the Shrine Expo Hall on August 19, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

PRX something says Evil Geniuses players were only “toxic” for show

By George Geddes

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Aug 29, 2023

Reading time: 2 min

The star duelist for Paper Rex, Ilya “something” Petrov has downplayed the supposed toxic behavior of Evil Geniuses players toward their opponents at Valorant Champions. 

During Valorant Champions, which saw Evil Geniuses defeat Paper Rex in the grand final to win the tournament, some fans were critical of the North American player’s attitude toward the other teams at the event. 

Evil Geniuses in-game leader Kelden “Boostio” Pupello said that China “will never be better than North America,” for example, and said that Group B was “easy.” Throughout the event, players would often teabag and shoot the bodies of the opponents, which some fans found distasteful. 

But Paper Rex player Something denied that Evil Geniuses players were being “toxic” toward opponents at the event. When asked, he said, “No, these players from EG they [were] only toxic for social media, interviews, just for video[s], you know?.” 

“They’re good [people] in real life,” he said

llya "something" Petrov of Paper Rex competes at VALORANT Champions Los Angeles Playoffs Stage at the Shrine Expo Hall on August 19, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo via Liu YiCun/Riot Games

The statement proves that these players are often building hype and attention to their matches by showboating or appearing edgy to act like villains in order to build a narrative. This is often seen in traditional sports, especially combat sports. 

Evil Geniuses triumph at Valorant Champions 

Paper Rex player something finished in second place at Valorant Champions, his first international event with the team. 

At the conclusion of the tournament, Paper Rex was defeated by Evil Geniuses 3-1 in a close series. 

Evil Geniuses came from the lower bracket following a loss to Paper Rex in the upper final. But the North American team was able to bounce back with a victory against Brazilian team LOUD to set up a rematch in the grand final. 

Although something put up a solid performance, his team was outclassed by Max “Demon1” Mazanov and co. 

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