“Eventually we’ll end up at Champs again” – C0M on EG’s vision

Following Evil Geniuses’ 2–0 win over LOUD in the VCT Americas Kickoff lower elimination bracket, Hotspawn sat down with Corbin “C0M” Lee to talk about EG’s new roster, confidence built through years at the top level, working with Potter again, rising Tier 2 talent, and the long-term vision for this team.

Hotspawn: Congratulations on your win today, C0M. It must feel good to find your first Kickoff win.

How are you guys feeling?

C0M: “Definitely feels good. Definitely nice to get one under the belt before the end of Kickoff. Of course, I think there’s still a lot for us to work on at the moment. Even on that Abyss attack after the reroll round, there were still things we can do a lot better, in my opinion. And then for me as an individual, just building consistency — because I think map one is what I’m usually at, but on map two, it wasn’t like that.”

Hotspawn: Talking about building consistency, you guys came together as a roster this time. The project is new — I think only one player was carried over from last year.

With relatively little time, especially since your announcement came later than some teams, how has the team bonding journey been heading into Kickoff?

C0M: “Yeah, I think it’s a work in progress. We have a great group of guys, honestly, and it’s something we will continue to build over time. I think everyone sees it. Even when we’re on stage in high-stress moments, we’re just laughing. It doesn’t matter — we just want to have fun.

“This is something I like having in my teams, where everyone is like a family, almost like everyone is brothers. Everyone can tell each other whatever they want, and no matter what, it’ll be talked out. Things like this build great teams. Eventually we’ll get to an even better point than we are today.

“Today was maybe our six — I almost said the meme, like six or seven — but it needs to be higher consistently, and we’ll get there. There was a lot of new stuff we did today that we don’t even do in scrims. It was just the right reads in rounds. Eventually, we’ll get to where we want to be.”

Hotspawn: Talking about new stuff, I noticed we’re starting to see teams pick Veto more and more. Today, you put on a spectacular performance with that agent.

What are your thoughts on him and how he fits into the meta?”

C0M: “I think the more people experiment, the more they’ll understand it. A lot of teams haven’t had time to experiment with all these things. With new agents especially, it just takes time. The more people understand what the agent can do, the better they’ll get at it.”

Hotspawn: This is your second time working with Potter, even if the roster is different.

How has that been for you?

C0M: “At the start, we were figuring out what we wanted to do. But especially this past week, we’ve grown a lot as a team and aligned on expectations. I really like that. Before, I wanted to add more things, and now we’re slowly getting into that sweet spot. We’re having more success, and it’ll just keep getting better.”

Hotspawn: This year has really felt like the rise of tier two players stepping up in VCT.

What do you think is the biggest difference between Ascension and VCT?

C0M: “I’ve been in the league for four years now. Bringing in newer players like Bao and okeanos, the more experience they get, the more comfortable they’ll be. I talk to them a lot about what it’s like to be on stage.

“Tier 2 has so much talent. The biggest gaps are experience, communication, and attitude. But once those are corrected, they can become some of the best players in the game. Everyone knows that.”

.@C0Mtweets clutches again!!! pic.twitter.com/4gef5YqJld

— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesportsna) January 31, 2026

Hotspawn: Your parents have been supporting you at events for years.

How important has that been?

C0M: “At first they were sceptical, because esports is volatile. But now they really enjoy the journey. They’re happy I get to keep doing what I love and that I have passion for it. They’re always there for me, and that’s something I’ll always hold close.”

Hotspawn: You’ve seen the highest highs and some really low lows.

How do you keep your mental strong?

C0M: “I have utmost confidence in myself as a leader and as a player. I’ve won the biggest tournament in the game and placed third with another team. No matter what happens — like going 0–10 on Abyss — who cares? I clutched the next round.

“I’ve lost in so many disgusting ways that things don’t affect me like they used to. My confidence comes from experience.”

Hotspawn: What is your vision for this team?

C0M: “I want everyone to get experience, have fun, and have no regrets on stage. I don’t want to put expectations on them. Eventually we’ll be one of the better teams. We’ll enjoy the process, and eventually we’ll end up at Champs. None of us doubt that.”