Fear; A living legend retires

Evil Geniuses player Clinton “Fear” Loomis has officially announced his retirement from competitive playing. He will remain with the organization, taking on the responsibility and position as the team’s coach. One of the most storied players in the scene, Fear has been with the EG organization since 2011.

Legendary player Clinton “Fear” Loomis’ release from the roster on August 27th signaled the beginnings of roster changes for Evil Geniuses and set off a flurry of rumors and speculation about the veteran player’s future.

In a grand announcement surrounded by hype and excitement, the organization made the news of Fear’s retirement official.

Evil Geniuses (EG), a world-leading pro gaming team, is announcing today that Clinton ‘Fear’ Loomis, the cornerstone of Evil Geniuses’ Dota and Dota 2 rosters for the better part of a decade, is set to officially retire as a player, effective immediately. Citing health reasons, Fear has chosen to transition out of the demanding lifestyle required of a professional gamer. We are thrilled to announce, however, that Clinton will remain a part of the EG family as the brand’s Dota 2 coach in order to ensure the continued success of the team, with the new roster slated to be announced tomorrow.

In 2014, just as the team was starting to move at full speed, already pulling ahead of the other North American teams and establishing itself as a premier team, Fear was forced to go inactive, due to a wrist injury. He remained on the staff as the team’s coach, however his injury prevented him from being a part of the active squad that went on take 3rd place at TI4.

Today, I’m announcing my retirement from competitive Dota. I have been living my dream of being a professional gamer for over a decade now, and in that time I’ve accomplished each of the goals I placed for myself and for EG Dota. Now, I have to pursue a new goal – getting healthy. I still have a passion for Dota and for competing, but the long term health of my arm has to come first. Thank you all for your support.

-Clinton “Fear” Loomis

Following TI4, Fear returned to competitive play with the squad – surging forward to great achievements and heights – eventually seizing the TI5 championship title. A well suited accomplishment for a legacy’s résumé.

Fear will remain in Dota 2 history as one of the greatest players, a role model and inspiration for many.

Clinton “Fear” Loomis

Clinton is one of the “oldest” players in the Dota scene, in both terms of age and experience. He is widely regarded as one of the best players since the game’s inception.

Having been around since 2005, during the DotA 1 days, Fear began his Dota 2 career playing with UNiVeRsE, Pajkatt, ComeWithMe and Theeban “1437” Siva for Online Kingdom, in 2011. His journey to The International and his Dota 2 career were featured in the “Free to Play” documentary.

Following The International 1, Fear would then join Evil Geniuses, in 2011. Other than his two-month departure from under the organization’s wing – when he continued to play with the same roster, under the SADBOYS tag – he remained with Evil Geniuses ever since.

EG’s 2015-2016 season

In August 2015, Evil Geniuses managed to turn the odds to their favor and claim the coveted TI5 Aegis of Champions and $6.6 million in prize money, thus becoming the first American team to win The International.

In a shocking move almost immediately following their historic TI5 championship win, Evil Geniuses removed Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling from the lineup. Welcoming back Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, they then shifted Clinton “Fear” Loomis to the support role.

Despite the fact that they started off the fall season on the wrong foot, being eliminated in the very first round of the ESL One New York, they went on to take second place at the MLG World Finals and third at the Frankfurt Major and Shanghai Major.

The results were just not good enough, or perhaps the grass was greener on the Team Secret side of the fence. Both Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora and Artour “Arteezy” Babaev left the team before the rosters locked in for the next big event – the Manila Major.

After their unanticipated departure to Team Secret towards the last days of the team registration period, the future of Evil Geniuses seemed uncertain.

EG welcomed back both Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling and Sam “BuLba” Sosale to the organization, on March 26th.

The new roster had a shaky start but overall commendable performances in the next three months. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure them a decent place at the Manila Major, where they fell into the 13th-16th ranks. Roster changes would strike again.

They put any animosity behind them and brought Saahil back in. Switching out Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling and welcoming back Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg after a year off from school, the team was four-fifths their TI5 lineup and was starting to look like a well-oiled machine again.

However, they had forfeited their direct invite for The International following their roster changes – an unprecedented move for a TI title-holder to be taking the open qualifier road. EG had to come back to Seattle the hard way – through the Open Qualifiers and then the Regional ones.

They shined throughout the tournament – both during the Group Stages and the Main Event – and even looked stronger than at The International 5, at times. Evil Geniuses were close to getting their names written on the Aegis of Champions for the second time. Not close enough, though: they fell to Digital Chaos in the Lower Bracket Finals and placed third overall.

Evil Geniuses TI6 roster:

Clinton “Fear” Loomis
Syed Sumail “Suma1L” Hassan
Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora
Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg
Peter “ppd” Dager