This will be a true test of where Europe actually is as a region in terms of their overall strength. This is the first major international tournament that will not have a European team not named G2 or Fnatic. MAD Lions are a pretty cool story in the fact that they ended the split in third place and made an absolute miracle run through the playoffs beating Rogue (3-1), G2 (3-1), and then Rogue again (3-2). There were huge questions about this team at the end of their 2020 World’s Run and with their upgrades at top and jungle, they may have found the winning combination.    

Lane Breakdown

In this section I am going to go lane by lane (or position by position) and grade out each player and set some expectations for what we should see from them in the group stage! Obviously playing on stage in an actual tournament can give us some pretty special moments but I will outline what should be the most likely outcome.

Top Lane (Armut): After Supermassive ripped the heart out of MAD Lions chest by knocking them out of the 2020 World Championship, MAD Lions decided to take the their top laner to replace the lackluster Orome they currently had. This upgrade has made all the difference in the world to MAD. In their playoff games alone he had 43 kills and 91 assists in the 13 games he played. A real benefit to this upgrade for MAD is the flexibility of Armut. He can play the tank options that Orome focused on but also added carry champions who win the 1v1 against the enemy top laner with picks like Aatrox, Wukong, and Jayce. This will be a great pick with his ability to pick great times to fight and also transitions into teamfights really well.   

Jungle (Elyoya): In the shake up of the old MAD Lions, the dropping of Shadow seemed pretty puzzling at the time. While Shadow was limited in his champion pool, he was an aggressive early game jungler. When Elyoya hit the rift in the LEC he took it by storm. He had a 4.42 KDA in the Spring Split and a 5.03 KDA in the playoffs with 12 different champions played in over 30 games. The way Elyoya and the MAD Lions’ support (Kaiser) play together is something that is special and will be key to MAD not only making the knockout round but also pushing the top teams to the limit. I want to keep seeing Elyoya pick off meta picks to find advantages and give us the audience a show.  

Mid Lane (Humanoid): We have to be honest as we break down these players and there is something to be said about how much Humanoid was a question mark for this team in the regular split. He posted his lowest KDA in his career (2.97) and only averaged 2.89 kills per game. His best champion was Orianna by far which is representative of his actual play style which is a slower and control focused mage player. In the playoffs his KDA jumped to a 6.83 and the difference was the fact that he played only Orinanna, Twisted Fate, and Viktor which all fit that playstyle. If MAD Lions can draft around Humanoid, he will perform to a pretty high level (but never really to a captain worthy level) but if teams can push him onto more aggressive champions, he can be exposed.  

Bot/AD Carry (Carzzy): I go back and forth between loving Carzzy and feeling like he is holding MAD Lions back. I feel like the games where MAD Lions pour resources into him, he has an amazing performance. When he has to fend for himself, MAD Lions usually have to deal with him dying early and often. His best champions (Xayah, Samira, and Senna) all allow him to make plays but the team comp is built around keeping him alive. This may be something that MAD Lions can do easily in the group phase but I worry about when he has to play into the likes of GALA or Ghost. 

Support (Kaiser): If there is a player who want to learn how to make a difference from the support role, they need to watch Kaiser. He is arguably in the top five from around the globe in best play making supports right now. His ability to roam across the map and create plays for Humanoid, Armut, and Carzzy as well as help Elyoya get the neutral objectives early is key to MAD Lion’s success. He can also be more lane focused in games where Carzzy is the key and the Lions want to take early towers and escalate the game. That is why he is averaged over 10 assists per game in all of spring split and really showed his skill on champions like Alistar and Leona. If the Lions want to make it to the MSI finals, it will have to be through MAD Lions’ support, Kaiser. 

Cann’s Final Thoughts

This will be a team you want to root for, not necessarily one you should root for. They are explosive and fun but they are also volatile and can make mistakes. They should cruise through the group stage without dropping more than a couple of games but things will get pretty challenging when they begin facing the other major regions. Look for top performers from this team to be Elyoya and Kaiser and lock them up when you can. 

Cann’s Record Prediction: 10-10
Cann’s Final Placement Prediction: Tournament Semifinalist