In a series between the new boys and the kings of Europe, Mad Lions showed that anything that bleeds can be killed. The rookies kicked the defending League of Legends European Championship (LEC) champions to the losers bracket and advanced further in playoffs. G2 Esports were the ones who picked the Mad Lions after placing first in the regular Spring Split. However, Mad Lions took down G2 in a 3-2 win after an intense series.
How Mad Lions took down the Kings of Europe
Mad Lions ran away with game 1 of the LEC series with a Nautilus, Gragas, Kalista, Aatrox, and Leona composition. The mid jungle synergy between Marek “Humanoid” Brazada and Zhiqiang “Shadow” Zhao was just unstoppable. Also, G2 Esports could not handle a Nautilus mid and a Kalista ADC mixed with a Gragas jungle. Even though G2’s Luka “Perkz” Pekovic was up in creep score in mid lane, it did not matter. Mad took control of the Barons and the Drakes and had a gold lead of 6,800.
After a shock loss in game one, G2 awoke from their slumber in game 2. They banned Kalista and Gragas and forced Mad Lions to make tank picks. Mad made those picks to defend against the early onslaught expected from the G2 composition of Sett, Syndra, and Rumble. However, their game plan went sideways as G2 already had more than three kills in just six minutes.
And all is right with the world 😌
🔴 https://t.co/tU83rNwXz5 pic.twitter.com/XIsPPVaTh6
— G2 Esports (@G2esports) April 3, 2020
Mad Lions tried to fight their way back into the game, but the tank combination could not survive the amount of damage G2 put out.
The third game of the series was different from the first two; the momentum constantly shifted between G2 and Mad Lions. Both teams had the opportunity to close out the game. However, Mad Lions pounced on G2’s silly mistakes with a Baron buff. G2’s Rasmus “Caps” Winther was caught out in midlane, and Mad secured the Elder Dragon and went into a 2-1 lead.
After getting a match point, the test for Mad Lions became whether they could close out the series in game 4. The new boys started the game in full control with eight kills in eight minutes.
8 kills, 8 minutes. Let's do this. #goMAD #MADWIN #LEC pic.twitter.com/xY9CpiC0Jw
— MAD Lions English 🇬🇧 (@MADLions_EN) April 3, 2020
Everything Mad Lions wanted in the early game paid off. It looked like Mad were going to tear through Baron and take down G2. But G2 took the Baron fight straight to Mad Lions with four kills in the space of a minute. With a Baron buff and better team composition, G2 turned the game around after that team fight and forced game five. Game 4 was quicker than previous ones with a 25-minute G2 win.
Game 5 of the series was truly the best game of the entire series. It started pretty well for G2 Esports with a Kalista top controlling the lane. However, Mad Lions fought their way back into the game. G2 made a desperate attempt to satchel the Nexus, but it ended badly for the team. Mad doubled the kills and picked up the ocean soul. Mad then advanced to G2’s base and aced the team before taking down the Nexus.
This win makes it the first time ever that G2 has lost a best-of-five series after going 2-2. They had never experienced such a loss in the LEC or even on an international stage. Mad Lions march on to face the winners of the Fnatic game tomorrow, while G2 will move into the losers bracket.
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