MAD Lions vs SK Gaming

A clash between two mid-tier teams. On paper, there's not a lot that's separating these two challengers. SK Gaming are sitting with an underwhelming 1W-3L record, whereas MAD Lions have a slightly more respectable 2W-2L. But the level of play which we've seen from these two teams is vastly different.

SK Gaming failed to do much over the last two weeks and even their win over Team Vitality wasn't that impressive. They're out of sync, they're passive and are constantly making egregious mistakes in all stages of the game. They're not exactly abysmal, but their play leaves a lot to be desired. After losing their most potent early game catalyst to Fnatic (Oskar "Selfmade" Boderek), they've failed acclimate and adapt. They're not exactly sure how they want to play the game as a five-man unit and that's somewhat understandable. They still have a couple of stellar performers (their AD carry, in particular), but they're often scattered across the Summoner's Rift, without any synergy or cohesion in sight.

Still, they're far from the worst in the region and they're bound to improve over the coming weeks. They won't exactly blow anyone away with top-tier League of Legends and immaculate macro, but they're definitely going to present a tougher challenge going forward.

Opposite them, we have MAD Lions, a young, up-and-coming line-up brimming with talent. Now, don't let the fact that they lack veteran presence fool you -- they're deceptively capable, especially for a team that has just entered the LEC. It is perhaps their lack of fear that is most surprising. They fight game after game without any hesitation, much like many other top-tier rookies who came before them. They haven't played on the biggest of stages before this point and yet they're so at ease every time they spawn on the Summoner's Rift. They are by no means a behemoth in the making, but they have a ton of confidence and more than enough talent to back any play up.

They'll face a much more experienced team this time around, but that shouldn't present much of a problem. MAD Lions' stellar coaching staff surely prepared a layered, thought-out strategy, and MAD as a whole know that if they want to leave a mark in the Spring Split that this game is basically a must win. In any case, if they come out the gates swinging (as they're known for doing), we should be in for one heck of a game.