Team Vitality vs MAD Lions

What an absolutely terrific barnburner to start out the day! Vitality taking on the MAD Lions has "fireworks" written all over it and, frankly, we can't wait to see them step foot on stage and compete! We're talking about two staggeringly talented teams and some of the very best players the West has ever produced. Vitality are, obviously, a fair bit more threatening, but the Lions will not go down without a fight and could, by all means, put on a show!

That is especially true if their newest signings RKR and UNFORGIVEN end up delivering. They've accomplished great things over in the ERLs and we know for a fact that they have bright futures ahead of them. Still, they'll face an uphill battle going forward, and facing off against a bona fide superteam in your very first game is by no means an easy pill to swallow.

Everyone will naturally side with Vitality on this one, but it might be ever so slightly more competitive than the odds would lead you to believe. MAD have more synergy which is no small benefit, especially at this early point of the season. Whatever they might lack in starpower or hype, they more than make up for in sheer cohesion and a somewhat clearer identity. The Vitality bunch will probably employ the "brute force" method (like so many Vitality line-ups of the past) as they can't go for the more layered or reserved style of play because they've yet to get on the same page and conjure up an identity to call their own. Be that as it may, they have more than enough mechanical prowess and experience to make it work and, well, when you're *that* good at the game you don't really need to play things out "by the book."

We're going with Vitality on this one as doing the opposite would be tantamount to insanity.