Team Vitality vs MAD Lions

A fairly fascinating scrap, although nothing to write home about. In many ways, this is just one more surefire win for the MAD Lions line-up and they certainly need it in order to stay relevant in the playoff picture. They're entering the sixth week of play with a ton of hype and momentum after taking down G2 Esports last Saturday, a surprising outcome even for the MAD Lions faithfuls. Don't let the fact that they only have one veteran within their ranks fool you -- they're fighting their hearts out every time they step foot on stage to compete.

Furthermore, they're far more talented and capable than most people give them credit for. They're in sync, they have multiple players who are in the running for the "Rookie of the Split" nod, and have shown more than enough top-tier League of Legends to earn our benefit of the doubt. That said, they're not particularly consistent and they've lost more than just a couple of winnable games. Their inexperience often shines through and, by proxy, heavily affects their mid and late game decision-making. Ranking them at this point in time is downright impossible. Whether or not they get the win often relies on their opponent, and even then it feels like a toss-up. There's quite a fair bit of chaos once it comes to making those split second decisions and that when MAD often fall apart. Their individual talent alone is commendable (if not surprising), but it's often not enough against the very best teams in the region.

Despite this, they have one of the most promising line-ups in the LEC and are bound to reach the playoffs. There's just no way they'll miss out on Top 6 with the immense amount of talent within their ranks. They know what they're good at, they're playing to their strengths and are improving with each passing week, so there's very little reason to get worried for their long-term chances.

Vitality, on the other hand, failed to do much over the last couple of weeks. Their early games have been impressive, but even if they have a lead they tend to become a train wreck once the mid game comes along. No one stands out much other than, say, Cabochard and Steelback, but two good players on your team just isn't enough to leave a mark. They have some avenues for success but they're rarely capable of pulling through, regardless of the tools they have coming from the draft.

Now, make no mistake -- Vitality can definitely challenge MAD Lions early on, but they've always failed to capitalize and transition their leads into the later stages of the game regardless of how good they looked in the beginning. MAD Lions, on the other hand, have a surprising amount of confidence and mental fortitude. They're not the kind of team that's going to implode, and with Shadow and Carzzy playing out of their minds, it's fair to say that they're the heavy favorites this time around.