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Possible reasons for the fall of MAD Lions in Worlds

MAD Lions has fallen into play-in. The Lions did not start off on the right foot Worlds and today has confirmed what many feared. MAD Lions have failed to beat Papara SuperMassive in an agonizing playoff that has extended to the fifth map. Unfortunately, though, that fifth map was decided early on thanks to KaKAO and Armut.

Despite this end of the season, MAD Lions‘ goal has been achieved: to reach Worlds. We can't forget that they are a team of rookies that have surprised at LEC with a very good level during the regular season. They were on the verge of taking first place but fell in the last few weeks and their role in the playoffs was a preview of what we would see from MAD Lions in Worlds.

What could be the reasons why MAD Lions is out of Worlds?

The first possibility is clear: they haven't had any matches on stage. The MAD Lions rookies have had to play on stage with all the spotlights on them in this play-in. Due to the pandemic that affected the normal course of the regular season, they were playing from home. They don't give up the same onstage as they do at home and this can make a big dent in inexperienced players.

There is another hypothesis to explain what happened: they are exhausted. They have given everything in the regular season and in such a long season, adjusting to the new metagame has caught them on the back foot (Mac already warned that the adaptation to the Worlds goal would be decisive). Too tired to perform at the highest level and understand the 10.19 patch. Neither have they shown the expected level, especially Shadow which has been the shadow of what it was in the Spring Split. All of them, to a greater or lesser extent, have had bumpy failures during these Worlds: mechanical or decision-making failures that have condemned them. Neither has the choice of champions been the strong point of a coaching staff that can have the same exhaustion as the players themselves.

This great family should not be broken up. This great project of very young talents who will be the stars of tomorrow. Perhaps, this result will cause ideas of change to pass in the heads of some of the players. But if they continue for another year, they could achieve great things together. Surely they could take more stage shooting with the new LEC season surrounded by all the necessary security measures and give great results again.

Some great Europeans are surely on the lookout for Kaiser or Carzzy. Orome himself has to have Astralis or Misfits behind him to complement his quintet. It seems difficult that this MAD Lions that has come to Worlds, is the same as we will see next year.

 

 

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