MAD Lions go winless in catastrophic LEC Summer Groups run
Michal Konkol/Riot GamesDespite having a strong showing in the Winter and Spring splits, MAD Lions’ Summer Split has ended in catastrophe. While they still have the chance to bring it back for the LEC Finals. they didn’t manage a single win in the 2023 Summer Groups and have missed qualification for Playoffs.
Since their dominant 2021 Season, MAD Lions have struggled to find their footing as a team. While they’ve had sparks of brilliance and won the Playoffs in both Winter and Spring of 2023, Summer has been a real low point for the team.
With their regular season Summer record ending at 4-5 & barely qualifying for the Summer post-season, fans of the team were wondering if they could have a comeback like the one following their poor eighth-place finish in Spring.
MAD Lions have already dropped out of the LEC Summer Playoffs before they even started. Not only did they not win a single set in Summer Groups, they didn’t even manage to win a single match. Their 0-4 finish leaves their post-season in shambles, with LEC fans skeptical about whether they can bring it back for LEC Finals.
MAD Lions in doubt after disastrous LEC Summer Season
On paper, MAD has an incredible roster. Elyoya, Nisqy, Carzzy, and Hylissang all have a big list of achievements to their names at this point, and Chasy’s individual level of play has been shown to be incredibly high.
They’ve also shown their peaks this year, and, though they weren’t able to make the mark they wanted to at MSI 2023, their Playoffs performance has been solid.
Until now, that is. MAD Lions have unceremoniously fallen out of Summer Playoffs contention without a single win. They can still make it to Worlds 2023 if they perform at the LEC Finals, but it doesn’t bode well for the once-dominant org.
Meanwhile, Fnatic’s 2-0 win shows how much of a comeback they’ve had as an organization after their drastic roster changes. Noah and Trymbi have both been solid pickups for the org and — their loss to SK aside — Fnatic is looking strong.
It may not be all doom and gloom in the MAD camp, and there’s still a chance for them to make a run to Worlds 2023 with this current roster; but, whether or not they can capitalize on that chance and get there is another matter entirely.
Not to mention MAD’s performance internationally has left something to be desired in the past, and they’ve got a tall hill to climb if they want to prove they can take down the world’s best teams.
