MAD Lions vs Cloud9

The first time these two teams fought, we were pretty darn excited. There was something special about watching MAD Lions — a young, brash line-up filled with potential, take on the more seasoned (but no less exciting) veterans of the LCS — two of whom have been equally dominant on both North American *and* European soil. That's the kind of clash most of dream of, and both teams had a puncher's chance of winning — we could envision both outcomes with ease.

Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a fight. Elyoya was able to narrowly pick up three kills in the early game and we all knew at that point that the game was pretty much over. That kind of start (the worst one imaginable for the North American champions) gave MAD too great of a lead, and there was nothing Cloud9 could do to get back and mount an offensive. Not only was the game uninteresting to watch as a result, but it was -- naturally -- an absolute shellacking. These things often happen in scrims as well, and teams almost always decide to surrender and start anew as there's literally no reason to play the game out from that point onwards: the outcome is always a foregone conclusion.

So, unfortunately, we didn't learn much from it, if anything at all. Are MAD Lions *actually* better than Cloud9? Who knows? They got the "W" but the fashion in which it happened means it isn't worth much in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, Cloud9 pulled off what MAD Lions couldn't: they beat both DWG KIA and Royal Never Give Up. So, hypothetically, one could argue that the North American champions have higher highs and much (much) lower lows, as evidenced by their loss to Pentanet. Whether they'll put their best foot forward and steamroll through their opposition is anyone's guess — it really depends on the day, and we're pretty sure they can't predict it either. They make so many mistakes at the most random of moments that it's nigh impossible to predict whether they'll dominate or implode right from the very get-go. This, in turn, means they're a nightmare to bet on (or against). You just never know what'll happen, and neither do they.

So, frankly, this rematch could go either way. It really depends on the preparation of each preparation and, as always, the level at which they can execute their team comps. Both teams have had huge swings in performance, and even though MAD have been a bit more consistent overall, it's hard to ignore Cloud9's highs and (somewhat sporadic) moments of brilliance. Predicting the outcome of this one game is nigh impossible, but we'll side with the LEC champions as it's the only logical option right now. How could we not, given C9's loss to Pentanet? That one game isn't necessarily the be-all and end-all, but we just can't give them our benefit of the doubt; all of that said, it's not like they're incapable of playing at the highest of levels, so if they double down on their strengths and execute to the best of their ability, they'll surely give MAD Lions a run for their money.

In any case, expect an absolute slobberknocker!