MAD Lions vs exceL

Next up, we have a fairly "easy" clash on hands prediction-wise: MAD Lions vs. Excel Esports. This, in essence, is a fight between the best team in Europe (right now), and one of the worst. There's just no other way to phrase it. While this might not sound all that exciting, it should be an interesting scrap, regardless of its one-sided nature.

MAD Lions have quickly risen to prominence and have wasted little time in making their strength known to the entire region once Summer Split began. They're currently in sole possession of first place and have shown no intent on relinquishing such a prestigious and highly coveted position. Everyone's singing their praises and there's a very good reason why that's the case. They're just so darn dominant and good at League of Legends, it doesn't even make sense. They're still a team with four rookies and yet they're playing like a mind-blowing competitive behemoth. It's not that they're perfect or that they don't make mistakes, but rather the fact that they're so darn aggressive and unrelenting. Once they get going there's no off-switch -- they'll either overwhelm their opponents or they'll implode trying. But unlike the Team Vitality of old, they're neither one-dimensional nor limited in talent. They're insanely flexible meta-wise and can go for seemingly any kind of strategy or team comp and still pull it off with staggering ease. Everyone's been carrying their fair share of the weight, but a special shoutout has to go to Humanoid who's having the split of his life. As things stand, he's the most dominant and impactful mid laner in the LEC. Whether he'll maintain such a position remains to be seen (there's a lot of competition in his role, after all), but he's dishing out insane amounts of damage and is pushing his team over the finish line more often than not.

There's just no weak link in MAD Lions right now, and their coaching staff is, frankly speaking, smurfing beyond measure.

Excel Esports, on the other hand, haven't accomplished much so far, and by the looks of it, they're bound to end up as a bottom-tier dweller just outside of the playoffs. They're not bad per se, but they're just not as good as the vast majority of LEC teams nor do they have more long-term potential. There's just nothing to commend them for, and with other teams stepping up considerably over the last couple of weeks, it's fair to assume that Excel doesn't stand much of a chance in leaving a mark.

That said, they're no slouch, and they play their best League of Legends whenever there's no pressure to perform. They're well aware of the fact that they're the heavy underdogs and they don't mind one bit -- in fact, they prefer this kind of set-up. They are, however, up against the cleanest and most creative team in the LEC right now, so they're all but guaranteed to lose.