MAD Lions vs Fnatic

Finally, to close out the day, we have an absolute treat: Fnatic vs. MAD Lions. This is arguably the best and most exciting match of the day and should, therefore, entertain us beyond measure. Heck, that's true whenever Fnatic step foot on stage to compete, but this time around they actually have a good enough dance partner: a young MAD Lions squad that's eager to prove their worth and build as much hype and momentum coming into the playoffs as possible.

For even the biggest MAD faithfuls, there's an important question in the air: will they be able to compete, to trade heavy blows with a team of Fnatic's caliber? No one's quite sure at this point in time primarily because we saw multiple shades and variants of MAD Lions over the course of the 2020 Spring Split. They were aggressive and prone to playmaking early on, but they've regressed quite a bit and became slightly more cautious as the split went along. There's no obvious reason why that's the case, either.

One theory -- a fairly probable one -- is that they didn't expect to actually reach the playoffs in their very first split as a five-man unit. That was always an uphill battle, and even the most optimistic among them certainly had their doubts, given their team-wide lack of experience. So once the split began they played without fear or reserve. Once they realized they stood a chance of reaching Top 6, they slowed down, they became less adventurous and aggressive, less prepared and willing to engage when no one else would.

So right now, no one's quite sure whether we'll see the aggressive, carnivorous Lions, or the more meek and passive ones. If they want to stand even the slightest chance of taking Fnatic down, it'll have to be the former. The boys in black and orange are looking like an absolute behemoth and are, without a doubt, the second best team in the region. They're a giant of competitive League in every sense of the word and they're only getting started as a five-man unit. With Selfmade aboard, they've only just scratched the surface of their long-term potential. They're more dangerous than ever before and they actually stand a chance of taking G2 Esports down in the Best of 5 format. We're still a couple of weeks away from that potentially happening, but it just goes to show how strong and capable they truly are.

With that in mind, the odds of MAD Lions actually upsetting the former "Kings of Europe" are extremely slim, if not non-existent. They're very talented and are much stronger than most people give them credit for, but it shouldn't be enough against a team of Fnatic's caliber.