MAD Lions vs G2 Esports

We've finally reached that oh-so-exciting point of the Spring Split: the finals weekend. If you're a fan of Western League of Legends, you'll have you hands full over the next two days. There's not a single Best of 5 (out of four that are scheduled to happen) that's even remotely boring or uninteresting. This truly is the pinnacle of the split and it's hard not board the hype train.

And let's not even start on all the narratives that are currently unresolved, just lingering in the air, only adding fuel to the fire. Will Cloud9 dominate on Sunday and win their first split since 2014? Will FlyQuest be able to avenge their 3-1 loss now that they've decided to start full-time with Solo? Will G2 Esports do the same to MAD Lions after dropping the ball in a historic upset mere weeks ago? Will Fnatic reclaim their long-lost throne?

If you're a fan of competitive League, it doesn't get any better than this.

First of all, we have MAD Lions versus G2 Esports. This is about as exciting of a Best of 5 as you can get, primarily because there's so much on the line for both teams. The loser will automatically finish third. If you're MAD Lions, that'd still be a seismic accomplishment. If you're G2 Esports, however, that would basically be a debacle. To go from the finals of the World Championship to third place without losing any of your players would be a worrying sign, but it wouldn't be unexpected, given Caps' level of play in the bottom lane.

Perhaps the most important thing to highlight is the fact that G2 and MAD went blow for blow and that we saw a series that could've gone either way. Had it been a Best of 7, maybe the defending champions would adapt and emerge victorious. Who knows? What is for certain, however, is that they underperformed. It was quite simple, really. MAD Lions punched above their weight class, they benefited greatly from the shift to online play (therefore emulating a scrim-like environment, devoid of any pressure), and were able to flex their drafting prowess and sheer flexibility. G2 Esports, on the other hand, failed to mount an offensive. They were slow, second to react, passive, and their play was riddled with mechanical mistakes and egregious in-game calls.

In short, it wasn't the G2 we expected, and it was also one of the worst performances from Luka "Perkz" Perković in quite a while. And yet even in this weakened state, with their backs against the wall, the defending champions thrived and were able to compete for five games in a row. Had they played even remotely better, they would've emerged victorious. We're talking about the slimmest of margins here, and now that they've had ample time to adapt, regenerate, and fix their biggest issues, it's fair to expect a much more aggressive and dangerous G2 Esports -- the kind of G2 everyone expected the first time around.

They're simply too strong of a team to make the same mistake twice. Furthermore, they've only lost their second Best of 5 in a year and a half. Let that one sink in. They've been *that* dominant. To lose to FunPlus Phoenix in the World Championship finals is one thing, and it's an understandable outcome, given the circumstances and caliber of opponent. To lose to MAD Lions, however, a team with four rookies who have just started competing in the LEC, is unforgivable for a team of G2's stature. And they know it. There's no need for anyone to underline what happened a couple of weeks ago -- they're well aware, and you can bet they want to avenge that seismic upset.

There's only one logical way for things to unfold. MAD Lions, to their credit, never go down without a fight, but today they'll face a much more astute, flexible, and dominant G2 Esports than ever before. For G2, there's a lot more on the line than what meets the eye. Fortunately, they had the luxury to watch Fnatic dismantle and dispose of MAD Lions with staggering ease in what was as one-sided a shellacking as you'll ever see. The boys in black and orange basically gave G2 Esports a blueprint on how to take MAD Lions down, and you can bet the defending champions will use it and capitalize.