Rogue vs MAD Lions

For today’s first Best of 5 we have a rather enticing clash between MAD Lions and Rogue. On the one hand, this is obviously a fight between the next breed of EU talent. That, in short, is why it’s so darn exciting. On the other, it’s hard to actually be hyped after watching these two young line-ups get demolished by G2 Esports and Fnatic, respectively. If it were even remotely close, we’d be inclined to believe in them, but it wasn’t, so we don’t. That’s pretty much the harsh truth. Everyone expected both MAD and Rogue to put up a bigger fight. All signs were pointing towards a much more competitive playoffs this time around, and yet we were all mistaken, yet again. It’s like there’s an over-arching script in the LEC and it always involves G2 Esports and Fnatic — with no exceptions whatsoever. They’re simply too good in a Best of 5. They’re not perfect, but they don’t need to be. With so much experience, they can adapt and pivot in blink of an eye, and with their staggering champion pools and bevy of strategies, they can pull off whatever is necessary to get the win.

MAD Lions and Rogue, on the other hand, still have a lot of learning to do, and these painful and one-sided lessons are all a part of the journey. They’ll take a few more, too, on their road to greatness. That’s just the nature of the game. It’s just disheartening, to both their fans and the players as well. They’ve dominated beyond measure throughout the second half of 2020. They’ve done all they had to, to eventually get the win and etch their names in history. But it wasn’t enough. Not even close. Not against giants like G2 and Fnatic, at least.

Fortunately, their valiant efforts weren’t in vain. At least that much can be said. Because they performed so well throughout the year and because Worlds will accomodate four teams from the LEC, both Rogue and MAD will represent their region at the upcoming World Championship in China. That’s no small feat, and it means that they’ll still practice and compete against the best teams the world of competitive League has to offer in just a couple of weeks’ time. That’s exciting, really, despite the way in which they were dismantled mere days ago by the current and former “Kings of Europe.”

Today, however, they’re fighting against each other. A fitting match-up, one might add, especially considering how they were both ranked number one and two in the standings. If they want to win the LEC, they need to win three Best of 5s in a row. That’s no small feat, especially when you factor in that, upon winning, they’d have to prepare for G2 Esports next, with Fnatic awaiting in the LEC Summer Split finals. Quite a tall order, you’ll agree.

Where does one even begin, after witnessing their swift and one-sided fall from grace? It’s so hard to consider them even remotely dangerous after they’ve imploded in such staggering fashion. They were manhandled, basically, and it wasn’t even fun to watch. They were both outdrafted and outplayed in every sense of the word. Sure, MAD got that one game off of G2, but generally speaking, they were blown out of the water. They failed to compete, is all. So right now, the thing that matters most is which line-up bounces back the quickest. Getting demolished so handily affects your mental game quite a bit, as you can imagine. Both teams had a metric ton of momentum coming into the playoffs, but none of it mattered in the end. MAD Lions have the better coaching staff, but that means very little if they fail to execute against a team that’s perhaps equally as dangerous.

Fortunately, they had to go through Schalke 04 to get to this point. As a result, they’ve played four more games than Rogue (five if you count their Bo5 against G2) and therefore had more time to work on their issues. They’ve warmed up, is all, and that’s absolutely huge in a competitive setting like this one. They’ve also derailed the S04 hype train, so they should’ve regained a bit of their confidence too. We always knew they were the more proactive and flexible team when compared to Rogue, but they don’t always hit the mark, and that’s a problem, at least against the very best teams in Europe. Fortunately for MAD, Rogue aren’t quite as good as G2 or Fnatic, and while they’re perhaps a bit more consistent than MAD, they don’t have their highs. They always impressed through clean and decisive gameplay, but never through mind-blowing displays of skill or prowess. Granted, sometimes you value consistency a bit higher than what MAD bring to the table, but it’s nowhere near as memorable.

We’re going with MAD Lions, but predicting the outcome of this one Best of 5 is basically impossible. Western League of Legends has been incredibly volatile and unpredictable throughout the second half of 2020, and the LEC playoffs are no different. Both MAD and Rogue have what it takes to emerge victorious, but how well they’ll perform and whether or not they’ll be able to draft and execute to the best of their ability is anyone’s guess. One can only hope that their dominant win over Schalke gave them a bit of momentum as they severely need it if they intend on challenging for the LEC throne. Regardless of the final outcome, we should be in for quite an exciting ride that might go the five-game distance.

At the very least, their spot at Wrolds are secured, so their season will still