Royal Never Give Up vs MAD Lions

What an endlessly interesting match-up, made all the more exciting given the way things have developed thus far. It's no secret that Royal Never Give Up are on top — and are pretty-much the front-runners to win the whole thing — but they're far from infallible. In fact, one could argue that they've been a bit too vulnerable lately, and it's hard to understand why.

Maybe other teams are starting to understand what makes them "tick" and how to best exploit their weaknesses (the few meager ones they have). Or, perhaps, RNG just want to keep their cards close to their chest and don't want to show anything off before the Knockout Stage. So they're either a bit weaker than anticipated or they're fooling around, hence the two losses to PSG Talon and Cloud9. They're telegraphing their moves, is what they're doing, and they're somewhat easy to read. Now, punishing on their tendencies and proclivities is by no means as easy as it sounds — it requires a metric ton of mechanical prowess and picture-perfect execution — but at least it's possible. And if Cloud9 and PSG could do it, there's really no reason why DWG and MAD couldn't do it too.

Well, that's a theoretic premise, one that is by no means set in stone. The margins between these teams aren't as big as it might seem at first glance. We know who's better, but that tends to shift ever so slightly depending on the day. Moreover, the volatile nature of Best of 1s is always a fertile ground for the most mind-blowing upsets, so there's no guarantee whatsoever as to what'll happen and when. Once Best of 5s come around, however, these aforementioned margins should definitely widen, making it easier for us to assess the power level of each and every single competitor.

MAD Lions, much like Royal Never Give Up, have lost a bit of steam and momentum. It's hard to ignore just how much hype they had coming into the Rumble Stage, in no small part because of their unhinged style of play, sheer bravado, and willingness to skirmish without a care in the world. It's a volatile way of playing the game, no doubt, but a most entertaining one as well. Their loss to PSG Talon a couple of days ago was quite a worrying one, as it became evident that the PCS champions were starting to pick up steam, with MAD Lions being a bit too crazy for their own good. Their drafts are no longer all that layered and their play — solid though it is — often leaves a bit to be desired. Frequent mechanical misplays have also been the bane of their existence lately, perhaps best highlighted by Armut's fumble on Lee Sin yesterday. One failure to execute and it's game over against the best teams in the world. DWG took the lead and never let go; the margin for error is seemingly non-existent against the creme de la creme. Humanoid has also been somewhat underwhelming. He's too eager to create a lead and is often caught out of position, and it's been happening nearly every game, too. It's just not a good look, and it's hard to imagine them putting up much of a fight against the LPL or LCK champions going forward.

They're incredibly talented and young and brash, but they lack the consistency and poise under pressure which are necessary to trade blows with the who's who of competitive League. Well, at least right now. Over time, they'll surely grow into a bona fide threat, but their few inherent flaws are currently far too easy to exploit, as evidenced by their losses to RNG and DWG.

So, naturally, we'll side with RNG on this one. They're the heavy favorites but that doesn't mean they'll get the win with ease — on the contrary. MAD will surely fight their hearts out, and if they get Elyoya back on one of his older comfort picks they might even stand a chance of pulling off an upset. Regardless, the LPL champions are the safer pick here, so we'll give them our full benefit of the doubt.