Worlds 2020 kicks off with tough MAD Lions win over INTZ

MAD Lions kicked off the 2020 Worlds Championship with a hardfought victory over INTZ.

MAD started Worlds 2020 on a high note, but it wasn’t the easy ride the team expected. The CBLOL champions put in a good fight and had MAD against the ropes at several points on the match.

The game started with the type of mistake no player wants to make at Worlds. Everything was set for top laner Rodrigo "Tay" Panisa to get first blood, but Tay pressed the wrong key and ended up using his teleport instead of his ultimate. After that mistake, it seemed like it was all over for INTZ, but the Brazilian squad wouldn’t let that error crush its spirit.

Tay recovered from that slip-up and went on to dominate the mid game. Both INTZ and MAD were in it to win it. When one team initiated, the other side raised the stakes and increased its commitment to the skirmish. 20 minutes into the match, INTZ stabilized and still had a fighting chance. MAD didn’t give up control of the game, but made mistakes that gave INTZ some breathing room.

MAD started to snowball, but Tay put a stop to it as he reached level 13 on Urgot. The power spike at this level made him the scariest champion on the map. INTZ had the upper hand for a moment, but the team hesitated and didn’t decide which objective to prioritize. In the end, that hesitation worked in MAD’s favor. The European team took everything on the map, leaving INTZ with nothing.

MAD used baron plays to break into the base and on a second baron play, managed to push for the win.

This match is a wakeup call for the LEC representative. Despite being considered the best team in Play-Ins' Group A, MAD cannot underestimate their opponents. The team took the win but will need to tighten things up ahead of its next match against Team Liquid from the LCS.