MAD Lions vs. RNG: MSI 2021 betting analysis

The 2021 Mid-Season Invitational Rumble stage is coming to a close and will have an important match between MAD Lions and Royal Never Give Up on the last day. 

Before the four best teams from the rumble stage move on to the semifinals, an anticipated rematch between LEC’s MAD Lions and LPL’s RNG has to be played out. RNG won the first match against the LEC champions, but it was a nailbiter that came down to the last second. MAD Lions had the better fighting composition, but RNG managed to snag the victory through flawless cross-map play and objective control. 

Since the two last met, RNG has lost its first match of the tournament. It was PSG Talon who managed to take down the LPL champion, a team that MAD Lions had already beaten multiple times this tournament. The back-and-forth play between the teams in the rumble stage have showcased how close the major regions are, so it’s expected that MAD Lions will give RNG a run for its money once again. 

It’s no surprise that there will be a lot of emphasis on the early game in this matchup. In the loss RNG took to PSG Talon, the PCS representatives got off to a great start in the early game by punishing the bot lane of RNG. This led to a solid lead which was enough to start exposing some of the weaknesses from RNG. Ultimately, RNG couldn’t withstand the pressure and MAD Lions will have to do the same. 

With great early-game performances from MAD Lions jungler Javier “Elyoya” Batalla so far this tournament, the team has to put him on a comfort pick that can thrive in the early game. If Elyoya gets going in the early game, MAD Lions can potentially get the lead necessary to control the map. 

If this doesn’t happen, then RNG will control the game pace as it has been seen many times this tournament and simply drain MAD Lions on the map. This exact thing happened in the two teams’ first match, where MAD Lions were capable of winning team fights but never got the chance because of a controlled map state by RNG. 

MAD Lions will have to find aggressive picks and a strong mentality for this match, otherwise the LEC representatives might be looking at a crucial loss on the last day of the rumble stage.   

MAD Lions vs. RNG rosters

MAD Lions roster: 

• Top – İrfan “Armut” Tükek
• Jungle – Javier “Elyoya” Batalla
• Mid – Marek “Humanoid” Brázda
• Bot – Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság
• Support – Norman “Kaiser” Kaiser

RNG roster: 

• Top – Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao
• Jungle – Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei
• Mid – Yuan “Cryin” Cheng-Wei
• Bot – Chen “GALA” Wei
• Support – Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming

RNG favored to take down MAD Lions again at MSI 2021

Because of the results so far at the tournament, it would be difficult not to call RNG the favorites. The Chinese squad has showcased everything needed to win an MSI trophy, now they just need to keep the good play going. RNG is playing like a seasoned unit and seems able to do so consistently. The same almost goes for MAD Lions, but with some inconsistencies that make it hard to beast the best of the best. With that said, if MAD Lions get off to a good start, this match could end with an upset. Looking at the odds from the bookmakers, value might be found in MAD Lions. 

A win for RNG in this match won’t give more than odds 1.30 while a MAD Lions win gives a high odds of 3.20. Because of RNG’s dominance at the tournament, there won’t be a lot of value unless the bet is combined with something else. 

The brawl between MAD Lions and RNG takes place on Tuesday, May 18.