MAD Lions ends Schalke miracle run in LEC, qualify for LoL Worlds
It was do or die for MAD Lions and FC Schalke 04 in the 2020 LEC Summer Split playoffs, but MAD Lions came out on top with a 3-1 victory.
The miracle run of Schalke added extra intrigue to the match, which saw the underdog squad come within one match of qualifying for the 2020 League of Legends World Championship. The match was no less important for MAD Lions though, as the team needed to slam the door on Schalke’s run in order to qualify as well.
A few weeks ago, Schalke was sitting with a 1-10 record at the bottom of the LEC, with little to no hope of reaching the playoffs. After hitting rock bottom, Schalke made a complete 180 turn and qualified for the playoffs.
While Schalke were the fan favorites, MAD Lions has shown throughout the year how good it can be. MAD Lions lost to G2 Esports 3-1 earlier in the playoffs, but the games were closer than the scoreline indicates.
Schalke got the perfect start in the series after a great game where it shut down all the aggression of MAD Lions. The squad picked up a team fight composition with good scaling, but didn’t need to reach the late game before they got the lead. Erberk “Gilius” Demir and Matúš “Neon” Jakubčík secured the team one pick after another, which ultimately gave them the enemy nexus.
After a great first game for Schalke, it was time for MAD Lions to answer back. The Lions drafted themselves another early game composition and this time, they managed to snowball through the mid lane. Marek “Humanoid” Brázda had some great plays on Akali assisted by Zhiqiang “Shad0w” Zhao’s Lee Sin. The game was enough for MAD Lions to secure themselves the momentum and pick up another convincing victory in game three and put Schalke on match point.
On the verge of defeat, the pressure really seemed to hit Schalke. While they fought bravely they couldn’t stop Shad0w’s Lillia, who punished them hard. MAD Lions were in control of the game and snowballed the lead to a final victory.
MAD Lions qualifies for LoL Worlds 2020 for the first time
MAD Lions secured itself the last European spot in Worlds 2020. This will be the first international showing for the young squad, with Humanoid being the only player that has previously made it to LoL’s grandest stage.
MAD Lions will go into the tournament as a wild card that could upset some of the big teams. They have shown in the LEC that they can challenge the best teams on the right day, so it will be interesting to see these young talents perform on the world stage.
MAD Lions will play its next match against Rogue in the lower bracket on Sunday, August 30.
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