MAD Lions wins first LEC title after reverse sweeping Rogue

MAD Lions is the 2021 LEC Spring Split champion after taking down Rogue in an exciting final. 

The LEC has found its new champion. MAD Lions hoisted the trophy over Rogue after a 3-2 victory on Sunday, but both teams still made history. For the furst time ever, both G2 Esports and Fnatic missed out on finals berths. This made room for MAD Lions and Rogue to fight for the throne after proving their worth after a long 2021 LEC Spring Split. The fight between the two went back and forth for almost a year, but in the end it was MAD Lions who ran away with the crown. With the win, it also takes Europe’s berth in League of Legend’s 2021 Mid-Season Invitational next month. 

The best-of-five final went in Rogue’s favor initally after a slow start from both rosters. It was clear they had come in cold, but once they shook off the nerves, neither team gave ground. After a slow laning phase, Rogue was the one to up the tempo as it forced team fights and played excellent an macro game. With one great wombo combo after another, Rogue battered MAD Lions on its way to the first Nexus of the final. 

For the second game, newly-crowned Rookie of the Split Javier “Elyoya” Batalla and the rest of MAD Lions had to bounce back to keep the trophy from slipping away. To its credit, MAD Lions played the long game as it picked the scaling duo of Senna and Tahm Kench, but Rogue managed punished the picks from the get-go. 

Once again, it was Rogue’s bot lane that built up a lead as Steven “Hans Sama” Liv and support Adrian “Trymbi” Trybus dominated. Rogue’s lead from game one bled into game two, but MAD Lions bounced back and pulled even as the game went into the later stages. It was a long, nail-biting game worthy of a final. As the two traded Barons, Rogue ultimately found a second win after securing the Ocean Soul and a handful of kills. 

Despite the close games, Rogue was still only a single win from the organization’s first LEC trophy. MAD Lions, on the other hand, was forced to come up with a miraculous reverse sweep to keep itself in the running. A great game for mid laner Marek “Humanoid” Brázda helped secure the Lion’s first win in game three. This one also came down to the wire,  further proof of how close these two rosters are in skill.

MAD Lions bounces back with with an LEC reverse sweep

As momentum shifted in its favor, MAD Lions looked like a brand new team in game four. MAD Lions top laner İrfan “Armut” Tükek continued his pro play from game three, putting on a Wukong showcase as Elyoya backed him up on Udyr. The duo was unstoppable and made it impossible for Rogue’s carries to find room to play. In just 23 minutes, MAD Lions closed out the game and securing its third win in the fifth and final match of the split. 

At the end, this split’s LEC finals was decided by which team kept their heads under pressure. MAD Lions showed that in a five-game series, anything can happen. Despite Rogue’s dominant early game, MAD Lions clawed its way back and managed to pull off a comeback fans won’t forget.   

The 3-2 win by MAD Lions marked the LEC’s closest final since G2 versus Fnatic in for the 2019 LEC Summer Split crown. It also marked the potential changing of the guard in the LEC. As G2 and Fnatic look to bounce back next split, they’ll have new competition at the top of the bracket. 

MAD Lions to represent LEC at the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational

The win was a first for MAD Lions, who will now represent Europe at in May’s 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. The Icelandic tournament will feature teams from each of League of Legend’s regions in the first international competition of 2021. 

MAD Lions will play at MSI starting from May 6 in group B alongside the representatives from the TCL, PCS, and CBLOL. Since 2020’s MSI was canceled, G2 Esports technically still holds the title. Now, MAD Lions will now look to defend that a different crown from its regional rival. World champions DWG KIA and will also be at this year’s MSI, kicking off on May 6.