The second series of this weekend of the LEC Playoffs is G2 Esports vs MAD Lions and we preview the series.
G2 vs MAD has always been a very interesting series to watch. The teams always deliver against one another and their previous best of fives have been exciting. G2 has come into form at the later half of the split with an 8-1 record. Meanwhile, MAD has started ramping up in the last two weeks of the split. Thus, this series is going to be a great one, and let’s start talking about the teams and the match-up.
- Read More: Rogue vs Misfits Gaming Preview
The Series
G2 has usually found the upper hand in Bo1s against MAD but a best of five against each other have usually been very interesting to watch. Last split, MAD did put away G2 to reach the finals. There is a lot of stake for both teams as a series win guarantees Worlds.
G2 Esports
G2 has been a strong team in the second half of the split. They have looked more comfortable as a team this split compared to the last one. However, there are some issues with G2 that need to be addressed. G2’s greatest strength is their roaming. They are a team that is going to roam all around the map in different numbers and personnel. This often catches a lot of teams off guard but it should be well known now for most playoff teams. Nevertheless, G2 roaming always poses a threat.
Jankos and Caps have flourished in that style. Their champion picks facilitate that, particularly for Jankos. He is well known for his ganking prowess and now it’s the meta of Xin Zhao, Olaf, etc. Caps has picked the TF, Sylas, and Ryze so this is a very roam-heavy team. Mikyx also falls into that mold as he roams a lot while Rekkles is left alone in the bot lane. The roaming generally happens for mid where both Jankos and Mikyx come to mid from both sides. Wunder generally plays safely and farms up in the top lane. His form has definitely been better than the last split.
Due to their roaming, their cross-map plays are on point and they are solid in 5v5s. G2 is a formidable team roster-wise and style of play wise as well. The question for G2 will be consistency as there are times when Wunder makes mistakes or Caps’ form in the day is not very good. Rekkles helps a lot with that since he is one of the most consistent players in the region. Regardless of form, G2 is a formidable team and any team should be on their guard against them.
MAD Lions
MAD Lions are the wildcard team of this playoffs. They won the last split when no one expected it and they can do it again while no one expects it. This team’s characteristics are strange, to say the least. If MAD gets a gold lead at pre 15 minutes, they are almost guaranteed a win. On the same point, even if MAD is on a deficit, they still somehow win. Their teamfighting is the best in the region in terms of setting it up, decision making, and so on. MAD is also a team with a lot of intangibles that work for them. They are very decisive in what they do and they remain calm throughout the game irrespective of the circumstances.
For this team, it all starts with Humanoid, who has been the best mid laner in the split. Barring the last match against G2 where he was thoroughly targetted, Humanoid has been at the very least, a solid player for the team. During the early stages of the split, he was practically carrying the team by himself. The good news regarding that is that his team has stepped up in recent weeks. Elyoya is also a solid jungler for the team. His decision-making and shot-calling have improved the team. However, his champion pool is a question mark with many of the bruiser junglers being prevalent and him not playing much of it.
Carzzy and Kaiser have had some inconsistent games in them. We have seen them be aggressive and dominant in games but we have also seen them fumble in lane. Their strengths are shown during teamfights but their laning still needs work. Armut is probably the one player that people will point to as the weakness but in recent weeks he has stepped it up. With the addition of Vizicsacsi to the team as a positional coach for the top lane, we can expect some improvement on that front. Overall, MAD is a very interesting team and it wouldn’t surprise us if they win the entire split.
The Match Up
It will be an easy way out to say that G2 wins the series because of the regular season matches. However, we don’t expect it to be that one-sided. In fact, MAD should not be underestimated in this series. MAD has shown the capabilities to claw out of games and still be relevant even with a deficit. Also, MAD has been better in a series format than a best of one format for most of their playoff runs. G2 is favored to win but MAD winning would not be surprising.
Both teams will need to think about taking away Twisted Fate as both mid laner play it at a very high level. For MAD, you cannot give Jankos Xin Zhao. Also, they will need to find an answer for G2’s roaming style. One thing that works for them is that Elyoya is free to focus resources on any part of the map. For G2, they need to roam around, get an insurmountable lead (which is going to be a lot considering MAD plays very well even with a deficit), and snowball the game. This series is too close to call and in our opinion, it’s going 5 games and any team can win.
In Conclusion
We are in for a banger for this series. Both teams are extremely talented and they are either at their peak or are starting to peak before the series kicks off. There are so many things to look out for this series whether mid lane gets ahead or jungler gets ahead and so on. Regardless, this will be an exciting series to watch and you should not miss it as it starts on Saturday.
For more about the LEC Playoffs Schedule, you can move to this link. LEC Playoffs starts this Friday with Rogue vs Misfits Gaming
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