LEC Match Of The Week: MAD Lions Vs Fnatic - Which Beast Is The Hungriest?

When a rogue spear is cast through the sternum of a dragon, it has no option to land and attempt to patch up the scars ahead of its next fire-breathing adventure. But when it lands in a pack of lions, only one beast can come out on top. 

Rogue's victory over Fnatic was a huge puncture in the tangerine tinted tyrants, whose hopes of a top seed for the LEC Summer Playoffs were distinguished in front of their faces. However, in the resting embers of their loss, a slight flicker of hope emerged when MAD Lions clawed Rogue back into contention, leaving the top seeds wide open.

The famous Balboa once said "it's how hard you get back up", and for Fnatic, their first fixture of the final weekend is one of the more pivotal games in their long and illustrious history. An in-form and equally ranked MAD Lions stand in their way, as the Playoffs will take shape around whichever team comes out on top. 

Both teams sit on a rather juxtaposed form table, with MAD's recent superiority being reflected in a four-win streak, including their most recent tie against table-topping Rogue. Fnatic's dismal Week 7 was terminated with another defeat to SK Gaming, rubbing salt into a gaping wound.

However, a new week of fixtures sees momentum thrown out of the water, and both sides are sat on 10-5 for the season, with three games left. This match-up could be pivotal in the hunt for a World Championship spot, and a truly brilliant display of League of Legends is set to unfold.

Previously, it was MAD Lions who came out victorious, as Fnatic's early Summer Split cohesive vulnerability came apparent. Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau's first games in his new role as jungler had the game evenly poised, as new top lane prodigy Adam "Adam" Maanane also put on an impressive solo performance, but MAD Lions's team cohesion saw them catch strays and earn the bonuses off the Baron and Drakes.

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The star of the show was Marek "Humanoid" Brázda, who posted up an impressive eight kills and eight assists with just a single life taken away from him. The mid laner showed particular individual skill in the closing moments of the match, taking on a pivotal 1v1 versus Adam to shut down any last-second heroics and dealt the final blow to the Nexus as Fnatic's reinforcements respawned.

This time around, both sides have matured into fierce yet well-oiled machines, capable of unlocking defences with a split-second moment of brilliance.

The tie could boil down to the performances in the bottom lane, with Elias "Upset" Lipp shining for Fnatic throughout the split. Individually, the 21-year old German has the highest KDA of the entire LEC, with 9.6, and has an average gold differential of 642 after 15 minutes of play - the third highest in the league. Honus will now fall on the shoulders of MAD Lions' cub Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság, who will be trusted to take control of the bottom lane and river, with help from a floating Humanoid.

The winners will likely secure a top-two finish, barring a splendid weekend from Misfits, or an undefeated final three games for a resurgent G2 side. 

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