The MAD Lions defeat Fnatic in the final of the highest European LoL league to secure the title. With these champion combinations, the Lions played their way to the top of the LEC.
In last Sunday’s LEC final, MAD Lions scaled the summit of Europe’s top league for the second year in a row. They relegated Fnatic to second place after four thrilling games. In addition to individual stellar performances, the now two-time champions impressed with their effective champion picks – We have compiled the highlights of their team compositions for you here.
Lane team-up around Gnar and Viego
MAD Lions top lane star İrfan Berk “Poverty” Tükek is known for top performances on his signature pick Wukong. In the series against Fnatic, the Turkish champion was even forced to play against this very champion once – but won this match-up as well on Gnar in perfect cooperation with his teammates. An early-game gank by jungler Javier “Elyoya” Prades Batalla on Viego even secured him the first kill of the entire series against his favourite champion.
A slightly more surprising choice on the top lane was Seaman Gangplank, whom Armut even featured in both subsequent games. In the third game of the series, this champ worked particularly well in the team composition, as an interplay with Bot-Lane and Jungle of his team showed.
In this, Armut managed to lure Jarvan and Cho’Gath away from the mid-lane and even inflict damage on the opposing jungler with a powder keg while running away. Supporters Norman “Kaiser” Kaiser and Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság were able to take advantage of this opening to surround Jarvan and even cut off his escape route to Thresh.
The key to the achieved kill was appropriate kiting by Gangplank, successful crowd control by Braum and perfectly placed bomb by Ziggs. The addition of jungler Lee Sin made the scene perfect and also collected the kills on Cho’Gath and Thresh.
Gold for the Carries
In the fourth and final game of the series, the MAD Lions put in a particularly dominant performance from the mid-game onwards. Poverty on Renekton and Mid-Laner Marek “Humanoid” Brázda on LeBlanc stood out as the carries of the game. On these, the two solo laners often found isolated opponents who simply could not hold their own against the group of strong champions. The magic word for the lions was again: cooperation.
One situation on the top lane in particular demonstrated this strategy. Here Humanoid suspected the opponent’s Mid-Laner in a bush and rotated there together with his Jungler, Supporter and Top-Laner to surprise a stunned Irelia.
The team benefited massively from LeBlanc’s mobility here, followed by Leona’s stun and Viego and Renekton’s damage values. The combination creates a trap in which Irelia can only capitulate. Fittingly, the team members leave Poverty with the kill so that he can extend his already existing gold lead and push the MAD Lions further.
World Cup Preview
The carries Viego, LeBlanc, Ziggs or even Renekton played by the MAD Lions proved to be particularly strong and reliable in the final series. With the upcoming patches 11.18 and 11.19, however, a lot could change in this meta until the Worlds 2021. For example, the LEC finals were played on patch 11.15, while the Worlds will run on 11.19, according to gameplay designer Jeevun “Jag” Sidhu.
So while the meta could still change in all sorts of directions, the skill of the MAD Lions players is proven for now. An exceptionally high level of teamwork, champion interplay and skill ultimately carried the Lions to three wins and secured them the title of LEC champions once again.
