MAD Lions

Last updated

MAD Lions KOI
MAD Lions logo.svg
Divisions
Founded31 August 2017 (2017-08-31)
League LEC
Based in Madrid, Spain
Championships3× LEC (Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2023)
Parent group OverActive Media
Website madlions.com

MAD Lions KOI [lower-alpha 1] is a Spanish esports organisation owned by OverActive Media. Its main League of Legends team, which was rebranded from Splyce, competes in Europe's top-level league for the game, the LEC. Its secondary League of Legends team competes in Spain's SuperLiga, the top three teams of which qualify for the prestigious European Masters tournament.

Contents

MAD Lions won their first LEC title on 11 April 2021, after reverse sweeping Rogue in the spring finals.

League of Legends

History

Before joining the LEC

MAD Lions was founded on 31 August 2017 to compete in the Spanish professional League of Legends scene. The team began competing in Spain's SuperLiga Orange (formerly División de Honor) and grew in popularity as they consistently topped the region, qualifying for the prestigious European Masters tournament thrice and winning the tournament in their second appearance in summer 2018. The organisation also began expanding globally, sponsoring several teams in Latin America under the MAD Lions brand. [1]

In May 2019 it was announced that MAD Lions had been acquired by OverActive Media. [2] The company later announced its intentions to dissolve its other esports subsidiary, Splyce, by the end of the year. [3] Splyce's League of Legends team subsequently assumed the MAD Lions brand in November 2019, while MAD Lions' original League of Legends team renamed to MAD Lions Madrid.[ citation needed ]

2020 season

MAD Lions' inaugural LEC roster for the 2020 Spring Split consisted of four rookies—Orome, Shad0w, Carzzy, and Kaiser—and one former member of Splyce, Humanoid. [4] Despite expectations that the team would only qualify for the losers' bracket of playoffs or not qualify at all, MAD Lions finished fourth in the regular season [5] and secured a spot in the winners' bracket. [6] G2 Esports selected MAD Lions as their opponent for the first round of playoffs, and were expected to win against MAD Lions as favourites to win the spring season. However, MAD Lions were able to defeat G2 Esports in a close-fought series, knocking the latter into the losers' bracket. [7] [8] MAD Lions were then themselves knocked down to the losers' bracket after being swept by Fnatic in the second round of the winners' bracket. [9] MAD Lions' inaugural split ended when they lost to a more well-prepared G2 Esports in the final round of the losers' bracket. [10]

MAD Lions retained their entire spring lineup for the 2020 LEC Summer Split. The team finished second in the regular season and began playoffs in the winners' bracket. MAD Lions lost their rematch against G2 Esports in the first round of the winners' bracket, and were forced to climb through the losers' bracket once again. [11] MAD Lions managed to defeat Schalke in the second round of the losers' bracket, but were swept by Rogue in the third round and ended fourth. [12]

MAD Lions' fourth-place finish in the summer split qualified them for the play-in stage of the 2020 World Championship. As a team from a major region, MAD Lions was expected by many analysts to qualify for the main event. However, MAD Lions placed fourth out of five teams in their group and were eliminated from Worlds contention by Turkey's SuperMassive in the knockout stage. [13]

2021 season

Prior to the 2021 LEC Spring Split, Orome and Shad0w were replaced with Armut and Elyoya respectively, both of whom were making their debut in the LEC. [14] Armut was previously the top laner for SuperMassive, the team which eliminated MAD Lions from the 2020 World Championship. MAD Lions finished third in the regular season and began in the winners' bracket once again. MAD Lions defeated Rogue in the first round of the winners' bracket, qualifying for the second round. There, MAD Lions defeated G2 Esports and advanced to their first LEC finals. [15] Despite trailing 0–2, MAD Lions managed to reverse sweep Rogue in a closely fought finals, claiming their first LEC title. [16]

Roster

Male

MAD Lions KOI League of Legends roster
PlayersCoaches
RoleHandleNameNationality
TopMyrwnPastor Villarejo, AlexSpain
JungleElyoyaPrades Batalla, JavierSpain
MidFresskowyPrzewoźnik, BartłomiejPoland
BotSupaMartínez García, DavidSpain
SupportAlvaroFernández del Amo, ÁlvaroSpain
TopChasy (I)Kim Dong-hyeonSouth Korea
Head coach

Tomás "Melzhet" Campelos Fernández

Assistant coach(es)
  • Quentin "Zeph" Viguié

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Emojione BW 1F503.svg Substitute
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injury / Illness
  

Roster updated 17 January 2024.

Female

MAD Lions KOI League of Legends roster
PlayersCoaches
RoleHandleNameNationality
TopEmolgaOrtiz, LorenaSpain
JungleParadoxStengel, SelinaGermany
MidVixenBould, TaitUnited Kingdom
BotSakkuromiNieto Fonte, SoniaSpain
SupportDragonde los Ángeles Zarate, MaríaArgentina
Head coach

Jasmin "Jay" Ajanovic


Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Emojione BW 1F503.svg Substitute
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injury / Illness
  

Roster updated 10 May 2024.

Tournament results

PlacementEventFinal result (W–L)

Valorant

Roster

Female

MAD Lions KOI Valorant roster
PlayersCoaches
HandleNameNationality
AlessiaCrisafo, AlessiaSpain
NidxvilcoDobrovolskyy, NicoleUkraine
didiidel Moral de la Torre, LidiaSpain
Lil Bob-Germany
Tara-France
Head coach

Adrián "Jedry" García Saiz


Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Emojione BW 1F503.svg Substitute
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injury / Illness
  

Roster updated 26 May 2024.

Notes

  1. Known as MAD Lions E.C. until November 2019. "MAD" is short for Madrid, but the name "Madrid Lions" has never been used by the organisation.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fnatic</span> Professional esports organisation based in the United Kingdom

Fnatic is a professional esports organisation headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Founded on 23 July 2004, it has players from around the world competing in several games.

<i>League of Legends</i> EMEA Championship Professional League of Legends esports league

The League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) is the professional League of Legends esports league run by Riot Games in the EMEA region, in which ten teams compete. Each annual season of play is divided into three splits, winter, spring and summer, all consisting of three weeks of round-robin tournament play, which then conclude with play-off tournaments between the top six teams. At the end of the season, the top performing teams qualify for the annual League of Legends World Championship. The LEC represents the highest level of League of Legends play in the EMEA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G2 Esports</span> European professional esports organisation

G2 Esports is a European esports organization headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with players competing in League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, and iRacing. The organization was founded in Spain on 24 February 2014 as Gamers2 by former League of Legends pro Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago and investor Jens Hilgers. The organization rebranded as G2 Esports on 15 October 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Splyce</span> Former esports organization and media company

Splyce (SPY) was a professional esports organization and media company based in Rochester, New York. Their League of Legends team was a franchise member of the LEC, Europe's top professional league for League of Legends. Splyce announced its rebranding from Follow eSports in November 2015. On November 29, 2019, Splyce's parent company, OverActive Media, announced it had merged Splyce with its other esports subsidiary, MAD Lions, and that all of Splyce's teams would henceforth compete under that name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schalke 04 Esports</span> Esports department of FC Schalke 04

Schalke 04 Esports is the esports department of football club FC Schalke 04. It has a FIFA division and a League of Legends division; the latter is a member of the Prime League, the European Regional League for League of Legends teams competing in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkz</span> Croatian professional League of Legends player

Luka Perković, better known as Perkz, is a Croatian professional League of Legends player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wunder (gamer)</span> Danish professional League of Legends player

Martin Nordahl Hansen, better known as Wunder, is a Danish professional League of Legends player. He began playing in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) with Splyce in 2016. After two seasons with the team, he signed with G2 Esports. In his four years with the team, he won four consecutive LEC titles, was a five-time LEC All-Pro, won the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational, and was a finalist at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship. He was transferred to Fnatic prior to the start of the 2022 LEC season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caps (gamer)</span> Danish League of Legends player

Rasmus Borregaard Winther, better known as Caps, is a Danish professional League of Legends player for G2 Esports, and is widely considered the greatest western player of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogue (esports)</span> Professional esports organization

Rogue is a professional esports organization with teams competing across several different titles in Europe and the United States. It has two League of Legends teams based in Europe: a main team that participates in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), and an academy team that participates in the Ultraliga. Team Rogue was founded by Franklin Villarreal, Derek Nelson and Carson Knuth in 2016, and acquired by now parent and management company ReKTGlobal and its partners in 2018. ReKTGlobal also owns the Call of Duty League team, the London Royal Ravens. The organization is co-owned by prominent DJ Steve Aoki and YouTuber Vikram "Vikkstar123" Barn. Other Investors include Imagine Dragons, Rudy Gobert, Nicky Romero, Nick Gross and Landon Collins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doinb</span> South Korean professional League of Legends player

Kim Tae-sang, better known as Doinb, is a South Korean League of Legends player who most recently played for the Chinese team LNG Esports. Spending almost his entire career in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), the highest level of Chinese League of Legends, Doinb was the first player in the LPL to win the title of most valuable player twice; he won the title while playing for Qiao Gu Reapers and FunPlus Phoenix, in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Doinb won his first international title after he and his team swept G2 Esports in the grand finals of the 2019 World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FunPlus Phoenix</span> Chinese esports organization

FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) is a Chinese professional esports organization owned by video game developer FunPlus. It has teams competing in League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSG Talon</span> Professional esports organisation

PSG Talon is a professional esports organisation formed from a partnership between PSG Esports and Talon Esports.

The 2021 LEC season was the third year of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), a professional esports league for the MOBA PC game League of Legends, following its rebranding in late 2018. The spring regular season began on 22 January, and concluded on 14 March, while the playoffs started on 26 March and concluded on 11 April. The summer split began on 22 June, and playoffs concluded on 1 August. The three teams that qualified for the 2021 World Championship were MAD Lions, Fnatic, and Rogue, respectively.

2019 <i>League of Legends</i> World Championship final League of Legends esports series

The 2019 League of Legends World Championship Final was a League of Legends (LoL) esports series between FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) and G2 Esports on 10 November 2019 at AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. It marked the ninth final of a LoL World Championship and the first time either of the teams had reached the world finals. It was the first time FPX had reached Worlds. FPX were one of three Chinese representatives from the League of Legends Pro League at the 2019 Worlds, the others being Royal Never Give Up and Invictus Gaming, the victors of the previous Worlds. G2 Esports were one of three European representatives from the League of Legends European Championship alongside Fnatic and Splyce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bwipo</span> Belgian professional League of Legends player

Gabriël Rau, better known as Bwipo, is a Belgian professional League of Legends player for FlyQuest. He currently plays in the LCS, and has previously competed in the LEC for Fnatic, where his team was the runner-up of the 2018 League of Legends World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Sama</span> French League of Legends player

Steven Liv, better known as Hans Sama, is a French professional League of Legends player for G2 Esports. Liv has previously played for Team Liquid in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), as well as Rogue and Misfits in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).

The 2023 LEC season is the 11th season of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), a professional esports league for the MOBA PC game League of Legends, and the first under new branding. The LEC rebranded from the "European Championship" to the "EMEA Championship" to broaden player eligibility. Two team changes occurred for the 2023 season, with Misfits Gaming selling their LEC franchise slot to Team Heretics and Rogue rebranding to KOI. The league also saw a major format change, expanding from two splits to three, and introduced a season final playoff. The schedule also underwent adjustments, with Superweeks every week, extending into Monday.

The 2019 LEC season is the seventh season, and the first under new branding, of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), a professional esports league for the MOBA PC game League of Legends, following its rebranding in late 2018.

The 2024 LEC season is the 12th season of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), a professional esports league for the MOBA PC game League of Legends. The season is divided into three splits, Winter, Spring, and Summer, and will culminate with the LEC Season Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Mid-Season Invitational</span> League of Legends esports tournament

The 2024 Mid-Season Invitational was the ninth Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), a Riot Games-organised tournament for League of Legends, a multiplayer online battle arena video game. The tournament was hosted in Chengdu, China, from May 1 to 19, 2024. All stages of the tournament were played at the Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center.

References

  1. "MAD Lions se expande a Colombia". Movistar eSports (in Spanish). 16 November 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. Hayward, Andrew (29 May 2019). "OverActive Media Acquires Spain's MAD Lions Esports Club". The Esports Observer. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  3. Nicholson, Jonno (23 September 2019). "OverActive Media to close down Splyce office in Rochester". Esports Insider. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  4. Robertson, Scott (29 November 2019). "Splyce officially rebrand LEC team to MAD Lions, announce 2020 starters". Dexerto. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  5. Lupasco, Cristian (28 March 2020). "MAD Lions secure fourth place in LEC Spring Split standings". Dot Esports. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  6. "MAD Lions earn spot in winners bracket on final day". Field Level Media via Reuters. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  7. Geracie, Nick (3 April 2020). "League of Legends: [LEC Spring Playoffs] MAD Lions upsets G2 Esports in 5 game epic". Inven Global. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  8. Kolev, Radoslav (3 April 2020). "MAD Lions shock G2 in LEC playoffs thriller". VPEsports. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  9. Moncav, Melany (11 April 2020). "Fnatic beats MAD Lions, qualifies for 2020 LEC Spring Split finals". WIN.gg. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  10. Esguerra, Tyler (18 April 2020). "G2 head to 2020 LEC Spring Finals after taking down MAD Lions in 4 games". Dot Esports. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  11. Porter, Matt. "The defining moments of G2 Esports' LEC 2020 Summer Season". Red Bull. Red Bull Esports. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  12. Lunardi, Lara (30 August 2020). "Rogue defeats the MAD Lions 3-0 in the LEC Summer Playoffs, will face G2 in Semifinals". InvenGlobal. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  13. Wolf, Jacob (29 September 2020). "MAD Lions eliminated from worlds in historic upset by SuperMassive". ESPN. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  14. Wolf, Jacob; Ocal, Arda (15 October 2020). "Sources: MAD Lions nearing deals with Armut, Elyoya". ESPN. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  15. Vukobrat, Petar (5 April 2020). "MAD Lions Knockout G2 to Reach 2021 LEC Spring Finals". Esports Talk. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  16. McIntyre, Isaac (12 April 2021). "MAD Lions pull off Rogue reverse sweep to claim maiden LEC title". Dexerto. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by League of Legends European Championship winner
Spring 2021, Summer 2021
Succeeded by