LEC: MAD Lions crushes KOI and will face G2 Esports in Grand Final

The two finalists of this LEC Winter Split 2023 are already defined: MAD Lions and G2 Esports. Two very powerful teams that have shown great consistency throughout the tournament and that, without a doubt, deserve to be in the final stages.

However, KOI (formerly Rogue) will not be able to win their second consecutive title in the LEC, at least in this Winter Split 2023. This is because they lost in the Lower Bracket finals against MAD Lions with a crushing 1-3.

KOI was unable to defeat MAD Lions and fell by the wayside

At the beginning of the series, the Spanish team looked strong with a spectacular determination to win, and they did so in the first game. However, they woke up the lions and recovered throughout the series to crush them with a resounding 3-1 win. MAD Lions had Javier “Elyoya” Prades as their best scorer to achieve this qualification to the grand final.

There is no doubt that KOI came with the best disposition in the world to make up for the defeat suffered in the second round of the Winter Season playoffs. At the same time, MAD Lions played a spectacular game against SK Gaming last Friday.

KOI vs. MAD Lions – Lower Bracket Final – Recap

As mentioned, KOI started the first match of the series with a lot of strength and conviction. The former Rogue became very strong in the bot lane thanks to Markos “Comp” and Adrian “Trymbi” Trybus, who wreaked havoc with Kalista and Leona, respectively. Thanks to these two champions, KOI dominated the map and managed to take the victory.

The second match was a completely different story, as MAD Lions managed to recover thanks to a masterful performance by Elyoya. The Spanish jungler did a lot of damage to KOI, especially through Kim “Malrang” Geun-seong. The main objective of the excellent Spanish jungler was to neutralize his Korean counterpart of KOI, and he managed to do it perfectly.

Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer also contributed in this match as he got perfect pressure in the moments when it was most needed and sacrificed every resource he had available when his team needed it.

In the third game, Malrang tried to replicate what Elyoya did in the previous game. However, MAD Lions was getting stronger and stronger. The felines had this time Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov, who was surprised by his choice of Rell. MAD Lions worked collectively in this third map and did it perfectly to take the lead in the series 2-1.

The fourth map clinched it all

On the fourth map, the “wildest” of the entire series, MAD Lions’ lead over KOI was broken. The lions quickly took the lead, but the marquees engaged in a never-ending fight that repeatedly forced group battles. In any case, MAD took advantage of Summoner’s Rift or other advantages.

MAD Lions are set to contest their third LEC final in history. Recall that the last time the Spanish lions contested a LEC final was in 2021 when they became two-time European champions. First, however, they will have to face a powerful G2 Esports. Thanks to their excellent performance in this Winter Split, which has been waiting for days in the final.

Remember that this match will be played today, Sunday, February 26. The winning team will get a direct ticket to the MSI and the LEC Finals and €40,000 in cash prizes.

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