G2 vs MAD Lions: G2 Go Into This Tie as Massive Favorites

• G2 and MAD Lions face each other this Friday in round 1 of the LEC Spring Playoffs 2023. The winner will face Team Vitality in round two of the playoffs. 
• MAD Lions shocked the LEC world with a win over Astralis in the Spring Group Stages. MAD Lions have been in poor form for most of the season, so it’s a surprise they even got this far. 
• G2 go into this tie as massive favorites. They beat KOI in the Spring Group Stages to give themselves another shot at winning the tournament. They beat MAD Lions in last season’s final as well.

G2 vs MAD Lions Pick

Pick:  G2 to win.  

G2 vs MAD Lions Predictions

The odds table clearly favors one team over another. What the odds table doesn’t tell you is that these two sides faced each other in the Winter Playoff finals just a few months ago. At the time, G2 were undoubtedly the best team in the LEC, and MAD Lions were a side on the up. 

A few months later, G2 are still one of the top sides but a bit more vulnerable, and MAD Lions have gone from disappointments of the season to championship contenders. G2 have got tremendously favorable odds; there’s almost no point betting on them because the rewards will be minuscule. MAD Lions, on the other hand, have extremely rewarding odds. They weren’t expected to get this far, but they’re here now, so you might as well take a punt on them. If winning, by all means, is all that matters to you, then a safe pick on G2 is the way to go. 

MAD Lions Have Surprised Everyone By Getting This Far 

MAD Lions’ season has been full of twists and turns. They ended the league season in eighth place after coming incredibly close to winning it all in the winter season. They then had to play a tiebreaker to qualify for the group stages and lost their first match to team Vitality before showing up against a rising Fnatic side and an in-form Astralis side. 

It’s hard to determine whether this season has been successful or underwhelming. They entered the season with high hopes and looked set to challenge for the title. They’re very close to that but haven’t gone about it in the most straightforward way, so it’s hard to know what sort of MAD Lions team will turn up in this playoff match. 

We do know that they’ve got the talent to cause an upset. Bot Laner Carzzy is one of the top players in the league. He has averaged 4.6 kills, 2.89 deaths, and 4.93 assists per game this year. The defense as a whole has been a bit vulnerable this year, but in one-off games like this, anything is possible; if they tighten up a bit and allow Carzzy to wreak havoc, there’s reason to believe that they’ll come out victorious in this match. 

Their record against G2, however, hasn’t been the best recently. They lost the Winter playoffs final 3-0 and lost the match against G2 in the league season as well. It’ll be hard to get over that psychological hurdle, but they have nothing to lose in this tie, and must approach this match with the same mindset. 

G2 Will Fancy This Matchup 

G2 Esports are still the team to beat in the LEC. When they’re at their best, no team comes close, and as long as they’re still in the competition, they’re the team to beat. They didn’t have the best league campaign this time around with three losses, and they lost to SK Gaming in the group stages before beating KOI to qualify for the next round, but their reputation and history suggest that they can turn it up at any time. 

No player in G2 has a KDA ratio below 3.31, which indicates how packed with quality this team is. The jungler Yike has averaged 4.34 kills, and 9.75 assists this year. With a player with such tremendous quality on the side, they’ll go into most matches as favorites. They’ve been outstanding defensively once again, with just two players averaging over three deaths per game this season. Every member of the roster has averaged over three assists per game this season, which shows just how they are. 

G2 aren’t having the best of seasons by their standards, but they’ve still managed some big wins this season, including a league victory against MAD Lions. They also beat MAD Lions 3-0 in the Winter finals, which will undoubtedly be playing in MAD Lions' mind. 

Over the years, G2 have slacked a bit in league games but almost always turn up on the big occasion. It’s why it’s best not to bet against them. However, they are such overwhelming favorites in this tie, and there isn’t much to gain by picking them. 

How to Watch G2 vs MAD Lions

• Teams: G2 vs MAD Lions

• Location: United States of America

• Time: Friday, April 21, 2023

• How to watch: Twitch