NRG vs MAD Lions Preview and Predictions – Worlds 2023
| Tags: League of Legends
| Author Bence Loksa
NRG vs MAD Lions is the next round of the EU vs NA rivalry, with both teams ramping up after the first two days.
The first Bo3 day of the Swiss Stage has ended! First, JD Gaming clashed with LNG Esports, and while the 3rd seed of the LPL put up a good fight, 369 and co. managed to win 2-1. Then G2 Esports faced Gen.G, and after some draft mistakes and bad calls, the LCK champions defeated the best of the LEC.
On Sunday, we’re back to Bo1’s, as the 8 teams with 1-1 will separate again after a day of intense matches. NRG’s opponent will be MAD Lions, the team with the worst international record of the current teams – but here’s hoping they can recuperate.
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NRG vs MAD Lions Preview
NRG
NRG returned to the LCS this year, and while their Summer regular season was not as hot, they managed to bounce back and win it all in the Playoffs. As the 1st seed of their region, the expectations were high for Dhokla and his teammates.
They couldn’t deliver on Thursday when they faced Weibo Gaming. The 4th seed of the LPL got some incredibly strong picks in draft, with TheShy playing Rumble, WeiWei rocking the Poppy and Xiaohu picking Azir. If that wasn’t enough, Light had an amazing game on Kai’Sa, and the defense of NRG crumbled fairly quickly. Against Team Liquid, NRG showed a completely different performance, with Palafox and FBI smurfing on the 3rd LCS seed, proving that they deserved that Summer trophy.
NRG Roster
Niship “Dhokla” Doshi
Juan “Contractz” Arturo Garcia
Cristian “Palafox” Palafox
Ian “FBI” Victor Huang
Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun
MAD Lions
MAD Lions is a team that not a lot of players trust in when it comes to international events. Nisqy and co. are good domestically, as they won the Spring Split of the LEC this year, but they couldn’t deliver at MSI, even when facing their compatriots G2 Esports. They were also the first ever LEC org that didn’t make it out of Play-Ins last year, so the concerns with them are valid.
They started out incredibly weak against Cloud9, not really showing any resistance, but against BDS, they rose from the ashes. Elyoya had an extremely good Bel’Veth game, while Chasy also smurfed on Gnar as MAD Lions proved that this year, they are not going quietly into the night.
MAD Lions Roster
Kim “Chasy” Dong-hyeon
Javier “Elyoya” Prades Batalla
Yasin “Nisqy” Dincer
Matyás “Carzzy” Orság
Zdravets “Hylissang” Iliev Galabov
NRG vs MAD Lions Predictions
This is one of the hardest matchups of Sunday. Both teams had very high highs and low lows, basically giving up everything on the map, then stomping their opponents on the next day. A lot will depend on the individual performance of the players – as well as what Elyoya and Carrzy can pick. If the carries of MAD can play their games, the LEC squad can deliver, but NRG was a bit more consistent in their loss than MAD.
Where to watch NRG vs MAD Lions
NRG will face MAD Lions at 10AM on Sunday. You can watch the match on lolesports.com, the official Riot Games Twitch channel, as well as the LoL Esports YouTube. Check out our other Previews and Predictions as well!
Bence "Atreus" Loksa is a freelance journalist and League of Legends shoutcaster, covering all things esports and gaming, also yelling loudly at big plays happening on the Summoner's Rift. While his main focus is Riot Games' hit MOBA, he also dabbles in Call of Duty, VALORANT, and as of recent, the tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000 - where he looks to make some grudges with his Leagues of Votann army.