MAD Lions enter the LEC ecosystem with a roar
Splyce’s 2019 League of Legends campaign was arguably the best year in the organization’s history. The team solidified themselves as the third-best team during summer behind G2 Esports and Fnatic and returned to the World Championship stage for the first time since 2016.
The 2019 roster consisted of both veterans and rookies, which proved a success on both a national and international level. Splyce qualified to the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Championship as the second seed of Group B after an impressive 3-0 record in the second week of the group stage. Ultimately, they dropped out of the tournament to Korea’s SK Telecom T1, losing 3-1, but held their heads high in Madrid as they gave FunPlus Phoenix a run for their money for first seed during the group stage, while also making the series against SKT a competitive one nonetheless.
Heading into the 2020 League of Legends European Championship (LEC) season, OverActive Media Group, owner of both Splyce and newly acquired MAD Lions, has decided to rebrand Splyce to compete under the MAD Lions banner for the second year of the LEC.
MAD Lions, a Spanish organization, was founded in 2017 and has competed in the SuperLiga Orange since 2018. Famously, MAD Lions dominated Ninjas in Pyjamas in the European Masters 2018 Summer finals 3-0, putting their organization on the map, making young professionals an attraction for LEC teams.
Chris Overholt, President and CEO of OverActive Media, discussed the decision to rebrand Splyce into MAD Lions for the 2020 season, stating it was “not only to grow our position in Spanish-speaking esports audience but maybe more significantly, bring a team to the LEC for the whole nation of Spain to cheer for,” per Esports Insider.
With the departure of Splyce’s franchise player Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup to TSM, Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir leaving for Origen, and retirement of European veteran, Kiss “Vizicsacsi” Tamás, MAD Lions has shaped its 2020 roster around Marek “Humanoid” Brázda, bringing not only the Spanish audience to the LEC as Chris Overholt envisaged, but also certain talented rookies from the SuperLiga Orange to accompany Humanoid such as Andrei “Orome” Popa.
MAD Lions have completed their lineup by signing young and eager players that have proved themselves throughout the European Regional Leagues (ERL’s) as per our 2020 LEC offseason roster tracker.
Although 2019 saw the end to the Spylce, Kobbe, and Vizicsacsi era, the 2020 season will give birth to a new era of vibrant European League of Legends esports with MAD Lions at the helm.
Stay up-to-date with all the LEC offseason roster changes here.
