In the opening game of Group B for the LEC Winter Split, Astralis gave MAD Lions a fright in a series that was considerably more competitive than anybody could have anticipated.

However, MAD Lions ultimately won, playing up to their reputation as the match's favorite.

The Match Recap

The MAD Lions dominated the first game, with Nisqy Azir putting on a show. His 7/0/9 record in the first game ought to have served as a barometer for the remainder of the series, but Astralis swiftly made up lost ground and tied the match in game two thanks to their own mid laner, Dajor, who dominated MAD Lions on Sylas.

For what it's worth, game two was a tighter match, with MAD Lions and Astralis being fairly well matched throughout the early and middle stages. It took Astralis a while to build up a string of successful picks and skirmishes before they discovered their long-lasting edge.

In game three, Astralis performed a bottom lane Cassiopeia-Twitch solo queue special. With a full AP build, Jeonghoon's Twitch support—the champion's third selection at that position this season—led Astralis in total damage, but the toxic bottom lane combo lacked the tank to advance Astralis over Group B's top spot.

In both of MAD Lions' victories, the single laners were crucial to the team's success.

Chasy and Nisqy took up the roles of K'sante and Azir in games one and three, respectively. With the two of them swapping off carrying the load in the two games, their dominance on those two champs propelled MAD Lions to two straightforward victories.

In game one, Nisqy gave MAD Lions the advantage in the mid lane, while in game three's decider, top laner Chasy dominated K'sante in the top lane to put an end to the match with a score of 9/1/7.

The Next Step

With this victory, MAD Lions have moved to the next phase of their journey – LEC playoff qualifying round, where they will take on the winner of G2 Esports and BDS.

Astralis are currently in the losers' bracket of Group B, where they will face the loser of the G2-BDS game. In the round robin round of the Winter Split, Astralis was unable to defeat any of those groups.