Mad Lions vs Fnatic Prediction: Final Push Before the Finals

• The upcoming match will be the first to feature MAD Lions in the lower bracket in the current tournament. They lost their last match to G2 Esports with a score of 3-1
• Fnatic pulled off the upset against a surging Team BDS with a narrow 3-2 score tally and advanced to the finals 
• If MAD Lions wins, they will have to face G2 in the finals, who handed them their most recent loss. The last time Fnatic beat G2 was in the regular season of the 2023 Spring split; they have not had any success against the German team since. 

MAD Lions vs Fnatic Pick

• Our Pick: Fnatic to win.

MAD Lions vs Fnatic Prediction 

Oddsmakers have it dead even going into the upcoming Lower Bracket Final match between MAD Lions and Fnatic. Based on the form of both teams over the last season, it’s safe to say that it could genuinely go either way. Fnatic has had a series of impressive results over the past season. With a resurgence in form, they were able to consistently improve their results over the season by taking 9th place in the Winter Split and 8th place in the Spring Split. Most recently Fnatic put in their strongest performance of the season to take the bronze in the 2023 Summer Split.  

On the other hand, MAD Lions seem to have found some consistency in the past season. Despite gaining a reputation for being a team that starts tournaments on shaky footing, MAD Lions has also been noted for being a bit of a wildcard. In the Summer Split, it seemed like their campaign was a lost cause when they lost five games in a row.  

However, they were able to impressively turn things around to come back and finish the tournament in 7th place. While this is an impressive feat in and of itself, their 7th-place finish is still four places lower than what Fnatic was able to manage in the same tournament. Given its recency, we’re expecting Fnatic to have a slight edge yet again unless MAD Lions have decided to bring out some new strategies that they have not adopted during the past season.  

Regardless of who wins, both teams are guaranteed entry to the 2023 World Championships as the top three teams from the current tournament are eligible for direct qualification. Overall, Fnatic has been the more impressive team throughout the season while MAD Lions have impressed with their unpredictability and tenacity in fighting back from adversity. The argument could be made that MAD Lions have had a better LEC season overall. They won the Spring Split after finishing the Winter Split in 2nd place.  

Past Meetings

Over the last 12 months, MAD Lions and Fnatic have faced each other seven times. Out of the seven meetings, Fnatic has the slight edge with four wins, while MAD Lions has three. The map score also tilts in Fnatic’s favor, with eight wins against MAD Lions’ five. Fnatic has won each of the last three meetings, while the overall tally over the last five is 4-1 in their favor.  

MAD Lions Rely on Unpredictability

MAD Lions enjoyed a 100% success rate in the current LEC season until their recent loss to G2. With an average game duration of 29 minutes and 52 seconds, their win rate currently stands at 57%. Relying on an aggressive playstyle, MAD Lions drew first blood in 71.4% of their games, while also dealing an impressive 2238 damage per minute. With 13.4 kills and 13.9 deaths per game, their K/D ratio stands at 1.6, with 2.2 assists per kill.  

MAD Lions have played decently on the economy front as well, they acquired 1832 Gold Per Minute. However, their gold differential per minute stands at -43, while their gold differential at 15 minutes can be improved, at -979. Their win rate when ahead at 15 minutes stands at 66.7%, which makes their upcoming match against Fnatic a highly even and well-matched contest. 

MAD Lions have destroyed the first tower in only 14.3% of their games and would do well to focus on this aspect of their strategy to ensure they cover all bases when they go up against Fnatic.  

In terms of game objectives, MAD Lions have gone after 1.7 dragons per game. Their dragons at 15-minute statistic stands at 0.43, while they killed 0.71 Heralds and 0.57 barons per game.  

Fnatic Waiting for the Final Push

Team Fnatic is just one step away from having the opportunity to challenge G2 for the first-ever LEC Season Championship. Standing between them are MAD Lions, who are well-positioned to stop them in their tracks if they play well. 

In the current tournament, Fnatic has won six and lost four, for a win rate of 60% with an average game duration of 29 minutes and 57 seconds. Fnatic has drawn blood in 60% of their games so far. Their K/D ratio stands at 1.6, with 13 kills and 12.2 deaths per game, with an average of 2.7 assists per kill.  

Fnatic is slightly behind MAD Lions on the economy stats, with 1883 gold acquired per minute in the current tournament. However, their gold differentials stand out. Fnatic’s Gold Differential per Minute is +69, while the gold differential when ahead at 15 minutes is 71.4%. 

This could prove to be decisive against a team like MAD Lions, who tend to ignore their economy in the later stages of their games. Fnatic are also prompt to meet their game objectives. They have killed 2.1 dragons. 0.9 Heralds and 1 baron per game so far.

How to Watch MAD Lions vs Fnatic

• Teams: MAD Lions vs. Fnatic
• Location: Europe
• Time: Saturday, September 9, 2023
• How to Watch: Twitch