MAD Lions went on an incredible run in 2021, successfully dethroning the old guard of Europe to become back-to-back LEC champions. Heading into the next year, however, the organization has already made some massive changes to its League of Legends lineup with two new players joining from the ERLs.
MAD has announced that former BIG Clan mid laner Reeker will be added to the team, while former SK Gaming Prime member Unforgiven will fill in the vacant spot left in the AD carry position. The rest of the roster is expected to remain the same: top laner Armut, jungler Elyoya, and support Kaiser.
Reeker was acquired to be MAD’s starting mid laner since Humanoid has been linked to Fnatic as its new starter for the 2022 LEC Spring Split, while Unforgiven will be taking over the position left by fiery European marksman Carzzy. Both players have big shoes to fill, but the one thing we know about European rookies is that they’re resilient and willing to work.
Carzzy and Humanoid were huge parts of MAD’s ascent to the top of the LEC. Both players were considered to be top three in their role and helped carry multiple games to victory across MAD’s campaign in 2021. At Worlds, both players were key in getting MAD past the group stage and into the knockouts. And even though they were eliminated by DWG KIA, it seemed like MAD had plenty to build on for the future.
But other opportunities enticed Carzzy and Humanoid to leave their familiar home of white and gold. Carzzy is reportedly signing a three-year deal with Team Vitality, according to Dot Esports’ Pablo Suárez. If things fall into place, he could be joined by stars like Alphari and Perkz as the organization’s superteam comes to fruition. Humanoid, on the other hand, might become the centerpiece for Fnatic after the departure of Bwipo and seemingly Nisqy this offseason.
Reeker and Unforgiven will both be making their LEC debuts, which means that the expectations for MAD as a whole might be a tad lower than in previous seasons. But they still have a majority of their core lineup, which should keep them in the conversation at the summit of the league.
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