Ashley MAD Lions of Madrid is one of Spain’s most famous esports teams. The team regularly provides audiences with thrilling matches that are full of clever strategy and dynamic action. With many outstanding professional players to choose from, the team should easily win many of the League of Legends tournaments. However, the team’s focus is often very much on entertaining.
Originally Splyce
When Jurge Schnura and Marcus Eguillor decided to establish an esports team in 2017, they chose the name Splyce. They wanted the team to concentrate specifically on the popular League of Legends tournaments. It’s a battlefield where high-powered combat strategy blends with fantasy champions full of individual characters and abilities. Splyce quickly rose to the challenge and participated in many spectacular matches. However, the top honors of the game seemed to pass them by.
Rebranding
In November 2019, the team rebranded itself to bring a refreshing new outlook. Now named MAD Lions, their new name reflected their base in Madrid. The Spanish city is the first part of the teams name, while the lions represent the city’s most famous landmark, an ancient Roman statue. It features the goddess Cibele in a chariot pulled by two lions. With such inspiration, the team could look forward to a brand-new season with enthusiasm and determination.
2020 LEC Summer Play-Offs
One of the first major tests for the newly named MAD Lions was the LoL summer tournament. The team’s players included Marek ‘Humanoid’ Brazda, the only team member who had been in Splyce. He was joined by Andrei ‘Orome’ Popa, Matyas ‘Carzzy’ Orsag and Zhiqiang ‘Shadow’ Zhao. Following an unexpected defeat by G2 Esports, the team quickly regrouped and hit FC Schalke 04 with an outstanding display. It helped them qualify for the Worlds. As usual, they entertained, but failed to overcome SuperMassive Esports of Turkey.
2021 LEC Champions
New team recruits for 2021 included Irfan ‘Armut’ Berk Tukek and Javier ‘Elyoya’ Prader Batalia. MAD Lions exceeded expectations in the LoL European Championship. In a thrilling final, the team overcame a 0-2 deficit to win the match 3-2 to become LEC champions. The team’s performance earned them the opportunity to be Europe’s representatives at the Mid-Season Invitationals in Iceland’s Laugardalsholl Arena in 2021. MAD Lions won the group Stage of the
competition, but were defeated in the semi-final match by DWG Kia who were destined to be runners-up to Royal Never Give Up.
Conclusion
Although MAD Lions was the top LEC team of 2021, the next year saw the departure of the veteran, Humanoid, and Carzzy. The team’s dynamics had changed once again, but the players still earned qualification for the Worlds 2022. Unfortunately, MAD Lions appeared unsettled and failed to win a match. There are more fascinating League of Legends teams profiles here. It’s an enlightening way to discover how a team’s collective personality can affect match results.
