MAD Lions taking on Astralis is by no means an alluring match-up. There’s really no other way to say it. If things pan out as expected, it’ll be pretty darn one-sided, which, in turn, means it won’t be all that entertaining to watch — unless you’re partial to one-sided beatdowns for some reason.
They’re amongst the most entertaining teams in all of Europe, and if they keep playing at this incredibly high level, they’ll no doubt be able to leave a mark in some way, shape, or form.
Astralis, on the other hand, didn’t have the best of starts — to absolutely no one’s surprise. They simply didn’t play good League of Legends. Then again, we’d be remiss if we didn’t say that their schedule was exceedingly challenging: Misfits Gaming, G2 Esports, and Rogue are a murderer’s row, especially for a team that lacks any true superstars.
So, with that in mind, maybe Astralis wasn’t all that bad after all. The context matters immensely, and if we take whom they were up against into consideration (and we really should), their level of play immediately becomes a lot more acceptable — if not even commendable.
By no means did their play blow our minds, but for a team with so little going for it, we’re satisfied with the way things went. There’s room to grow and improve, and if they shore up their biggest weaknesses (or at least find a band-aid fix, a stopgap solution, if you will, they could very well get a couple of wins on the board.
2-1 week wuhuuuuuu
— Irfan Tükek (@armutlol) January 16, 2022
2022 LEC Betting | MAD Lions vs. Astralis — Why It’s a Must Watch
It isn’t, in all fairness. Still, if you’re a MAD Lions fan (like so many of us), you’re going to tune in regardless. Games like these — the ones that have nothing on the line — often end up being far more entertaining than one would ever expect.
- You have the underdog, a team trying to upend the status quo and prove everyone wrong.
- And the favorite, a team that’s perhaps looking to experiment and do some “limit testing.”
It is, at times, a fertile ground for an upset, but more often than not these match-ups unfold in exactly the way everyone expects them to.
MAD Lions vs. Astralis — What’s Most Likely to Happen
MAD Lions are heavily favored and there’s a very good reason why: they’re better in every way, shape, and form, and while they might not end up blowing Astralis out of the water, they should nonetheless be able to get the win and improve to 3W-1L.
Oliver “Dajor” Ryppa, while far from the second coming of Rasmus “Caps” Winther, played pretty well in his LEC debut, and the rest of his teammates had solid moments as well. They’re not going to bring the house down nor will they be challenging for the LEC throne, but that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of putting on a show and subverting everyone’s expectations from time to time.
— LEC (@LEC) January 16, 2022
2022 LEC Betting | MAD Lions vs. Astralis — Potential Risks
As already mentioned, we’re still at the very start of the competitive season which means that upsets can, indeed, occur when we least expect them to. No one in their right mind could’ve predicted that Team Vitality would be winless coming into the second week of play. It just makes no sense whatsoever.
To give you an example: the entire G2 Esports line-up played through COVID last week. That, naturally, must’ve affected their play in a myriad of ways. Who knows what’s happening behind the scenes and how each team is growing and at which pace. We can only theorize based on the sample size that’s at our disposal, and currently we don’t have a ton to sink our teeth into.
We don’t expect Astralis to pull off an upset here, but it is by no means impossible.
