After floundering out of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, one team from the West has ended the year with one of the worst international records of any organization attending the tournament.
Following their 2-0 series loss to Weibo Gaming earlier today, MAD Lions were bounced out of Worlds 2023 with only a single win—and they earned it against fellow European representative, Team BDS. That one victory against BDS ended up being the organization’s only win at an international event this year after multiple stumbles at the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, giving MAD Lions a 1-10 record at international tournaments on the season.
At MSI, MAD were swept by Korean powerhouse T1 and the LEC’s own G2 Esports. Over the last month, they were taken down by the likes of Cloud9, NRG Esports, and Weibo Gaming. This is an uninspiring trend for the team dating back to the 2022 World Championship when they were swept by Evil Geniuses during the play-in stage of the event.
Unfortunate records seem to be following MAD around over the last couple of years as well. Mid laner Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer, for example, has struggled with his own shortcomings at global events, holding only two wins against major region teams throughout his career. Overall, the team has rarely been able to make a mark against the world’s best and could be looking to make changes as a result this offseason.
After such a disappointing end to the year, one major player who has plenty of decisions to consider is star jungler Javier “Elyoya” Prades Batalla. The 23-year-old’s contract is expiring in November and he’s been the subject of various transfer rumors since last year’s offseason. He has also been a huge part of the team’s success over the last two years, but the talented player could look to greener pastures.
Elyoya is, however, the only MAD Lions player with an expiring deal this offseason, according to the League global contract database. The org’s staff will need to make some big decisions for the future of this club, especially if they want to turn their fortunes around when they attend their next international event.
