Both underdogs were on Sudden Death as a third and final loss meant their elimination from Worlds MAD Lions vs GAM Esports.
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VCS rep GAM Esports and the LEC’s Lions have had a rough go on the Main Stage. And right now, they’ve never been hungrier for a win.
GAM just started its Worlds run but fell early to Western teams Flyquest and Fnatic. MDK fared similarly, losing their best-of-1’s against LPL and APAC rosters.
With both teams at 0-2, a loss at this point means getting eliminated from Worlds.
MAD Lions vs GAM Esports Game 1
GAM was focused on an all-out offensive with a dive comp that could threaten MDK’s mid-game. Meanwhile, MAD Lions played to their strengths with scaling picks we’ve seen in the past. But was it enough to surpass Kiyaya’s 4-1 record on Smoulder?
Despite some dicey plays in the botlane, GAM secured first blood in a 1-for-1 three minutes in. From there, things stayed quiet until Fresskowy found a stylish midlane kill that gave the EMEA reps some momentum.
While the crowd expected a stronger showing from Myrwin’s Gnar, his presence at top was all the MAD Lions needed to claim Void Grubs uncontested. Going into the midgame, MDK Supa’s Ziggs had enough damage to make GAM back off, but not for long.
After a midgame Infernal Drake, Levi engaged into Elyoya and Alvaro. Both teams went blow-for-blow, and it looked like the VCS #1 seed had the upper hand. But MDK had enough HP to get out of the blender and turn the fight around.
With a midlane turret, MDK had a 4k gold advantage and four kills over GAM, placing them in the lead despite having no dragons.
From there, GAM could only play defensively while Elyoya and co. found more and more turrets. Their midlaner Emo had the most burst on Akali, but he was no match for Supa’s champ and was locked down by MAD’s jungler in most of the fights. MDK takes the first Nexus.
Quick Stats:
Teams: MDK 1 – 0 GAM
First Blood: GAM
Game Time: 21:00
Gold: 43.5k – 34.1k
Kills: 15 – 6
Turrets: 10 – 2
Dragons: 0 – 2
Barons: 1 – 0
MAD Lions vs GAM Esports Game 2
GAM tried to find an answer with a more disciplined dive comp to find better angles, and MDK opted for anti-dive champs with peel and a lot of backline threat.
An early game slugfest at the bottom side put both teams on equal terms. At this point, all the kills on GAM were on Levi’s Wukong, so he had to make the advantage count.
A few picks threatened another MDK snowball, but a coordinated ult from Levi and EasyLove won them a skirmish and nearly equalized the match. At the same time, Elyoya’s team were still taking down turrets, setting up for a huge late-game advantage.
Later on, GAM attempted to collapse near mid, but couldn’t land any meaningful hits. This game MDK even more space to take objectives uncontested. That said, the gold score was dead even.
With the game at a stalemate, GAM Elio made a beautiful play that set his team up for a winning fight. Afterwards, they took Nashor uncontested and rushed for a game-ender. A few fights ensued, and after a fateful clash at Baron pit, GAM turned the series around for a decisive game three.
Quick Stats:
Teams: GAM 1 – 1 MDK
First Blood: MDK
Game Time: 42:02
Gold: 81.9k – 71.9k
Kills: 28 – 12
Turrets: 8 – 3
Dragons: 4 – 1
Barons: 1 – 0
MAD Lions vs GAM Esports Game 3
GAM Esports massively banked on a comp that could counter MDK’s carry. That said, they weren’t expected to be good at anything else.
Early on, big blunders from the LEC reps gave GAM a 4-kill lead. They were only seven minutes in and MAD was already bleeding out, so they needed to stabilize.
Supa and his team started to close the gap in a top shuffle, but he got caught in the midlane and had to reset while the rest of MDK scrambled for kills in a cross-map assault. But even 10 minutes of attempts couldn’t stop GAM from taking more fights and objective leads.
GAM Kiyaya was 6-0 on Aurora at this point, giving Vietnam’s best bet the deadliest lead of the series. With no angle left, MDK turtled, giving their opponents uncontested reign over the last Baron.
What followed was a slow push into the blue base where GAM Esports kept their Worlds dream alive by taking the third and last Nexus of the series.
Quick Stats:
Teams: MDK 1 – 2 GAM
First Blood: GAM
Game Time: 26:42
Gold: 44.8k – 56.7k
Kills: 8 – 24
Turrets: 3 – 8
Dragons:0 – 3
Barons:0 – 1
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Paul started writing game guides and match predictions for ESTNN’s editorial team in 2022. Since then, he’s covered big-ticket esports events and the latest news on tech and AI.
Source : Estnn