Is it time for MAD Lions to shine once more?

During the LEC 2021 Spring Split, MAD Lions shocked the region and took the title after taking out one of EU's top heavyweights, G2 Esports as well as dismantling Rogue twice in the playoffs. They followed that up with a great performance at MSI 2021, ending their run alongside PSG Talon in a shared third and fourth place.

With the LEC 2021 Summer Split fast approaching, MAD Lions will be looking over their shoulders to keep an eye out for their competitors. The likes of G2 Esports and Rogue are just some of the names they should be wary of; SK Gaming will also be looking to make an impact after its recent shuffle rotation.

LEC 2021 Summer Split

The LEC 2021 Summer Split officially starts tomorrow, June 11 with the group stages running until August 1. Like the other regions, it's a double-round robin format with the same 10 teams from the previous Split playing a total of 18 best-of-one matches. The games will go on for eight weeks straight with the first and last week having three days worth of games.

That means that for this week and the last, the games will run from Friday to Sunday but for every other week in-between, the games will happen over the weekend.

But before heading into the playoffs, the teams' seedings in the bracket will be determined through their Championship Points. These points were given based on the team's performances during the Spring playoffs as well as the Summer regular season. If a team did manage to get some points in the Spring season but somehow finish between seventh to 10th, they will lose all of their points. With that said, only the top six teams in the group stage will advance to the Playoffs.

It will feature a double-elimination bracket, giving teams that lose early a chance to climb back up. The first to fourth-place finishers will be in the upper bracket and will battle one another. Meanwhile, fifth and sixth will languish in the lower bracket, playing against one another before embarking on a long and arduous journey to the grand finals. While the top six teams to make it into the Playoffs will also get a portion of the prize money, there will only be three slots to Worlds 2021.

LEC Teams

  • Astralis
  • Excel Esports
  • FC Schalke 04 Esports
  • Fnatic
  • G2 Esports
  • MAD Lions
  • Misfits Gaming
  • Rogue
  • SK Gaming
  • Team Vitality

What to Expect

First off, the LEC will be removing the Hexflash rune after a bug was found in an LPL match the day before. This was confirmed by Maximilian Peter Schmidt, the Head of Esports for LoL in Europe & MENA, who tweeted his response to the bug, stating that it will be disabled in the first week of the LEC.

With that said, many eyes will be on MAD Lions once again to see if they can replicate their performance from the Spring season. With G2 Esports already winning the title eight times and Fnatic with seven, there's plenty of expectations for these teams, in particular, to perform when it matters most. Also, there's no counting out Rogue as well as FC Schalke 04 Esports, who did well in the previous Split.

Don't forget to catch all the action starting tomorrow!

(Image credit: Riot Games)