MAD Lions rose up through the final weeks of playoffs to reach the finals - and while they did not win, we think Javier "Elyoya" Prades Batalla is the LEC MVP of the week.
It has been a wild ride for MAD Lions fans. After their loss to G2 esports in the groups, they had to fight a direct elimination series against Astralis to get to the playoffs. Once there, they took on SK Gaming, the biggest dark horse of the split, and managed to triumph in a five-game series. Then, they faced off against KOI and despite losing the opening game rallied and got the win. It was an epic comeback, despite the sour end where they were once more swept by G2 in the finals. Despite that, MAD Lions’ rampage earlier last week made us choose Javier "Elyoya" Prades Batalla as the MVP of the week.
The radiant Spaniard first came to prominence on the Movistar Riders team that made the EU Masters twice in 2020, before being recruited by MAD Lions. He quickly proved he belongs among the elite junglers of the LEC, winning rookie of the split in the spring of 2021 and amassing several other accolades since, including a spot in the top team of the 2022 Summer Split for his role in leading MAD to Worlds.. Despite several rumors about high-profile transfers he remains on MAD Lions, much to the delight of their fans. His latest accomplishment is taking a team that was beaten in by G2 two weeks ago and leading them to the finals.
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It was a long weekend for the Spaniard, who had to play 12 games in three consecutive days against three different teams, but he acquitted himself admirably. He showed good results on Elise, Vi and Sejuani, with a pair of truly standout performances - one that turned the tide against KOI and one that almost put MAD back into the fight against G2. While he had a few off moments, on the whole Elyoya was the heart and strength of his team, setting his lanes for success and, now and then putting on the carry pants himself. Over the course of 12 games, 6 wins and 6 losses, Elyoya retained a respectable KDA of 3.54 - but in several games, his value was much higher.
| Game | Kills | Deaths | Assists |
| Game 1 vs SK: Elise | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Game 2 vs SK: Vi | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Game 3 vs SK: Vi | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| Game 4 vs SK: Gragas | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Game 5 vs SK: Elise | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Game 1 vs KOI: Gragas | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Game 2 vs KOI: Vi | 6 | 2 | 16 |
| Game 3 vs KOI: Sejuani | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Game 4 vs KOI: Vi | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| Game 1 vs G2: Gragas | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Game 2 vs G2: Sejuani | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Game 3 vs G2: Wukong | 10 | 7 | 3 |
Read More:
- G2 Stop MAD Lions Rampage in LEC Playoff Week
- LEC Groups Week 2 MVP: G2 Hans Sama
- LEC Group 1 MVP: KOI Malrang
The LEC will now go on hiatus until next Saturday, when the spring split begins. MAD will no doubt try to challenge for the title as well - and if they do take it this time, we are sure Elyoya will play a big part of it as well.