MSI 2025 Preview: Have Movistar KOI lost the Mad Lions Curse?
The name Mad Lions has a pejorative feel for European fans at international events. Under that name, the teams failed to reach their potential at international events. Notably, they lost in 16:47 to T1 in their last Mid-Season Invitational appearance. The Movistar KOI roster no longer bears the Mad Lions name, but the same concerns remain. Can Elyoya lead his team to international success as he has done domestically?
Movistar Koi Roster
- Alex “Myrwyn” Pastor Villarejo – Spanish Top laner
- Javier “Elyoya” Prades Batalla – Spanish Jungler
- Joseph “Jojopyun” Joon Pyun – Canadian Mid Laner
- David “Supa” Martinez Garcia – Spanish Bot Laner
- Álvaro “Alvaro” Fernández del Amo – Spanish Support
- Tomás “Melzhet Campelos Fernandez – Spanish Coach
KOI retained four players from the 2024 Mad Lions KOI roster. Jojopyun replaced Bartłomiej “Fresskowy” Tomasz Przewoźnik in the mid-lane. Jojopyun is the first North American talent to win an LEC title, and he returns to his home country, Canada. The rest of the roster was at the World Championship last year, and after a flying start in the Play-Ins, they lost their way in the Swiss Stage to finish 0-3. With more experience under their belt, they aim to erase the memories of Mad Lions and announce themselves as a separate entity.
How They Got Here
Heading into the Spring Playoffs, very few gave KOI a chance to qualify for MSI. Heading into a bracket with Karmine Corp, Fnatic, and G2 Esports, surely there was no way they would beat two of them? KOI stunned the EU world with a 3-2 victory over KC in the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Even at this point, many believed KC lost, more so than KOI won. KOI fell 3-1 to G2, and many thought their dream was coming to a close. Not only did the dream continue with a 3-2 victory over KC in the Lower Bracket Final, earning a spot at MSI, but they also defeated G2 3-1 in the Grand Final with a dominant performance.
Expectations
Because of previous international fumbles, the belief in this roster is not high. Many still favor G2 as the hope for the EU region. If KOI has shaken their Mad Lions name, they can challenge the best in the world, but are unlikely to win MSI. A top-four finish for this roster will be instrumental in restoring the faith. Losing to FlyQuest, CTBC Flying Oyster, Furia, or GAM Esports, if the last two qualify for the bracket stage, will be a tragedy. The losses will keep the Mad Lions tag floating around for Worlds.
Movistar KOI’s Journey
With KC’s second place at the First Stand, KOI begins their MSI run as the second seed in MSI. The seeding places them alongside GenG Esports as tier-one teams. They will face one of the two teams from the Play-Ins. If G2 qualifies, KOI will get the other Play-In team due to MSI rules. They will also be on the opposite side of the bracket to GenG, meaning they can only face the LCK first seed later in the competition.
