For the first time since the spring of 2015, the reigning LEC champion will not be heading to the Spring Playoffs. MAD Lions have finished outside of the top six in the 2022 LEC Spring Split after winning both spring and summer last season.

On the last day of the Spring Split, MAD Lions needed to win their last match against Team BDS, but if Astralis was unable to beat Team Vitality, MAD's victory would be rendered irrelevant.

Team Vitality was able to take down last place Astralis to finish 9-9 in the Spring Split, and in doing so, have secured the sixth and final spot in the 2022 LEC Spring Playoffs. MAD, on the other hand, will be watching the Playoffs from home alongside Astralis, Team BDS, and SK Gaming. 

Coming into the 2022 season, MAD lost two members of their 2021 starting roster in mid laner Marek "Humanoid" Brázda, who joined Fnatic, and AD carry Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság, who signed with Team Vitality. However, because of the strengths of the remaining members on the roster and the organization's retainment of the impressive coaching staff that led the team to two domestic titles, MAD's LEC roster expected to be contentious enough to defend their title.

Instead, MAD struggled to find their identity the entire split. AD carry William "UNF0RGIVEN" Nieminen got off to a hot start, but began to struggle after the first three weeks of the split. Mid laner Steven "Reeker" Chen had an acceptable first split in the LEC this spring, but the team has yet to show a way to consistently utilize him. Star support Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser, a pillar of consistency for the squad in 2021, had an uncharacteristically weak split on an individual level.

The last time a defending LEC champion missed playoffs was when 2014 summer champion Alliance, who was only expected to improve after signing star AD carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson and rebranding to Elements, finished in 7th place in the 2015 EU LCS Spring Split.