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Griffin, a Korean Organization, has disclosed that it has disbanded its team of League of Legends. Being one of LCK’s best underdog, their story will come to an abrupt end after undergoing a meteoric rise in the past two years. Their most notable success was reaching the last eight of worlds 2018.
The Rise of Griffin
Griffin’s journey commenced in 2017 when they took part in the Korean Challenger, where they finished second from bottom in the inaugural Spring Split. The fortunes of the team took a right turn once they acquired the support of Kim Jin. The team finished in fourth place during the Summer Split as well as the Playoffs, although they missed out on the promotional tournament.
Griffin’s steady rise into the League of Legends glare was aided by the inclusion of Jeong’ Chovy’ Ji-hoon into the team. The team enjoyed a winning streak in the Challengers Korea Spring Split of 2018 without losing a single game. They finally managed to qualify for the 2018 LCK Summer Split after edging out MVP.
In their inaugural season in LCK, Griffin outshone the expectations of many and pulled a second-place finish in the split. Eventually, they failed to make it to the Worlds after a defeat in the Regional finals to Gen.G. Griffin started the 2019 season as a force to reckon with in the Korean scene, where they emerged as runners-up in both splits and finally qualified for the 2019 Worlds. The team were top of their group at Worlds and reached the quarterfinals, where Invictus Gaming eliminated them.
The Downfall of Griffin
As much as the team enjoyed a meteoric rise, their downfall was equally dazzling and occurred rapidly. They lost Kim Dae-ho, aka cvMax, the team’s head coach, as they were heading for the Worlds, caused by the incident between Griffin and Kanavi. They lost other big names, such as Son Si-woo, aka Lehends, who was the support player for a long time. Griffin’s superstar Jeong Ji-hoon aka Chovy was another significant loss in mid-laner for the team.
In the long run, the team had difficulties in finding suitable replacements for all these losses. The subsequent Spring Split saw Griffin finishing in the last place, which saw them drop down to the Challenger division. This came after two defeats to both SANDBOX Gaming and Seorabeol Gaming.
The loss of the team’s long-serving core dashed all the hopes of a swift return to the LCK. Some of the names the team lost include Son Woo-hyeon aka Ucal, Park Ui-jin aka Untara and Park Do-hyeon aka Viper. In the LCK Summer 2020, the team only had a nimbly gathered roster that could manage a fifth-place finish. This meant that Griffin couldn’t qualify for the Challenger Summer playoffs.
The revelation made in the summer of 2020 that Griffin will not be putting a substance on another franchise slot for 2021 proved to be the final nail in their coffin. Griffin boasted of having the most talented roster in League of Legends’ highly competitive scene over the past few years. The team’s downfall can be attributed to some poor managerial decisions. In the end, they will be remembered in the League of Legends history as a team with the brightest chapters.