The news comes on the heels of Griffin’s disappointing run in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Split, where Griffin placed 10th and were sent to the last LCK promotion series. There, Griffin lost in the final round to SANDBOX Gaming, meaning they will spend the next split in the Challengers Korea (CK) league.
“We have terminated our contract with Viper (Dohyeon Park), Ucal(Woohyeon Son) and Untara (Uijin Park) in mutual agreement,” read the announcement from Griffin.
“We thank them for giving in their best throughout their time in Griffin, and wish them all the best in their future.”
Viper has spent his entire professional esports career with Griffin, which began in November 2017 when he arrived at the team alongside support Son “Lehends” Si-woo. The young pro took over as the starting ADC in January 2018 and went on to become a core member of the roster that reached the quarter-finals at the 2019 LoL World Championship.
Mid laner Ucal arrived at Griffin in January 2020 having previously played for KT Rolster and Afreeca Freecs. He was signed as a replacement for Shin “Rather” Hyeong-seop, who was promoted to the coaching staff at the start of the year. Despite his experience playing in two of the strongest Korean LoL teams, Ucal failed to fill the shoes of his predecessors and showed nothing more than mediocre performances throughout the LCK 2020 Spring Split.
Top laner Untara is the most experienced player of the three, having begun his LoL career in January 2014 as a support for Anarchy. He later played for Star Horn Royal Club (now Royal Club), CJ Entus, spent 1.5 years with SK Telecom T1 and enjoyed a short stint at 1907 Fenerbah?e before joining Griffin in December 2019. Despite that lengthy CV, Untara played only nine games for Griffin in the 2020 Spring Split and put up some of the worst marks in the league.
At the time of writing, the future of Untara and Ucal remains uncertain. Viper, however, has already been announced as the new starting ADC of Hanwha Life Esports, where he will take over for Oh “Vsta” Hyo-seong and reunite with support Lehends, who left Griffin in November 2019.
Griffin are now left with a six-man roster consisting of top laners Yoon “Hoya” Yong-ho and Choi “Sword” Sung-won, jungler Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong, supports Jeong “Irove” Sang-hyeon and Kim “WADID” Bae-in, and mid laner Yoo “Naehyun” Nae-hyun. The CK 2020 Summer Split is set to begin on Sunday, June 14, meaning Griffin have just under a month to find a replacement ADC.
Despite the fall from greatness, the situation is not as grim as it may look. Since LCK is moving to a franchise model for the 2021 season, Griffin will have an opportunity to apply as a partner team in the Korean top flight.
]]>DAMWON GAMING vs GRIFFIN LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
DAMWON GAMING vs GRIFFIN LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREVIEW
The second-to-last competitive week in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) 2020 Spring Split will kick off on Wednesday with a clash between DAMWON Gaming and the reigning LCK runners-up, Griffin.
DAMWON Gaming did not make any roster changes in the off-season, which was quite unusual given that every other team in the LCK made at least one swap. Nevertheless, Heo “ShadowMaker” Su and co. have held their ground against the new-look teams and are now set to enter the playoffs for the third consecutive split.
The young squad entered the 2020 season as an enigma of sorts. On one side, their sheer talent and potential for growth made DAMWON potential LCK frontrunners, but on the other, many believed they still needed time to develop into a true Korean esports powerhouse.
The truth is that DAMWON sit somewhere in between, as they sit tied-fourth in the league standings with an 8-7 record. While they are guaranteed to finish in the top eight and avoid relegation, they are still two wins short of securing a spot in the playoffs.
With Griffin, DragonX and SANDBOX Gaming as their final three opponents of the split, it is crucial for DAMWON to win here. Failure to do so could put them in an unenviable position where they need to upset DragonX and hope Afreeca Freecs fail to secure more than two wins.
While the pressure is on, DAMWON’s morale must be higher than ever following their 2-0 triumphs over Hanwha Life, Afreeca Freecs and T1 in Week 7. That bodes well for their bout with Griffin, who sit bottom of the LCK standings with a terrible 3-12 record to their name.
The 2019 LCK Summer Split runners-up and LoL World Championship quarter-finalists began their 2020 journey with a solid top-eight finish at the KeSPA Cup, to which they added a mediocre 2-2 run through the opening two weeks of the LCK Spring Split. It all went south from there, as Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong and his crew failed to win another match up until last Sunday when they edged past APK Prince (2-1).
Sitting two wins and big a chunk of map percentage outside the top eight, Griffin need to win all of their remaining fixtures against DAMWON, Afreeca Freecs and Hanwha Life in order to avoid relegation. That will be no walk in the park, but the bottom side can give themselves a fighting chance with a win over DAMWON this Wednesday.
DAMWON GAMING vs GRIFFIN LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREDICTIONS
Emotions will be running high in this David versus Goliath fixture. While Griffin are fighting for survival, the surging DAMWON Gaming will settle for nothing less than a win as they chase a playoff berth.
DAMWON and Griffin met during Week 3 of the 2020 LCK Spring Split, where we saw the former edge out a 2-1 win. Although that result might suggest Griffin can force a three-map series this week, it’s hard to find a solid argument in favour of the underdogs.
The main issue is not so much the difference in individual quality between these two sides, but rather the fact that Griffin have looked progressively worse throughout the season. DAMWON, meanwhile, have improved markedly over the course of the campaign and won eight straight maps in their last four matches, which includes a 2-0 win over T1 last weekend.
An upset win is always something to consider in an online contest. However, if DAMWON enter this match with the same fire they have shown in the past two weeks, this match should end in a complete stomp.
DAMWON Gaming -1.5 maps
GEN.G vs GRIFFIN LEAGUE OF LEGENDS BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
GEN.G vs GRIFFIN LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREVIEW
League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) is set to return in an online format this Wednesday as Gen.G and Griffin face off in the opening fixture in Week 6 of the 2020 Spring Split.
Gen.G enter the clash with an impressive 8-1 record that sits them at the top of the league standings, one win ahead of DragonX and T1. Although many expected great things from Gen.G this season, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk and co. have made a big statement with their wins over KT Rolster, DAMWON Gaming, Hanwha Life Esports, DragonX, Afreeca Freecs, APK Prince, Griffin and SANDBOX Gaming. The only team to show Gen.G can bleed were T1 in the second week of the split.
Losing only one game and holding an impressive 17-5 map record at this level of play makes Gen.G serious contenders for international success, although it remains to be seen how the change of format will affect their performances.
All five members of Gen.G have played well this split, with four of their players putting up some of the best individual performances in the league. Support Kim “Life” Jeong-min enters Week 6 with the highest KDA (10.15) in the LCK, with his bottom lane partner Ruler close behind with 8.81 and their mid laner Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong third with 8.75.
That is not to say Gen.G’s top laner Kim “Rascal” Kwang-hee and jungler Kim “Clid” Tae-min have been anything less than phenomenal, as there are only a handful of players in the league that can compare to them.
While Gen.G are thriving, Griffin are desperately seeking a way to recapture their old form. However, it seems like the Kanavi scandal has pushed a team that was once labelled the next Korean esports powerhouse to the brink of collapse.
Entering 2020 without Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon and Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, who opted to reunite with their former coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho at DragonX, deprived Griffin of any serious quality in the top and mid lanes. Although Griffin found replacements for the departed superstars in mid laner Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon and top laner Choi “Sword” Sung-won, both have failed to fill the shoes of their predecessors.
Griffin head into Week 6 with a humiliating 2-7 record and a 7-16 map differential, which sits them at the bottom of the standings – a far cry from last year, when they won both the LCK Spring and LCK Summer regular seasons. The only two teams Griffin have defeated this split are APK Prince and SANDBOX, both in Week 2. Since then, Sword and co. have lost to DAMWON, Hanwha Life, T1, DragonX and most recently KT Rolster.
GEN.G vs GRIFFIN LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREDICTIONS
Betting odds suggest this bout should end in a complete stomp by Gen.G and it’s hard to find any solid reason to believe otherwise. Gen.G hold a significant advantage in all lanes but especially at the top, where Rascal will face off against Sword. The latter enters this bout with a 1.55 KDA, 7.2 CSPM and only 52% KPAR, which ranks him as one of the worst-performing players in his position.
Perhaps Griffin will see some success in the bottom lane, where Park “Viper” Do-hyeon has had a few solid showings this split, but Gen.G’s Ruler looks to be in great shape and the jungle difference will make it hard for Viper to get ahead.
Gen.G are everything Griffin wish they were: consistent, dominant and across the board a better team. Choi “Edgar” Woo-beom has assembled a juggernaut of a team and if Gen.G can continue playing at this tempo, they just might win the first LCK podium in the organisation’s history.
Gen.G -1.5 maps
T1 VS GRIFFIN LEAGUE OF LEGENDS BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
T1 VS GRIFFIN LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREVIEW
Week 4 of the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Split will kick off with an exciting clash between the three-time world champions T1 and the new-look Griffin this Wednesday.
T1 enter Week 4 with only one loss, which came at the hands of Hanwha Life Esports in a shock defeat during the first week of the season. Besides that, however, T1 have looked strong in their wins over the likes of DAMWON Gaming, KT Rolster, Gen.G, DragonX and APK Prince.
Park “Teddy” Jin-seong and Kim “Canna” Chang-dong are both putting up impressive numbers, boasting a 7.06 and 7.00 KDA respectively. Canna is one of the most effective top laners in the league, while Teddy holds onto the second-best KDA out of ADC mains and leads in both CSPM (11.23) and KS (34.3%). Faker has not had any standout performances yet, but he remains one of the best mid laners, while Lee “Effort” Sang-ho and Moon “Cuzz” Woo-chan rank among the top five players in their respective roles.
Griffin enter this bout with a 2-4 record next to their name, which ties them with SANDBOX Gaming in seventh place. Griffin lost to Afreeca Freecs, Gen.G, DAMWON Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports, but they beat SANDBOX and APK Prince.
While Griffin look like a decent team with the potential to compete for a playoff spot, it is clear that they don’t have the quality or the form to go toe-to-toe with the top Korean LoL teams. The biggest issue with Griffin is the underwhelming performances of their key players, namely Choi “Sword” Sung-won.
T1 VS GRIFFIN LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREDICTIONS
T1 are priced as heavy favourites to defeat Griffin with $1.29 offered on an outright win, which seems like a fair assessment. It’s hard to expect an upset from Griffin here, so the only question that needs answering is whether T1 can produce a clean sweep or not.
We have some concerns with Sword’s performances. While a skilled player, it’s clear that he is not in the best shape of his life. He has the fourth-lowest KDA (1.89) out of all top laners this season, as well as the second-lowest CSPM (8.05) and third-lowest KPAR (50.3%).
He will be facing Canna, who is one of the best top laners in the league, which alone should give T1 a huge advantage in the upper part of the map. Even in other lanes T1 hold a respectable level of advantage, yet none is as obvious as in the top lane.
While the current meta does not put much emphasis on the top laners, we can trust T1 to spot the mismatch, help Canna win his lane and translate the pressure onto the mid and bottom. Side with the favourites to secure their fifth consecutive win in a commanding fashion.
T1 -1.5 maps
GRIFFIN VS SANDBOX GAMING LEAGUE OF LEGENDS BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
GRIFFIN VS SANDBOX GAMING LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREVIEW
Griffin and SANDBOX Gaming will meet on the Summoner’s Rift this Wednesday in Week 2 of the 2020 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Split. Griffin will be eager to avenge their KeSPA Cup quarter-final defeat against SANDBOX back in December, while Kang “Laden” Byung-ho’s squad will look to continue climbing the ladder by pocketing their second win of the season.
Griffin had a tough start to the 2020 LCK season, losing to both Afreeca Freecs and Gen.G. They have shown glimpses of quality, however, and it is worth noting Choi “Sword” Sung-won and company played two of the strongest teams in the LCK in the opening week.
Griffin’s first-up defeat to Afreeca Freecs was not as one-sided as expected, yet there is no denying the winners deserved their spoils. Griffin then got stomped by the league favourites, Gen.G, who showed no mercy with their aggressive playstyle.
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SANDBOX Gaming will look to bounce back from the bitter loss they suffered on Sunday, when they were reverse-swept by the new-look DragonX. While Laden’s squad played well, the little mistakes cost them the win.
Han “Leo” Gyeo-re, while a solid ADC, had a few moments of weakness in the opening week. He was caught out of position at a critical stage in the loss to DragonX, so he will want to make amends this week.
On a more positive note, SANDBOX thrashed APL Prince in their first game of the season. They won’t be the only team to do that, however, as APL are expected to finish in the lower reaches of the table.
GRIFFIN VS SANDBOX GAMING LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREDICTIONS
Looking at the betting odds, we believe esports bookmakers are not giving Griffin enough credit for what they have shown so far this season.
There is no going around the fact that Griffin are not the same team as last season, due to the Kanavi incident, but this team is capable of doing some damage. Griffin stood their ground against Afreeca Freecs, which suggests they can trouble the top teams in the LCK this season.
Park “Viper” Do-hyeon has been performing well and is averaging exceptional numbers, despite the fact Griffin played two of the strongest Korean teams in the opening week of the LCK Spring Split. On the other side, Leo looked very shaky and made some crucial errors that cost SANDBOX the win.
In the mid lane, Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon will meet with Kim “Dove” Jae-yeon, which should be a tight contest. Sword is yet to show his true strength in the top lane, but his 2019 LCK Summer Split performances tell us he is not to be underestimated.
Griffin have the needed pieces to go toe-to-toe with the best teams Korea has to offer, but those pieces have yet to fall into place. Nonetheless, they have shown enough so far for us to believe they can pinch a map off SANDBOX.
Over 2.5 maps
GRIFFIN VS AFREECA FREECS LEAGUE OF LEGENDS BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
GRIFFIN VS AFREECA FREECS LCK SUMMER SPLIT BETTING PREVIEW
Everything is set for the heavily anticipated clash between Afreeca Freecs and Griffin, both of whom will enter 2020 LCK Spring Split with new rosters as they search for their maiden League of Legends Champions Korea title.
Griffin had quite a chaotic offseason, which ended up evolving into a widespread controversy involving the organisation’s manager Cho Gyu-nam, Griffin’s former coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho and the main actor Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok. The incident ended with the permanent suspension of Cho, a temporary ban for cvMac and Kanavi’s decision to make his stay at JD Gaming permanent.
The controversy also caused a massive shift in Griffin’s roster, which saw the departure of key members in Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon and Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, who reunited with cvMax at DragonX, while support Son “Lehends” Si-woo teamed up with Hanwha Life.
The current Griffin roster fields three members who were there last season: top laner Choi “Sword” Sung-won, jungler Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong and ADC Park “Viper” Do-hyeon. Joining the trio are top laner Park “Untara” Ui-jin, support Jeong “Irove” Sang-hyeon and mid laners Yoo “Naehyun” Nae-hyun and Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon.
Griffin appeared at the KeSPA Cup as the reigning champions in December 2019, where they lost in the quarter-finals against SANDBOX Gaming and finished in fifth-eighth place. Naehyun was disappointing in the loss to SANDBOX, as he ended the series with a 1.67 KDA and 7.66 CSPM.
Nonetheless, Naehyun had a decent season in 2019. He finished the 2019 LCK Summer Split with a 4.15 KDA, 66.8 KPAR, 22.7 KS and 8.74 CSPM, which puts him among the top six LCK mid laners. Should he underperform, however, Griffin still have the up-and-coming Ucal at their disposal. He put up similar numbers to Naehyun in the Summer Split, yet he is only 19 years of age.
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Afreeca Freecs made a handful of changes to their roster in a bid to recapture their form of 2018, when they finished the LCK Spring Split in second and the Summer Split in third place. The same year, Afreeca Freecs also made an appearance at the League of Legends World Championship, where they finished fifth-eighth after suffering a complete stomp in the quarter-finals against Cloud9.
Last season Afreeca Freecs finished the Spring Split in eighth and Summer Split in fifth spot. In the LCK 2019 Regional Finals, Freecs lost to DragonX and finished fourth, meaning they failed to book the organisation’s second Worlds appearance.
In the offseason, Afreeca Freecs signed mid laner Song “Fly” Yong-jun, ADC Jin “Mystic” Seong-jun, as well as two supports in Nam “Ben” Dong-hyun and Son “Jelly” Ho-gyeong, the latter of which was previously a substitute player. The new roster was a huge enigma as it featured a former LoL Pro League (LPL) bottom lane tandem in Ben and Mystic, who played together at Team WE in 2017-2018, while Fly was shaky in the 2019 LCK Summer Split.
Nonetheless, the new squad showed up at the KeSPA Cup, where Afreeca Freecs charged their way to the grand finals with wins over Rockhead (now OZ Gaming), Brion Blade, Hanwha Life and DragonX. In the decider, Afreeca Freecs stomped SANDBOX Gaming 3-0 to hoist their maiden KeSPA Cup.
GRIFFIN VS AFREECA FREECS LCK SPRING SPLIT BETTING PREDICTIONS
Last year it was Griffin who were one of the top dogs in LCK, while Afreeca Freecs were fighting an uphill battle throughout the whole season. In 2020, however, we believe the roles will change.
Afreeca Freecs showcased their strength at the KeSPA Cup, while Griffin looked very iffy, to say the least. While they had only one match to prove themselves, we did expect more from the team that retained three members from last season, two of whom are world-class LoL esports players.
The betting odds for this match are spot on, as we have a hard time believing Griffin can make a significant dent in Afreeca Freecs. The Kanavi incident deprived Griffin of so much talent, so it is hard to imagine they will be able to contest the top league spots this season.
We expect Afreeca Freecs to claim the spoils here, and while there is a serious possibility Mystic and company can claim a clean sweep, we will play it safe for the opening weeks and predict an outright win for the favourites.
Afreeca Freecs to win
Still8, the team’s parent company, confirmed all Griffin players would be offered revised contracts with fairer terms included and a series of controversial clauses removed.
At the same time, Still8 revealed they would allow players to decide between re-signing with Griffin or entering free agency in order to find a new home for the upcoming season.
The reason behind the decision was to remove the “unfair contracts players received, which left them vulnerable to abuse of authority and exertion of unfair power and rights”.
In the same announcement, it was also unveiled Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, Son “Lehends” Si-woo, and Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon had decided to part ways with the team in search of new challenges elsewhere.
With that, Still8 will look to start fresh with Griffin – a team which has been under the spotlight for the last couple of months due to alleged mismanagement, abuse and poor relations between the players, coaches and other staff.
Griffin’s fall from grace started in October, when it was alleged that former director Cho Kyu-nam had unlawfully loaned Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok to JD Gaming without the approval of either the coach or Kanavi’s legal guardians.
SEE ALSO: ESPORTS BETTING IN KOREA
The allegations started a full-blown investigation led by Riot Games, which not only confirmed the accusations but also unveiled Griffin players were victims of verbal and physical abuse from their former coach Kim Dae-ho.
The investigation ended on November 19, with Riot games infinitely suspending Cho and Kim from all Riot competitions as a result of the dispute. The so-called Griffin-Kanavi incident also saw Griffin fined KRW 100,000,000 (US $85,150) for breaking LCK rules.
Where that leaves the Griffin players is anyone’s guess. They have proven to be some of the best LoL players in the world, meaning they will not have a hard time finding a new home if they decide to move on. With several LCK sides yet to finalise their rosters for 2020, there should be no shortage of offers.
One such team is SK Telecom T1, who released four members – Kang “Haru” Min-seung, Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, Kim “Clid” Tae-min, Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong and Kim “Crazy” Jae-hee – earlier this month in a bid to rebuild their team after a disappointing run at the 2019 LoL Worlds.
]]>Heading into the match, the scale was in favour of Griffin, who were seen by many as one of the main favourites to lift the Summoner’s Cup. However, as we have come to realise, Invictus Gaming’s true strength remained hidden until it mattered.
The defending world champions entered game one with a draft that made it obvious this quarter-final fixture is going to be special. In an attempt to counter the widely popular Yummi-Garen pick, IG put Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo on Kog’Maw, which was the tournament’s first appearance of the champion.
While JackeyLove failed to impress with his performance, mostly due to being caught out of position one too many times, the Chinese ADC had his moment of greatness. Most notable of which happened in the 31st minute when he secured a quadra-kill, which helped his team grab the Baron buff and end the game in just under 44 minutes.
Game two started in favour of Griffin, or more precisely in favour of Park “Viper” Do-hyeon, who racked up four kills to get a massive lead, however, that came at a cost of everyone else on his team being weaker.
While it was Griffin, who held onto a lead for most of the match, IG produced an incredible comeback in 26th minute, when they took out Griffin, secured the Baron and suddenly found themselves on a match point.
Entering game three Griffin were determined to not let their opportunity to reach the finals slide, by making feathers fly, quite literally, seeing how it was Viper on Xayah, who made IG suffer.
By the 30-minute mark, Griffin already held onto 5k gold lead but decided they are not finished yet. A fight in the mid lane worked perfectly in favour of the Koreans, who saw their ADC secure a flashy pentakill, making their fans believe that the series are not over yet.
In the end, however, Griffin only delayed the inevitable. TheShy was once again put on Kayle against struggling Choi “Sword” Sung-won on Jayce, which even from the start made the fixture look like a lost cause for Griffin.
In the last match, Griffin took a huge gamble with Karthus jungle, to make their late-game stronger, but the gamble did not pay off, as Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong failed to match up the map presence of Gao “Ning” Zhen-Ning’s Gragas.
IG gained a massive 3,000 gold lead only 14 minutes in, with most of the gold in the pocket of TheShy, who once more decimated Griffin’s top lane.
The deciding team fight took place at the 20-minute mark, which was won by IG and they did not hesitate to close out the fourth and final match of the series in just under 26 minutes, to secure a spot in the semi-finals, where they will face off with their compatriots FunPlus Phoenix.
With the League of Legends World Championship group stage behind us, the eight remaining teams now travel to Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, Spain, for the playoffs.
The LoL Worlds quarter-finals will take place over two separate days, with the first two fixtures on Saturday, October 26 and the remaining two on Sunday, October 27.
The opening fixture of the LoL Worlds playoffs features Invictus Gaming and Griffin, who are bound to make sparks fly in the Spanish capital.
Invictus Gaming
$2.30 at GG Bet
The reigning world champions and one of the most feared League of Legends esports teams on the planet will enter the playoffs after a tough run in the group stage that exposed many weaknesses of the Chinese roster.
While still a very respected team, it’s easy to see Invictus Gaming are not nearly as strong as they were last year when they produced one of the most dominant playoffs runs in the history of the tournament.
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The biggest concern we have with Invictus going against Griffin is the mismatch in the jungle. There is no denying Gao “Ning” Zhen-Ning is one of the best junglers in the world, but we don’t believe he showed enough throughout the group stage.
And while we can expect Ning to play much better in the playoffs, he still lacks overall quality compared to the likes of Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong.
On a more positive note, Invictus have a rather big advantage in the top lane, where they have Kang “TheShy” Seun-kok. He is an elite player and arguably the best top laner in the world. TheShy is, in our eyes, a class above Choi “Sword” Seong-won, but the question remains: can TheShy finally step up and carry his team?
Griffin
$1.64 at GG Bet
Griffin impressed with their performance in the group stage, where they finished as the top seed above G2, Cloud9 and Hong Kong Attitude to establish themselves as serious contenders for the title.
While the organization continues to work on resolving their issues with the departure of former coach cvMax and the accusations of their management forcing players into unfair contracts, the roster of Griffin seems to be unfazed by that.
The Koreans will enter the quarter-finals fixture as rightful favourites. While Invictus Gaming have some extremely good individual players, Griffin are no pushover in that regard either. Furthermore, we see Griffin as a team with far superior teamwork, better organization and superior execution.
Griffin’s biggest win condition is their jungler Tarzan, but their bot lane should not be overlooked either.
Invictus vs Griffin betting predictions
Griffin -1.5 at $2.18 with GG Bet
Expect Invictus Gaming to struggle all across the board. While they are stronger in the top lane, it’s the other lanes and their overall approach to the game where they will come short.
Mid lane will see a clash between Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon and Song “Rookie” Eui-jin, which is a toss-up between two world-class players who have both performed very well so far. Bottom lane could also seen as a 50/50, but if we were to pick a side it should be Griffin.
Although they are the reigning world champions, there is something about IG that does not inspire trust. They have elite players in all positions, but their teamwork (or lack of it) is a concern.
Griffin, meanwhile, looked exceptionally strong in the group stage, where they displayed all the qualities required to win a championship. And if they can keep up the rhythm, we would not be surprised if the Koreans came out of the quarter-finals with a clean sweep.
Griffin have been the main talking point in LoL esports over the last month, and not due to their performances at Worlds, but rather the off-stage controversy that has been plaguing the team.
#Griffin Go to Madrid
GRIFFIN goes to quarter-final with no.1 seed in group A. Please keep cheering on Griffin for players to fly high!
???? 1? ??? ??? 8?? ???? ?????. ????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?? ??????#Worlds2019 pic.twitter.com/5Bb32Ay9FU
— Team Griffin LoL (@TeamGriffinLoL) October 18, 2019
Before this week, Griffin made deadlines with their decision to fire coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho only a couple of weeks before Worlds took off. Now cvMax has found himself as one of the key figures in another controversy.
CvMax was to some degree responsible for the controversy surfacing after he came out on stream shortly after his resignation and criticised Griffin’s management for their alleged misconduct. Joining the rant were other former members who came forward and shared their own experiences, including the former Griffin ADC Han “Force” Sang-woo.
The central focus of the story, however, is the ex-Griffin player Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok, who was supposedly forced to sign an unfair contract with JD Gaming in May 2019.
The allegations suggest Kanavi was loaned out to JD Gaming without cvMax’s approval by Griffin manager Cho Kyu-nam, who then went over cvMax’s and Kanavi’s head to finalise the trade.
CvMax released a statement on the matter, claiming that Griffin received US $1.3 million for the transfer deal, with no money going to either cvMax or Kanavi himself. Cho is also accused of forcing Kanavi to sign a contract with the lowest possible salary in order to increase the transfer fee Griffin would receive for him.
On their official website, Griffin confirmed they had launched an inquiry into the matter and had subsequently fired Cho.
“Through an internal investigation, for any wrong committed, we plan to invoke due responsibility to all responsible individuals involved including Director Cho Kyu-nam’s dismissal,” said Griffin CEO Seo “Shark” Kyung-jong.
“However, the players of Griffin have qualified to Worlds, the biggest stage for LoL professional gamers, and are completing their due schedule. Even if you feel extreme loss and frustration about the current situation, we sincerely ask you to wait for our response until the players complete their schedule and return safely.”