A new rivalry has risen in one of the strongest League of Legends leagues, and as it was expected they will meet in the grand finals of the LCK, which will take place on April 13th.
The grand finals of the 2019 LCK Spring Split is just around the corner and with two of the best teams in the LCK battling it out on the main stage, it’s an event that will not leave us indifferent. But it’s not only the fact that we will get to see two of the best clashing against each other but also the huge importance for both sides to win here.
If the challengers, SKT T1 win, they will finally manage to return back on the top of LCK after two long years. On the other side, if Griffin ends up victorious, they would become the first ever promoted team to win the championship. With a lot on the line, this match is bound to be a highly entertaining one with a lot of action, emotions and ultimately only one winner.
SKT T1
SKT came into the season with a new and improved team. Except for the legend himself; Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, SKT T1 gathered together a so-called “dream team” around their superstar, which is expected to help Faker reclaim the throne. SKT T1 roster now consists of well-known names in the sports world. Khan, Teddy, Mata, Clid and of course the GOAT; Faker himself. As an interesting fact, all the new players have in one way or another prevented Faker from reaching his former glory. Khan caused problems to Faker in 2017 championship, Teddy was a part of Jin Air Green Wings, a well-known opponent of SKT T1, and of course, there are Clid and Mata, who don’t need an introduction.
Griffin
On the other side, we have team Griffin, who live play under one motto: “Five as one”. The motto quite suits them, and in the best possible way. Their roster that consists of; Sword, Tarzan, Chovy, Viper and Lehends really do play as one person, which deservingly got them into a position they are in now. As a team that have been promoted from Challengers Korea last summer, Griffin have caught a lot of attention from League of Legends fans and the industry with their dominant performances in the LCK. While they failed to reach the championship or reach the Worlds last year, Griffin dominated in the 2018 KeSPA Cup, where they won without a single defeat. Coming into the spring split, Griffin continued with their impressive results however disappointed with defeats against Afreeca Freecs and Gen.G who were both on the verge of relegation and should be an easy opponent for Griffin. Nonetheless, Griffin ended at the top of LCK 2019 Spring standings with a 15-3 record.
Verdict & Prediction
There are three positions, where there is a clear difference between the two teams. Top lane and Mid-Jungle. As far as the top lane goes, the Griffin top-laner “Sword” has not been consistent with his performances. Ever since the meta shift which favourites carry top laners, he has been subpar at most. On the other side, Khan is known to be extremely good on strong, aggressive champions. Even if Sword ends up picking a tank, Khan has proven numerous times before, he excels in sword v shield matchups, so there is no way Sword could get an edge over Khan by himself in this matchup.
It’s expected for SKT to enjoy an advantage in the top lane, but when it comes to the spotlight role (mid-jungle), there is still a big question. Both sides will enjoy an exceptional synergy between mid and junglers. So it will all come down to individual performance. There is no denying Faker is the “Michael Jordan” of League of Legends, but even MJ went through times when he was not playing as well as he could. That’s exactly what is happening with Faker, whose performance were not too convincing lately, but on the bright side improved slightly as the season continued. So now the question remains; is he is on the level of Chovy?
Answering who will have an edge in midlane is too tough to say, but when it comes to jungle, the answer is rather simple. The Jungle belongs to the king himself; Tarzan. Not only has he been playing better, Tarzan also has a wider champion pool, which includes off-meta picks. There is not a lot to be said about bot lane. The bot duos seem equally matched and we expect this to reflect in the match.
Overall, the teams seem equally matched. The only thing that seems to separate them is the history, where Griffin come out on top. Last time out we watched at one of the most entertaining matches in LCK history, and we expect something similar on April 13th. All in all, when it comes to calling out a winner, the deciding factor will be the midlane. While there are some sceptics on how well will Faker perform, he has proven numerous times before, his performance is there when his team needs him, which is what we expect to see on April 13th.
Prediction: SKT T1 to win
Odds: 2.26 Dafabet
