Griffin finished the regular season of the 2019 LCK spring split on a solid note, by defeating Jin Air Greenwings with a 2-0 match score. The team, who has dominated the league throughout the spring split, will now head directly to the spring finals held at Jamsil Arena on the 13th of April.

Griffin was not able to achieve the undefeated win streak that analysts initially predicted the team to reach. Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho, the coach of Griffin, however, was unconcerned about it. He stated that the relative underperformance of Griffin in the second half of the spring split was calculated, that the team was trying “different strategies and build out strength”.

Following is the press conference with cvMax of Griffin.

Congratulations, you have finished off the regular season with a victory. How do you feel?

cvMax: It does feel great to have secured the first place seat of the regular season but the Finals still remain, so I’m not relieved. I just want the team to be better than yesterday, and this year’s Griffin was definitely stronger than last year’s Griffin, so I am content. However, we still have loads of work to do so it does not feel like the end of the split yet.

Griffin has shown great impact in the first round by not dropping a single series, but in the second half of the split, things didn’t go as favored. What are your thoughts?

cvMax: I believe that there is a “winning equation” for us at the moment and in the first round we stuck strictly to it. However in the second round, we wanted to try different strategies and build our strength. Teams with a pattern always get defeated no matter how powerful they are. Since Griffin was very likely to maintain first place in the LCK thanks to the winning streak of the first half of the split, I wanted the team to try out various champions, strategies, and more. The losses may stand out and look bad now, but I’m sure the experience will give the players numerous benefits in the future.

What do you think the strength of each player in Griffin is?

cvMax: Lehends used to be a player with ups and downs. He constantly blanked out during games. However, Lehends and I worked on his stability and now he is a reliable supporter. His understanding of League is outstanding, and he knows exactly what to do in the bottom lane.

Viper is a player who calculates every move and moves only when there is a legitimate reason to. When there is a moment where he spots a chance, he dives in with confidence. Viper is a natural when it comes to being a AD carry, as he is really good at positioning himself and boasts a wide champion pool.

Chovy will most likely win any 1v1 in the mid lane. His reflex and physical is outstanding in comparison to the other players. This gives Griffin an advantage when it comes to ban/pick and team style.

I have said that “Tarzan can be awarded MVP for any match” during the Challengers. He is basically a textbook-like jungle player and shows everyone what to do when it comes to playing the jungle. Even while playing according to the pure standards, he gives it a twist once in a while and avoids getting read. Tarzan is a player who keeps on contemplating how to do better, and I believe that this is portrayed in his play.

Sword is the team’s eldest brother. I myself believe that League is a game that is influenced greatly by elements other than in-game situations and plays. Sword shows great leadership as the leader of the team and allows the five members to get along without any trouble. As for his play, he is very solid. I believe that Sword is doing superb job as the team’s top laner.

In two weeks you will be heading out to the grand Finals. What team do you think is most likely to find their way to the finale?

cvMax: All four teams have their unique strengths and weaknesses. If they were of the same genre, it would be easy to say which team is better, but that is not the case.

However, since SKT is ranked second, I do believe that SKT is most likely to face us in the Finals. If the other teams do manage to beat SKT and climb up to the Finals, I wouldn’t be shocked as all the other teams each do have their own strengths.

What is your mindset preparing for the Finals?

cvMax: Griffin is not a team with a long history or background. As a newly starting team, I want the team to build a prominent career right away. We will prepare well for the Finals and pursue the cup.

Any words to your fans?

cvMax: Thank you for your love and support.