The final matchup for the LCK Spring Split has been decided and to the surprise of no one, Griffin will be facing off against SK Telecom T1. While Griffin took both series in the regular season, their final matchup in the LCK finals could produce a different result. With that being said, look at this highly anticipated matchup and find out who will take it all and represent Korea at Mid Season Invitational.
SK Telecom T1: One more series
With an impressive 3-0 victory over Kingzone DragonX, SK Telecom T1 move a step closer to returning to their throne. Now a finals matchup against Griffin is the last obstacle between them and the championship. With SKT looking better and better as the split continued, this may be SKT’s best shot at beating Griffin this split.
Going into their match against Griffin it’ll be more of the same from the super team. ADC Park “Teddy” Jin-seong provided fans a great reminder that he’s still in the conversation for best ADC in Korea with his incredible performance against Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu and the rest of Kingzone. Along with that, mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was able to put on his carry pants again with an amazing game on Akali to finish off the series. While top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha did struggle at times against Kingzone, he should still be expected to have a solid game against Griffin.
While Kingzone is a solid team, Griffin is still on a whole other level despite their recent struggles. Because of this, SKT will still need to maintain their amazing level of play against a very talented team. It’s going to be an intense series that could go either way, but SKT will be the favorites going into the finals for quite a few fans.
Griffin: Righting Wrongs
With the best record in the regular season, Griffin has been waiting to find out who their challenger is in the finals. Now that their challenger has been decided in SK Telecom T1, Griffin will now get ready to right the wrongs of 2018.
For Griffin to finally win their LCK title, Griffin will need to find their early season form once again. Along with a meta that has shifted towards some tank top laners again, top laner Choi “Sword” Sung-won should have a better time against Khan. On top of that, jungler Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong and ADC Park “Viper” Do-hyeon will have to step up as they have shown that they have been capable of in the past. As a whole, the most important thing for the team at an individual level is that they’re able to return to play at a level similar to their early season performances.
On top of their performance, Griffin will need to show that they have a better grasp of the meta, something that played a huge factor in their losses. With a few matches in the playoffs to study, they should be able to figure out the meta. As long as they do that, this should be a series that goes their way.
Predictions:
This is going to be a very close match. While most would put their money on SK Telecom T1 based on recent performances, history would give the edge to Griffin. In the long run, it’s hard to say how well Griffin will do with a week to reset and get a better grasp of the meta. On paper with the current meta, there isn’t a huge advantage for either team across the map.
Instead, it’ll come down to key points in various matchups. In the jungle, will Tarzan be able to control the pace of the game and take over? Or will Kim “Clid” Tae-min shut him down? Meanwhile, it’s a similar story top side as to whether Sword will be able to shut down Khan. While the rest of the map could go either way, these two matchups will be very important.
In the end, history will prevail and the series will go to Griffin by a score of 3-2. However, this series can easily go either way. Buckle up everyone, this is going to be a great series.
To watch League of Legends tournaments, visit watch.na.lolesports.com. For more information on the Split, teams, standings and players, visit www.lolesports.com. Recaps of former weeks and other LoL content can be found at https://thegamehaus.com/league-of-legends/.
Featured image courtesy of @KeSPAen on Twitter
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