Jin “Mystic” Seong-jun surprised many in the best-of-three series between the LCK’s Afreeca Freecs and Griffin on Thursday in the 2020 League of Legends Champions Korea Spring Split.
The match, which ended in a 2-0 sweep, could have gone either way.
Finishing underwhelming eight in the 2019 season and fifth in the summer, Afreeca Freecs had to go through a roster reshuffle. This led to the acquisition of two new players to the team who were former Gen.G mid laner Song “Fly” Yong-jun and Team WE AD carry Mystic. As the duo joined the stable hands of Kim “Kiin” Gi-in in the top lane, Lee “Spirit” Da-Yoon in the jungle, and Son “Jelly” Ho-gyeong in the bot lane, they are looking like the real force.
In a game they looked like a mid-tier team on paper, Afreeca Freecs were a formidable force today against Griffin with the games of the series going down to the wire.
They didn’t allow Griffin to run away with the first game after almost doing so. All thanks to the quick-footed intervention of Mystic to help his team to come out top.
They didn’t just remain formidable, but they played cohesively when it mattered most. During the late game and the all-important team fights, Afreeca Freecs became the clear winners due to their cohesive unit.
They were on the back foot in the second game after losing three players, paving the way for Griffin to win. But as Afreeca Freecs retreated in the river, a cocksure Fly and Mystic engaged.
With the mechanical skill of the duo, they came out tops after some stutter-stepping from Mystic’s Ashe and a well-timed Quicksilver Sash to survive the two-vs-five battle.
Mystic pushed for the win after it kited Griffin, taking them out one after the other.
The two ADCs of Afreeca Freecs were rewarded for their effort as they bagged MVPs for the two games. Seo “SS” Jin-sol received the MVP for Game 1 while Jin “Mystic” Seong-jun was voted as the MVP for Game 2.
Next for Afreeca Freecs is Hanwha Life Esports on Sunday, February 9.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
