Griffin are in search of an absurd 8-1 start to their time within the LCK Summer Season, with series against the Afreeca Freecs and Gen.G coming up in Week 4.
Griffin still a surprise
Griffin, 10.040 to win the World Championship, remain the darlings of Korean League of Legends, dominating through the Challenger scene before continuing that incredible form on the big stage. With a roster full of talent, versatility and surprising confidence, Griffin’s lone loss thus far has been at the hands of KT Rolster in Week 3.
The next test for Griffin comes in their ability to adapt to the meta as a new patch rolls in, something the more experienced teams have dealt with countless times over the years.
The shocking thing about Griffin’s play thus far has been the consistent quality across the board, with every player having their time to shine at separate moments in their rise to the top.
Kingzone mix it up
Kingzone DragonX, 3.850 to win the League of Legends World Championship, are coming off a week that had a little bit of everything, with their trouncing at the hands of Griffin, a one-sided victory over the suddenly relevant SK Telecom T1 and a narrow win over Hanwha Life Esports.
Kingzone had a few surprises up their sleeve, including playing Jungler Cuzz over Peanut in multiple games, while also utilising a Zoe in the Bottom lane for Bdd, something rarely if ever seen before given her dominance in the Mid lane.
Sitting at 6-2, Kingzone are still one of the best teams in the league, but their overall stature has dropped a bit this season after appearing untouchable throughout the Spring Split.
This coming week brings a pair of teams on losing streaks, with MVP currently on a three-game skid, while Jin Air Green Wings have yet to achieve a series victory this split and have an 0-8 mark.
Bbq still looking for a win
The other team with MVP and Jin Air on their schedule in Week 4 are bbq Olivers, who are also still looking for their first victory of the season.
Bbq had a decent showing last week, specifically being able to secure a game victory over fourth-placed Gen.G, a performance that caused a few eyebrows to be raised. That victory came off solid shot calling in the late game, utilising Top laner Crazy to back door the enemy Nexus for the win.
This week is the best shot bbq are going to get to secure their first victory, with their hopes dwindling even further if they cannot achieve a win here.
The player to watch for bbq is Support IgNar, who has been one of the few players able to shine at times during this split. While inconsistent, IgNar has had flashes of brilliance here and there, with a couple of those in the same series a possible key to victory for bbq.
Afreeca Freecs with big match-up
One of the most difficult and strenuous schedules belongs to second-placed Afreeca Freecs, who come out of Rift Rivals into a week against Griffin and KT Rolster.
Afreeca have been one of the most consistent teams in recent memory, dominating the lower tiered competition while generally having a fighting chance against the other top teams.
Afreeca secured a victory last week over Gen.G, doing so in a convincing 2-0 fashion. The question for Afreeca has long been their ceiling, although they appear to be attempting to remedy that with Aiming in the Bottom lane role and the continued evolution of Top laner Kiin, who regularly shines.
This week presents a different beast for Afreeca, however, as their opponents have a longer window to prepare and more tape on them due to their participation at Rift Rivals. This is a prove it week for Afreeca, with a chance to create some distance between themselves and the rest at the top of the standings.
Conclusion
With Kingzone, Afreeca Freecs, KT Rolster and SKT all taking part in Rift Rivals, the other six teams will have an opportunity to perfect their current strategies during their break. On paper Griffin and Gen.G should benefit the most from this and it will be instructive to see how this plays out, particularly when Griffin take on Afreeca Freecs in the opener to Week 4.
