Three consecutive times as LCK runners-up, Griffin was a force that made many League of Legends teams in Korea tremble with fear. Although they never secured a championship title, since their promotion to the LCK, the team nicknamed “The Bird Masters” has produced numerous promising young talents for the Korean League of Legends scene.
Following the scandal with former coach cvMax, GRF plummeted uncontrollably, got relegated, and disbanded. Their once-coveted stars scattered to seek new homes. However, there is something quite strange: it seems that the “runners-up” fate of GRF has haunted these players, even more heavily.
Since 2019, Chovy, Viper, Lehends, Tarzan, and Doran have all taken new steps in their careers. Chovy joined DragonX and is now with Hanwha Life, Viper currently plays for EDward Gaming, Doran has become a mainstay at Gen.G Esports, while Tarzan returned to the professional arena with LNG Esports.
Yet they all share a common trait, which is their unfortunate journey toward championship glory. Chovy continued to remain a “runner-up” in the 2020 LCK Summer season, where, despite reaching the finals, he could do nothing against a dominantly powerful DAMWON Gaming.
Doran faced the same fate as his former teammate, becoming a mere “decoration” for DWG’s championship title after the recent defeat in the 2021 LCK Spring finals.
Tarzan was eliminated early in the LPL by Suning led by SofM, Sword has disappeared since GRF disbanded, and Lehends had a terrible season unable to lead Afreeca Freecs into the Playoffs. However, both Tarzan and Lehends were only with mid-tier teams, so high expectations weren’t realistic.
Viper is different; the “God Marksman” moved to EDward Gaming and immediately caused a stir by helping the team dominate the LPL Spring 2021 group stage early on. In the latter half of the tournament, despite some hiccups, EDG still qualified directly to the Playoffs Semifinals and were just two Bo5 matches away from the championship. However, they lost to FPX, followed by RNG, officially stopping at a top 3 finish.
Viper’s failure has led many fans to question: Have the former Griffin players truly fallen under a “curse” of going title-less? Even after leaving their former team?
In reality, saying “once a former Griffin player, never to win a championship” is somewhat… unfair, as we still have Kanavi – the LPL Spring 2020 champion, who was once part of GRF. However, this guy never even played a single match for The Bird Masters.
Kanavi joined Griffin in early 2019 as a backup for Tarzan, but just half a year later, he was loaned to JD Gaming in the LPL. The most glorious period of Kanavi was completely unrelated to the GRF name, not to mention the “slave contract” scandal between Kanavi and Griffin, which even prompted South Korean lawmakers to intervene to… rescue this player.
Once considered an extraordinary roster, even viewed by fans as a hopeful “golden generation” for Korean League of Legends, but until now, the harsh truth shows that the stars of Griffin back then now only seem worthy of mid-tier teams.
Perhaps Chovy is the most plausible case when it comes to title contention, as this mid-laner continues to prove himself as a top-tier superstar. However, if he remains with Hanwha Life Esports, his chances of achieving true glory are very slim, and the “Griffin curse” may linger for a long time before it can be lifted.