Griffin, the LCK's Worlds 2019 quarterfinalists, disbands

Unlike Damwon Gaming who went on to win Worlds the following year, LCK's Griffin went on a rut after also finishing joint 5th-8th in Worlds 2019.

League of Legends Championship Korea (LCK) team Griffin has officially disbanded their roster after a disappointing 2020 run.

Falling action

Griffin failed to capitalize on their 2019 Worlds run. The team's results at the end of the 2019 season led to three of their players leaving the roster. The new team that Griffin worked with during this time didn't deliver any better, resulting to an early exit during LCK Sprint 2020. They did a reset after this, with all but one player from their 2019 Worlds roster, Sword, staying behind.

An unsuccessful Summer Split performance didn't lift the organization's hopes up. Towards the end of November, Griffin again lost members, leaving behind Sword to remain in the team. Now, even Sword has left the organization. At the turn of the year, Griffin formally disbanded their team.

[Griffin Final Announcement]

안녕하세요. 팀 그리핀입니다.

오늘부로 그리핀 LoL팀의 해산 소식을 전해드립니다.

그동안 응원해주셔서 감사합니다.

Hi, this is team Griffin.

We announce that Griffin LoL team is disbanded from today.

Thank you for supporting us. pic.twitter.com/LH47Ol3nom

— Team Griffin LoL (@TeamGriffinLoL) January 5, 2021

The tale of two LCK quarterfinalists – Griffin and DAMWON Gaming

LCK teams reaching the endgame in the World Championship is already par for the course for the region. However, not all stories end up the same in the LCK. Both Griffin and DAMWON Gaming were both eliminated in the quarterfinals of Worlds 2019. But that's how as far the two teams had in common.

While Griffin's players left the organization in search of greener pasture, DAMWON's players stayed behind. We'd never know what would have happened if their players stayed behind with Sword. But one thing's for sure – DAMWON sticking to their guns led to successful results. DAMWON eventually claimed the Worlds title the very next year. And even though three of their players have since left the team, DAMWON remains dominant in League, or at least in the LCK.

When Griffin started 2021 with an end to their League of Legends team, DAMWON Gaming took another title for their team. On January 2, 20201, DAMWON Gaming won the very first League of Legends professional tournament of the year – taking home the top prize at the KeSPA Cup.

The future is unknown yet for Sword, who is currently without a team.