On the 13th of July (KST), Griffin (GRF) defeated Gen.G Esports (GEN) 2:1. The two teams put up one of the most competitive games for the Summer split on game 1 and 2. However, game 3 was rather one-sided. With GRF going with some aggressive, early-game picks, they constantly snowballed throughout the game. Although the process was rather slow, eventually they destroyed the bottom / mid inhibitors near the 30-minute mark. After recalling, GRF soon gathered near GEN’s Nexus and easily closed down the game.

After the match, GRF’s Tarzan and head coach cvMax were interviewed.

Q. You were the MVP for both games. How is your current state?

Tarzan: I’m really happy to be in 1st place. Um… I think I deserved the MVP. (laughs)

cvMax: I told Tarzan that “you’ll never get an MVP”. Tarzan showed remarkable performance in one of the previous match, but he wasn’t chosen for the MVP. That’s why I said that. Personally, I think that Tarzan is capable of winning the MVP for every LCK games.

Q. While delivering great performance, Griffin sometimes shocks the fans with some very interesting pick & bans. What is the team’s focus when doing those pick & bans?  

cvMax: Well, it’s sometimes funny and it kind of reveals our strategy as well. Frankly speaking, we did collide. If the team fails to get a solution in these situations, it might be a slight difference but the pick & bans turn out to be awful. So I was trying my best to get ready for game 3.

Q. You have a rather self-righteous image for a head coach. But still, you seem to hear and respect everyone’s opinions in pick & bans.

Tarzan: Our head coach listens and respects our opinions. When our opinions collide, he steps in and gives out a solution.

Q. Gen.G has a very unique style of their own. What do you feel in pick & bans when going against these kinds of teams?

cvMax: Games 1 and 2 were tiring since it was hard to anticipate [their picks]. However, I thought that the opponent was rather too straightforward on their pick strategies on game 3. That’s why the game was easy. We might have been thinking too much, which could have made the game difficult. Still, there are a lot of things to learn in those situations as well.

Q. Zac was picked. Did you want to use him?

Tarzan: If it seems like Zac might be a good pick, I always say that I want to use him. (Q. Is Zac a good pick when there are a lot of ADC/marksman champions?) Yes.

Q. In a head coach’s point of view, what kind of jungler is Tarzan?

cvMax: He is the only player that I don’t give feedback on his game details. Whether Tarzan decides to focus on jungle camps or not, there is a good reason. I think he is one of the top junlgers.

Q. What are you most confident on and how do you do that?

Tarzan: I am confident about when to engage in a fight. If I engage, I get in to sacrifice my life. If I have to retreat, I fall back without hesitating. That’s my know-how.

Q. It seems that Griffen really can get to the Worlds.

cvMax:  My mindset didn’t change. I have high expectations and whether it is fulfilled or not, I have to keep heading to that goal. It’s not just a fantasy but I’m putting in some real effort to get to that goal.

Q. Do you have something to say for the team?

Tarzan: Sword was really sick yesterday. He actually went to the emergency room. I want to thank him for delivering such a good performance today. I also want to thank the fans for their support.