Griffin adds Ucal to its mid lane for 2020 LCK Spring Split
Griffin has announced former Afreeca Freecs mid laner Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon as the new member of its 2020 roster.
After months of controversy and scandal, Griffin is ready to start 2020 with a clean slate. The organization underwent some serious changes that includes new players. Ucal is the most recent addition to the lineup, and the mid laner will share playing time with Shin “Rather” Hyeong-seop and Yoo “Naehyun” Nae-hyun.
The trio is taking over a lane that was previously occupied by Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, who is considered one of the prodigies of the LCK. Chovy and top laner Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon pledged their alliance to controversial head coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho and followed him to DragonX.
Griffin gets some new reinforcements
Signing three mid laners might seem like overkill to the western audience. In the LPL, it’s a common practice to have multiple players for the same role and use one player or the other based on the situation. In previous seasons, teams like Afreeca Freecs and KT Rolster have used multiple mid laners throughout the season. This might be the approach Griffin will take in 2020.
2020 is a big year for Griffin. For the first time since its foundation, the team finds itself with new players and a new coaching staff. The team now must find its new identity. The latest iteration of Griffin already saw its first competitive games during the 2019 KeSPA Cup.
Griffin faced Sandbox Gaming in the quarterfinals, where the team fell with a 2-0 score. Throughout the series against Sandbox, Griffin showed promising signs, but it was also obvious that the synergy was not quite on point yet.
The team was not consistent and didn’t communicate effectively. On multiple occasions, Naehyun committed to a play without any type of backup and ended up giving away kills for free.
It will be interesting to see how Ucal fits into the roster and what can he adds to the latest lineup. Griffin will play its first game of the 2020 LCK Spring on February 6 against Afreeca Freecs.