FLY Gryffinn: “I think we definitely can win the split still, even though there’s two weeks left.”

Interview conducted after FLY’s loss to C9 in the LCS Spring Playoffs upper bracket.

Q: A five game loss, especially for younger players, is usually one of the most exhausting and frustrating experiences in League. How are you doing right now?

Gryffinn: I’d say overall this loss feels obviously shitty. I mean, it’s gonna always feel shitty losing. But compared to my other losses, it’s probably one of the [more fine] ones just because it feels worse when you lose and you play, as a team, really bad.

I think today we didn’t have a particularly good performance, but we went to five games. I think it was super winnable — I mean, Game 2, I think, was a really free win.

It sucks we lost, but I think having that second life really helps us. And I mean, it sucks because it obviously feels so close and we just didn’t get through the final stretch.

Q: How do you feel about facing SEN?

Gryffinn: Honestly, SEN kind of have our number. They beat us a lot — but the last time we played was a while ago.

Maybe it was the EWC finals. When was that? […] I think at least a month ago. I think, since then, we’ve definitely improved a lot. I think we’re just improving every day. Hopefully it’s a different showing. Honestly, Sentinels are lowkey scary. Maybe even more than C9.

Q: Do you think they’re better than C9?

Gryffinn: I wouldn’t say better. It’s just like … They’re not going to be like an easy match, you know, compared to, maybe, some of the worse teams.

Q: Do you think that’s because of your specific matchup? Does their experience just do well into rookies?

Gryffinn: I’m not entirely sure. We’ll have to see. Again, I think we improved a lot since we last faced them — I think there were a lot of issues [because of] that. Our gameplay is a lot more [cohesive] since when we played them last time, but I’ll have to see. Obviously they’re improving too. It’s not like every team is just not or we’re the only ones improving and they’re not improving as well.

I think specifically against Sentinels, like, I’m not too sure what makes them harder. They just have like good fight sense, maybe. I’m not too sure, to be honest, but I think all the top teams are respectable.

So they’re not like scarier. I wouldn’t say they’re like particularly scarier than like top three, which is like TL, LYON, C9 — but I think they’re like respectable for sure.

Q: Would you put FLY in the top three right now?

Gryffinn: I mean, it’s hard to say because I do think we can, on our best days, be the best team. I think we definitely can win the split still, even though there’s two weeks left.

I think if we play well, like, our good days are definitely really good. Against TL or LYON, I think we could be better than TL. We can be better. But we also could be worse, like obviously we don’t have like the highest level of consistency.

I think we are a top team, but I wouldn’t confidently say we’re like better than any specific team. For now at least.

I have the confidence that we’re better, but [maybe] it’s kind of arrogant to say that we’re just straight-up better? Maybe if we beat C9 today, I could be like, “Yeah, I think we’re a t by top 3 team.”

Q: You got some unique picks out in draft and found some really impressive wins. How do you feel about what FLY showed on the rift today?

Gryffinn: It’s hard to remember off the top of my head. It’s easy to remember, but easy to also forget what went well and stuff.

Game one, I think I just trolled. That early game was bad. They had a really early game comp, so we just needed to survive early game. And we just didn’t, so that was my bad.

And game two was the Jarvan game — we should have won that game. Game three was the Nocturne game. […] I think overall…

I mean, I think obviously we’re showing that we’re fighting well, I think that’s like the general consensus. We have good fights, even that last game, like I think we still played better than them in fights, and if we weren’t like down in gold, it’s good.

But I think we’re slowly showing that we’re progressing in terms of just like macro, making sure we’re not falling like too behind. I think, specifically, in the games that we had like the lead, we can show that anyone on the team can play well with a lead. Obviously if you got a lead, all of our players can play really well with it.

The games that we fell behind early felt a lot harder.

Q: Who do you think is gonna win between TL and LYON?

Gryffinn: Hard to say, honestly I think both teams… I’m not gonna lie, stylistically, like…I they both could win. I’m a bit biased because usually we do pretty well against TL, but also we do pretty well against LYON, so I don’t know.

But if I had to just look at nameplates, think it’ll be a 3-1 for LYON just because TL hasn’t showed the consistency. But I’m not too sure. I think both teams are respectable, so can see both teams winning for sure.

Q: The All-Pro jungle race is really tight. If you include yourself, would you still rank Inspired first? Where would the other top junglers go?

Gryffinn: Well, it’s hard to say because like I think pro players are always biased towards scrims. And because I’m not like watching every single match, it’s like, I don’t think I have like a really good input, so I wouldn’t include myself.

But I think each of us has like a very distinct style. I think Blaber is more volatile. I think it’s pretty obvious.

Blaber is volatile. Inspired is very consistent and very formulaic. I think, for example, today against Blaber, when they get a lead, it’s really hard to play against. But when we get a lead, it’s really easy to play against.

Blaber is kind of feast or famine, I guess. Inspired is more consistent. I guess Jose is… Jose is like the most… I’m not too sure honestly. Jose, I don’t think about too much. I think he has like some creative early game stuff.

If I had to rank them each, like, I’m not too sure. I think I just respect Inspired the most. So I guess it would be Inspired, and then Blaber, then Jose, but honestly, I mean, Jose [was really strong] for regular season, right? So I think Jose is … I don’t know, it’s so messed up.

It’s messed up — if I’m going off who I think is good [overall] versus the regular season, I think it’s a bit biased, because obviously we have so much more data with scrims and stuff. So I think Inspired is the best, but I think his split hasn’t really been particularly the best. But I still respect them probably as the best. […]

I think it’s like you can make an argument in almost any order [between Josedeodo, Inspired, and Blaber].

Q: Do you watch other regions much?

Gryffinn: I watch a decent bit of Korea. I don’t watch LPL that much. […] LEC a little bit. Korea probably I watch the most.

Q: With that in mind, how do you feel about the level of LCS right now?

Gryffinn: I think every team is … every team is so close, which makes the regional competition like really cool because everyone could take off games off everyone, but I do think we don’t have any super strong team that just seems unbeatable — or feels unbeatable. So, yeah, maybe internationally we won’t have the strongest performance, just because we don’t have a single team that’s super good.

Q: Every team looks like a bit of a fiesta, so which two teams do you think are likeliest to succeed, especially internationally? Which teams have the highest ceilings?

Gryffinn: Yeah, I guess to your point, yeah, it’s hard — because there’s no really, really strong team, maybe, like 2025 FlyQuest or 2024 FlyQuest. I will say, out of the top four teams — or [us] and the top 3 teams, let’s not include SEN — I would say the teams that should have the highest ceiling should be us and … I guess TL?

I feel like TL should have a higher ceiling than LYON, but I’m not too sure. If I had rank our ceilings, I do think we have the most potential — obviously I’m biased — to play well at international level, because usually what holds most [teams] back is mechanics.

So I think, obviously, our team has the best mechanics and we just need to be better at decision-making, and then I’d say either TL or LYON has like the best potential — just because they have like strong individual players.

So maybe I would give TL like a slight edge in terms of potential, but obviously TL hasn’t been showing the best level.

Q: It seemed like C9 was still dealing with their biggest issues today, though — same as the other top teams. Do any of them seem like they’re improving or fixing issues, from your perspective?

Gryffinn: For us, it’s hard to tell because I think every team is improving, right? That’s how it is. But I feel like we’re kind of improving at a faster rate than other teams. So for me, feels like teams got worse, right? But it’s a bit biased, for sure.

Also, in scrims, usually we have a pretty good winrate against every team — there’s no team that shits on us in scrims, so it’s hard to not have a biased opinion of teams that are improving. But I think every team is improving.

Q: Last question. How many more unique champions do you have prepped — without naming them — that you’re ready to pull out in LCS?

Gryffinn: Mean I think I’ve shown like a lot of different shit […] yeah, I think I pulled out most maybe like two champions to two or three that I think have like good potential To be pulled out, but yeah, okay.

Header Image Credit: Riot Games

Transcription assistance from @misaagamizz