When looking at which coach has the greatest influence on today’s professional scene in LoL, one will come across Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho (34). He recognized the talent of five players in 2017 and 2018 who are now among the absolute elite in League of Legends and shaped their gameplay. But even cvMax did not become a great coach himself.
Which players did cvMax discover and shape? The coach cvMax managed to convince the manager of the second division team Griffin to give him a chance as a coach in 2017. During his time at Griffin in 2017 and 2018, cvMax discovered or shaped:
Jungler Tarzan (25) was already briefly at Griffin in 2017 when cvMax arrived. So the coach could only shape him. Today, Tarzan is considered an exceptional player in his position, having been voted into an All-Pro team in China 4 times and was the leading jungler in South Korea 2 times.
Viper (24) is now one of the best ADCs in the world; cvMax brought him to Griffin in 2017 and gave him a professional contract. Viper has made it to an All-Star team in South Korea or China 7 times.
Lehends (25) was brought in by cvMax from a lower-tier club. Supporter Lehends is now considered one of the best players in his role. His departure is likely to hurt Gen G. in 2025.
Chovy (23, featured image) joined Griffin in 2018. He is considered the strongest player in the world at present. Chovy was the first professional in LoL to achieve a KDA of 100 when he stood at 44/1/60 after a victory against T1 in 2019. Chovy has been voted MVP in the LCK 3 times.
Top laner Doran (24) joined Griffin in 2018 and will now replace Zeus on the top lane for World Champion T1. He also has 5 selections in an All-Pro team to his name.
Thus, cvMax has discovered or shaped players in all 5 positions who likely rank among the top 5 in their positions worldwide today.
Who else did he discover?? In addition to these 5 players, cvMax absurdly also played a role in the scouting or signing of T1 superstar support Keria and jungler Kanavi, whom he had in mind in 2019.
Coach choked top laner he deemed untalented
What’s the problem?? cvMax is apparently a difficult person, even though he has such a good eye for talent. On one hand, players rave about him, praise him highly, and would do anything for him.
On the other hand, he was involved in one of the biggest scandals in League of Legends when it was revealed that he allegedly choked his top laner Sword. cvMax reportedly considered Sword to be untalented and preferred to play Doran instead.
Sword sued his coach for assault. He accused the coach of grabbing him by the collar and shaking him. He claimed he was pinched. And he was insulted as “motherless,” a terrible insult in South Korea.
For this choking incident, cvMax was originally banned for life by Riot Games, but the protest of South Korean fans was so strong that Riot released him shortly thereafter: 200,000 fans did not find the allegations that serious and apparently blamed Sword for needing more motivation.
However, cvMax not only clashed with his players but also with management at Team Griffin, where apparently quite a bit was happening behind the scenes that was not in accordance with regulations. Choking a player appeared to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Team Griffin was forcibly disbanded in 2019.
cvMax coached a mediocre team for 2 years, is now free again
How did things go for cvMax later? The coach continued to work in LoL and trained a rather insignificant team called the Kwangdong Freecs. In the Summer Split of the LCK, the team finished seventh, thus missing the playoffs.
cvMax’s contract ended here a few days ago. He is currently back on the market.
While his 5 protégés from his time at Team Griffin now all play for world-class teams, cvMax was not afforded a great career. But perhaps that will change in the coming years.
How do people view the coach? cvMax is regarded in South Korea as a celebrated but also controversial figure. Unlike many star coaches in LoL, he does not have a past in e-sports but managed to convince a manager to hire him for a second division team in South Korea in 2017.
He led Team Griffin to the first division, demonstrating an incredible instinct for recognizing young talents but ultimately ruined his chance for personal success due to his uncontrolled nature: LoL: Gen G. defeats T1 and becomes champion – with 3 players from a hyper-talented team that fell apart in a scandal in 2019
