For fans of League of Legends, JDG has been a “giant” in the LPL region for many years. In 2023, JDG came very close to achieving a “Grand Slam” after winning the LPL Spring, Summer, and MSI in the same year. Even with significant changes in the mid and top lane heading into the 2024 season, many fans still believed this team had what it takes to compete for titles.
JDG’s Decline in the 2024 Season
However, JDG’s performance has been completely contrary to fans’ expectations as they suffered a total failure in the LPL Spring 2024 and missed out on MSI 2024. In the Summer 2024 group stage, JDG only managed 4 wins out of 8 matches, finishing in 5th place. More notably, in their last three “showdown” matches, JDG suffered defeats against BLG, LNG, and even TES.
These defeats have not only diminished fans’ trust in JDG but also made their journey to qualify for the 2024 World Championship extremely “treacherous”. Accordingly, JDG will be in the “death bracket” facing opponents like WBG and BLG. Even teams considered “underdogs” like NIP and LGD are not guarantees for JDG.
Therefore, the LPL media is extremely pessimistic about JDG’s chances of qualifying for the 2024 World Championship and do not hesitate to make harsh remarks about this team. “In the match against TES, JDG was defeated too easily by the opponents and had no chance to retaliate. The issue here is that Ruler is the only one playing at an ‘acceptable’ level in the JDG lineup. The other players are facing serious problems. Ultimately, they couldn’t even make it into the top 4 of the group stage. They must win against WBG and NIP in the playoffs to seek a ticket to the World Championship. If not, JDG’s chances are as good as over,” Sohu bluntly criticized JDG’s decline this season.
New Additions to JDG in 2024 Have Been Disappointing
In the 2024 season, JDG welcomed back Yagao alongside the debut of Flandre and promising talent Sheer. These names theoretically hold a lot of potential as they are established stars (Flandre and Yagao) or future talents (Sheer). However, the actual performance of these players recently has been quite disappointing. The rise of the mid lane AD carry meta has negatively impacted Yagao, as he frequently mishandles champions like Corki, Tristana, and Lucian.
As of now, JDG has accumulated 60 points and they still have a chance to qualify for the regional qualifiers even if they finish in the top 8, provided FPX does not make it into the top 5-6. However, being overly reliant on the results of other matches is not a good position for a major team like JDG. The only way for them to save themselves right now is to perform exceptionally well in the upcoming playoffs and secure a top 4 position. Otherwise, the prospect of JDG watching the 2024 World Championship from home is becoming increasingly clear.