Even before the start of the 2023 World Championship, the story of JD Gaming’s (JDG) “Grand Slam Title” has been widely discussed. This year, JDG has secured the LPL Spring Championship, Summer Championship, and the MSI 2023 title. If they win the 2023 World Championship, JDG will become the first team to achieve this prestigious feat.
It is important to note that achieving a “Grand Slam Title” is extremely difficult. Even top-tier teams like Royal Never Give Up in 2018, G2 Esports in 2019, or SKT T1 in 2015 and 2016 did not reach this milestone. Therefore, if JDG completes the “Grand Slam Title”, they will undoubtedly be honored as a great team.
So who is the team that can hinder JDG’s path to greatness? Many might think of Gen.G or T1, as these are also two outstanding teams. However, for someone closely involved with the LPL like commentator Hysterics, the biggest obstacle for JDG is surprisingly Weibo Gaming (WBG).
The reasoning behind this assessment is that WBG is considered JDG’s “natural enemy” in the LPL tournament. TheShy and his teammates are the only name to defeat JDG in both the LPL Spring and Summer in 2023. Even prominent teams in the LPL like Bilibili Gaming (BLG) and LNG Esports (LNG) do not have a better head-to-head record against JDG.
Of course, to prove their “natural enemy” status against JDG, WBG must reach the finals as they are in a different bracket from this opponent. Awaiting them in the upcoming quarterfinals is a phenomenon from the LCS region named NRG. Even if they defeat this opponent, WBG will have to overcome Gen.G or BLG to reach the finals. This is truly a challenging journey for WBG.
Fairly speaking, WBG’s performance still lacks consistency in the Swiss round. Therefore, it is very difficult for WBG to reach the finals and compete for the title. If WBG can indeed stop JDG from achieving the “Grand Slam Title”, it would be seen as a miracle similar to DRX’s championship last year.