As of now, JD Gaming – the reigning king of the LPL in the 2023 season still has a chance to participate in Worlds 2024. However, they no longer have control over their fate after suffering a devastating loss to Ninjas in Pyjamas. This defeat not only puts JDG at risk of “watching Worlds from home” but also could lead to a much gloomier future. In recent days, Chinese media has presented numerous pieces of evidence suggesting that JDG is currently in a “crisis.” Their players are also facing a multitude of issues, with Yagao being the most mentioned name among LPL fans.
From the Shocking LPL Transfer
In reality, Yagao was mentioned first because he was one of the two worst-performing players in the match against NIP. Not only did he fail to win against his senior Rookie in the laning phase, but Yagao was also lackluster in team fights. Even with Kanavi and Ruler trying their best, they couldn’t cover for the significant gap in Yagao’s key position. More importantly, the main reason Yagao has received so much criticism is the “sky-high” price that JDG paid to swap Knight and bring Yagao in during the 2023 offseason.
The Predicament of JDG in the LPL
Accordingly, Yagao’s contract is said to be worth tens of millions of RMB (a price not inferior to Knight), but the performance of the former Bilibili Gaming star has been deemed to be only worth 1 million RMB, which is even less than some of the mid laners currently in the LPL. The situation becomes even more serious when JDG cannot recruit a better mid-laner. Moreover, according to LPL media, this team will face a heavy loss this season if they fail to secure a spot at Worlds 2024, especially given that they have come away empty-handed in the domestic league.
Yagao and Missing have plummeted in performance, while there is no viable name to replace these positions. The spot at Worlds 2024 is still uncertain along with the enormous investments that have yielded nothing in LPL 2024. JDG is currently facing a much bleaker prospect than just a loss to NIP.