Introduction: The S16 season matches have officially started, and most players are paying close attention to the recent clashes, with the LPL region showing fierce competition. Judging from the overall current state, JDG’s rhythm has not been very stable. Although they have already secured a spot in the playoffs, the team’s synergy is becoming increasingly strange. Their match against IG has become a hot topic among many fans. The core player Gala did not perform well and even became a weak point, being killed in lane by Photic, who is having the worst form this season. After the match, many discussed JDG’s final results, estimating their best outcome might only be an LPL Worlds slot. By beating IG, JDG also ended a nine-game losing streak against them.

Gala was killed in lane by XiaoP.

Most players are quite familiar with JDG, an e-commerce team in the LPL region. Their overall popularity and hype are very high. Every year during the transfer window, they invest heavily in manpower and resources to build a super-star lineup. At the start of this season’s transfer window, they acquired a top coaching staff and, under Tabe’s management, successfully signed the AD carry Gala. However, subsequent roster changes were not very satisfying. After bringing in some rookies, the lineup became relatively young, so naturally, many issues arose. Their match against IG became a major discussion point across the community.

After this confrontation, JDG successfully advanced to the playoffs. Although they won, the victory was indeed ugly. The evenly matched battle with IG surprised many fans, especially the bot lane duel. Across three games, it seemed Gala was completely suppressed. In the first game, within just five minutes, IG’s bot lane found an opportunity to secure a kill, with Photic taking Gala’s first blood. Varus lost lane severely and had no presence, with IG ending the first game decisively in just 29 minutes. In the second game, IG’s mid-jungle dive made a huge mistake, with two players instantly killed by the turret, and Rookie was still caught out. But in the mid-game, JDG made a major blunder and almost let IG turn the game around.

In the third game, the bot lane still failed to make an impact. Gala’s Aphelios felt like a mere decoration, dealing neither damage nor having influence. The win was largely carried by the top laner Croc, who played like a war god, still disrupting the backline at 35 minutes. Who would have thought that in a 38-minute match, Croc almost became the highest damage dealer on the field? On JDG’s side, he dealt the most damage, totaling 31,800. Many said Gala really owes Xu Shen a thank you—without that Croc, the game might have ended much sooner.

The post-match ratings were also quite interesting. On IG’s side, everyone except Photic scored low. JDG’s Gala only received a 3.8 rating. It’s puzzling why Gala’s form has fluctuated so much recently. Against BLG, he was absolutely the core and main damage dealer, performing very strongly, creating highlight moments in every team fight. But lately, his rhythm has dropped sharply. Whether playing Kai'Sa before or Aphelios and Varus now, his mechanics have been lacking, even being killed in lane by the worst AD player this season.

Farewell thoughts

Who would have imagined JDG would advance to the playoffs in such an ugly fashion? After double-killing BLG, they were expected to be strong contenders for the LPL title. However, consecutive defeats completely disrupted JDG’s momentum, and even their crucial bot lane has collapsed. It feels like the current LPL region lacks competitiveness. Even the strongest teams struggle to compete against the second-best teams from the LCK.

What do you all think about this situation, dear viewers?