Preface: The S16 season has officially kicked off, and most players have surely been keeping an eye on recent matchups. The LPL region's games have been quite fierce. Judging from the overall confrontations, the main teams are in decent form. The JDG squad, which many are watching, is regaining momentum. Despite being a rookie team, their early-game dominance matches that of other squads. In their match against WBG, they made some mistakes: they were reversed from a big lead in the first game, and in the third game, a fatal error by AD carry Gala ended their run. It can be said that Gala took the full blame for the loss.

Gala's greed for the buff caused a team wipe and losing the Baron.

Most players are fairly familiar with JDG. As an LPL team backed by e-commerce, their investment this season remains significant. Right at the start of the transfer window, they injected 100 million yuan, acquiring a top-tier coaching staff and scouting new players. Ultimately, their lineup wasn’t especially strong and featured many fresh faces. Many expected their results to be mediocre, but in the new season, they managed to double-kill BLG, showing excellent team coordination. Their match against WBG became a hot topic online, ultimately losing that game due to Gala’s crucial mistake.

In the first game, just two minutes in, WBG's jungler Jiejie invaded and secured first blood. Afterward, both sides engaged in a tug-of-war, exchanging kills. The key moments were the two Barons at 24 and 31 minutes, both secured by WBG, who managed a comeback despite being behind. In the second game, the first blood also came at two minutes, when Jiejie flashed W to catch vision and, with Xiaohu’s help, killed Hongq. Then JDG’s Nocturne began to shine; every time he used his ultimate, he secured a kill. Combined with Orianna in mid, their team fights became quite effortless. Eventually, at 32 minutes, they closed out the game, with Nocturne’s 10-0 performance earning MVP.

The most critical moment was the third game. Both teams played cautiously early on since it was the decider, and the gold difference was minimal. The turning point came at 26 minutes. With traps set both front and back, Gala’s Lucian greedily went for a buff and was wall-bounced directly by WBG’s Poppy, resulting in his death. After taking Gala’s kill, WBG quickly counterattacked and secured Baron. This marked the rallying point for WBG, who regained control of the tempo. It’s fair to say Gala took all the blame for the loss; he should never have advanced from that position.

In the post-match interview, head coach Tabe was visibly angry. He said this was the ugliest game they had played in many matches. It was a game they should not have lost, so he was very upset. They have to face AL soon, so they must remember this painful lesson and carefully review the replay. The losses were frustrating — in all three games, they had early advantages, but team fights in mid-game always had mistakes. In the first game, Junjia, and in the third, Gala, were out of position when they shouldn’t have been. Especially Gala, who pushed forward for the buff even without teammates nearby; Tabe is likely to give him a stern talk.

Farewell thoughts

Currently, the top four teams in the LPL all have four wins, making it hard to single out a dominant team. If they continue in this state to compete in the LCK, the final result will likely be a crushing defeat, with no real contest. The only hope now lies with JDG, who need to properly train their players not to greed for resources in inappropriate positions.

Dear viewers, what are your thoughts on this matter?