In the third phase of the LPL group stage, the second round of the round-robin has begun. On the previous match day, the NIP team from the Nirvana group defeated UP with a 2:0 score, marking their sixth win. UP, ranked fifth, could only achieve a maximum of 5 points with all wins in the remaining matches. Therefore, NIP became the second team after EDG to secure a spot for the Knights' path, with LGD likely to grab one of the remaining two spots, while the last one is expected to emerge from either UP or TT.

In another match of the Summit group on the same day, JDG faced off against FPX. Before this BO3 began, JDG sent their support Wink to the bench, with Zhuo taking the starting position. Zhuo, also a Nirvana support, had yet to secure a single win in the third phase, so not many spectators had high hopes for him. However, FPX was at the bottom of the Summit group, even weaker than WE, allowing JDG to effortlessly win the match 2:0.

Zhuo's performance in these two games was commendable; he managed to secure a strong combination in lane, consistently pressuring FPX's duo alongside Peyz without any mistakes during trades. His initiation and counterattacks in team fights were also quite good. In comparison, his debut performance was somewhat better than Wink's, but since the winning team was FPX, JDG's overall strength remains to be seen, especially in their next match against TBG.

After winning the match, Zhuo represented JDG in an interview. When asked for a self-assessment, Zhuo bluntly stated: "I've been terrible to the point of oozing. My hands were shaking like a rookie's." As he spoke, he couldn't help but cry on stage, showing that Zhuo is indeed an emotional person. Transferring to JDG is also an opportunity for him to prove himself; if he performs well, he can redeem his past failures.

As a former prodigy support, Zhuo's reputation in the LPL is quite average. When he first debuted alongside his brother, the pressure was overwhelming, and his poor performance led to heavy criticism, with the term "bad" being closely associated with him. Due to his dislike for audience evaluations, Zhuo chose to leave TBG. After joining V5, he still failed to achieve results, but his lane swap strategy significantly impacted the professional scene and remains mainstream to this day.

After failing to achieve results with NIP, Zhuo switched to LNG during the transfer period. In this team, there was another player who was both bad and loud. Halfway through the third phase, they still hadn't secured a win, and Zhuo was seen as an "insider," relegated to the bench. Ultimately, he had to leave and join JDG. Looking back at Zhuo's career, he has indeed had quite a journey; although his mechanics are lacking, his game understanding is solid, as he can still devise lane swap strategies.

The next match against TES is essentially Zhuo's chance for redemption. If he can win, he has the opportunity to clear his name. However, I personally feel that JDG's chances of beating TBG are quite low, as these two teams are currently not on the same level. JDG's stable performers are limited to the top and AD positions, while mid-laner Scout can dominate weaker teams but tends to disappear against stronger opponents. Sometimes, Xun's eagerness can also give the opposing team opportunities.

In the Summit group, JDG can only sit at the same table as WE. Although they have secured 3 points, to be honest, their performance is even worse than WBG, who also has points. In strong matchups, they don't seem to know how to win, and in losing situations, it’s even worse. Scout only shows some skill against mid-laners who are weaker than him; once the competition intensifies, he falters and makes mistakes. It seems that this team's hopes of making it to the World Championship this year are quite bleak.

Conclusion:

Zhuo's arrival has indeed brought some changes to JDG, but the lack of time for cohesion makes it difficult to win against strong teams. With a 3-5 record, JDG has 6 matches left. To secure a top-four finish and a direct spot in the playoffs, they need to win at least 4-5 of those matches, with upcoming matches against TBG, AL, BLG, and WBG; it feels like a direct qualification is unlikely.

So, what do you think? Has JDG become stronger?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!