Preface: The S15 season is over, and it's clear that most players have been paying attention to the recent clashes. The LPL's Demacia Cup has become a mirror revealing the true strength of teams; the new rosters of various top teams show mixed results. Especially those who invested heavily during the transfer window have encountered varying problems. JDG invests huge sums every year, but their performance keeps declining—they even started this season with two straight losses. It's undeniable that some of their recruited players are underwhelming, with Gala at AD being the biggest disappointment. It seems JDG has become a typical example in the LPL, possibly because their management has deep pockets. The one hundred million yuan spent in the transfer window might end up being wasted.

JDG Spending Big but Achieving Little

Most players are quite familiar with JDG, a top-tier team in the LPL. Since joining the league, their overall popularity and hype have been very high, and their yearly results were generally good and stable. In the past two years, they even became the strongest team in the LPL schedule. However, after their AD player Ruler left, their form and results fluctuated greatly. In S15, they spent a fortune to bring in Scout and Peyz, but the outcome was disappointing—they failed to qualify for Worlds, got crushed mercilessly by LCK teams at the World Championship, and Scout was even involved in numerous contract disputes.

This season, JDG continued their big spending. At the start of the transfer window, they injected over 100 million yuan, easily signing a top domestic coaching staff for the LPL. The additions of Tabe and Xiaobai excited many fans. People expected them to make bold moves and acquire several top-tier players, but in the end, the roster only had Gala at AD as a fan favorite, while the mid and jungle roles were filled by less impressive players Junjia and Hongq. After just two Demacia Cup matches, JDG suffered back-to-back losses to WBG and LNG, exposing clear team issues; only Gala managed to contribute meaningful output.

In the match against LNG, JDG's top laner Xiaoxu was completely overwhelmed, while LNG's Xiaohai even defeated his former team. Xiaohai earned MVP in both games playing Rumble and Sion. It's unclear what JDG's management was thinking—spending big on a strong coaching staff yet recruiting so many mid-to-lower tier players, including Xiaoxu at top lane. If they were going to spend money, why not get a solid top laner like Hushuo? Reaching out to him could have been a real opportunity. Now, the team’s reinforcement options are unclear—mid and jungle are weak, and the top lane is being exploited.

If nothing unexpected happens, JDG will likely remain a mid-tier LPL team this season. The teams competing for Worlds spots will probably still be BLG, TES, AL, and possibly WBG. IG seems to have fallen off completely this season; without top laner TheShy and AD Gala, only their mid and jungle remain struggling to hold up. The LPL looks uncertain this year, with strong LCK teams like HLE and T1, and Gen.G renewing their entire roster. Could the Worlds semifinals really be dominated entirely by LCK teams again? All hopes might rest on AL and BLG.

Farewell Thoughts

No one expected JDG to mess up so badly during the transfer window. They revealed an expansion fund of over 100 million yuan and, despite lacking players, immediately signed a top coaching staff. They were supposed to make a big splash but failed to secure strong mid and jungle players, ending up with less competitive choices. Junjia is acceptable, but Hongq simply cannot handle the pressure in the LPL. JDG invests huge amounts every year but ends up spending big on minor gains.

What do all of you viewers think about this situation?