Bilibili Gaming Clean Sweeps JDG in League of Legends Demacia Cup

Bilibili Gaming (BLG) finally cracked the goliath JD Gaming (JDG) in a Bo5 last night. The League of Legends Demacia Cup concluded on the 6th of January after a lengthy clash between some of China’s most prolific teams, having run from the 25th of December.

After a lengthy Playoffs Bracket, MSI 2023 finalists JDG and BLG faced off once more in the Grand Finals. Except both teams were drastically different from their 2023 counterparts, similar only in name. In the wake of their Worlds elimination, JDG had torn apart their roster, only retaining the services of Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyuk and Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk. BLG for their part, had retained 4 of their 5 starting names from last year. However, veteran mid laner Zeng “Yagao” Qi had returned to JDG in the off-season, replacing him with the far more aggressive super carry Zhuo “knight” Ding. Head Coach Wong “Tabe” Pak Kan, an extremely influential factor in BLG’s success in 2023, had also departed from the roster.

In this follow-up clash then, marking the final tournament of the 2023 calendar, BLG finally emerged superior, showcasing their new roster’s strength in a dominating 3-0 performance over JDG.

BLG Elk’s Year-Long Chase

Among the many storylines that emerged from BLG’s victory, perhaps one of the most powerful ones, is of AD Carry Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao journey through 2023. Having originally joined BLG from Ultra Prime back in December 2022, it marked Elk’s first shot with a stacked roster since his 2018 debut.

In League of Legends, the nature of the game at the professional level comes down to the tiniest of errors at times. Hence, Bo1 series are typically discounted because anything can happen in a Bo1. Bo3s are the standard for most games. However, the true gauntlet, the ultimate test, is the Bo5 format. A grueling test of endurance and strategy, it is the ultimate push for a player.

Despite BLG’s marked improvements and successes throughout 2023, the one team that they were never able to beat was JDG. 4 Bo5 series between JDG and BLG in 2023. 5 if you count the Demacia Cup Grand Finals, which is in the odd spot between 2023 and 2024. A total of 10 Best-of series played between these two teams. And Elk has never won against Ruler in any of them - until now. The victory carries so much meaning for the young AD Carry looking to make his mark against the indomitable player, oft considered one of the best AD Carry players to ever play League of Legends.

BLG knight vs JDG Yagao

In a humorous tale akin to the akin to the False Prince, knight and Yagao found themselves passing like ships in the night for the opposing team. While on paper, both are incredibly similarly accomplished Mid Laners, their playstyles and impact on their teams could not be more different.

For most, the Mid Lane clash between these two players was the anticipated highlight of the Grand Finals - and it somewhat delivered. While knight was the more dominant laner, Yagao’s lane stability and presence was a competent foil for the former. In the end, BLG’s dominant scoreline seemed to suggest that among the two, BLG was the first to reach a level of comfort and synergy that they were happy with.

Conclusion

The firepower upgrade of knight is certainly undeniable. However, the impact of Yagao’s now absent presence could prove more detrimental in higher-pressure scenarios. JDG currently look rough synergy-wise, and Ruler was not getting the same level of peel that 369 provided last year, leading to less impactful performances. However, it is far too early to call. BLG retaining 4 of their players means that synergy wise, they had far less ground to cover. JDG’s roster re-assembly means that while we may see a stronger performance from them later in the year, there is still much to be done.

Credit: League of Legends Esports // Riot Games

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