While the LPL is on pause due to the coronavirus outbreak, here is a look at each team participating in the tournament. Today’s team will be JD Gaming, who are looking to have two successful back-to-back splits.
Top: Zoom
JD’s top laner is hailed by many as one of the best to come out of the Chinese region. Viewed as the poster boy of JD, Zoom has proven time and time again that when it comes to top lane carries, he can perform on all of them. From the traditional Camille and Gangplank picks to more obscure ones like Illaoi and Yorick, Zoom can play them all. All that said, he also brings out the tanks more often than other carry top laners, with Poppy and Ornn being some of his best-performing picks.
Jungle: Kanavi
Following the Griffin fiasco, Kanavi resigned with JD Gaming. He is a jungler with a lot of promise, but still hasn’t had a chance to prove himself. Despite being with JD last summer, he was benched for a large part of the split. With an entire arsenal of aggressive junglers in his back pocket, Kanavi will look to set things straight for his first split as a starting jungler.
Middle: Yagao
Another young Chinese prodigy on this squad, Yagao will be the returning mid laner for JD. With a vast hero pool, ranging from assassins to mages to bruisers, Yagao’s seems to have an answer to any mid lane pick. That said, his win rates are very polarizing, having high highs and low lows. Yagao will need to find consistency in the mid lane if JD Gaming truly want to contest with the best.
Carry: LokeN
Returning after a year on TOP, LokeN is reunited with LvMao in JD’s bot lane. In a region known for its hyper-aggressive carries, LokeN stands out for being one of the neutralizing carries. With an ability to cancel out any aggressive picks coming from the enemy team and then proceed to send the aggression right back, LokeN doesn’t stand out much as a carry. That said, LokeN has had many successful splits in the past and is looking to add another to his resume.
Support: LvMao
Reunited with his long time bot lane partner, LokeN, LvMao has been with JD since their entry to the LPL in summer 2017. Probably one of the most aggressive supports in the region, LvMao has a plethora of non-traditional supports in his hero pool. While an aggressive support paired with a passive carry tends to not work out well, Loken and LvMao seem to make it work with their experience together as a bot lane duo.
Team Review:
Since they joined the LPL, JD Gaming has had mixed results. Usually having strong performances in spring, they tend to fall off a cliff and have a poor summer split. Bringing back a successful bot lane and adding a young prodigy in the jungle, JD Gaming seems to have all the pieces for two successful splits in 2020.
Come back tomorrow, as there will be a look at Bilibili Gaming.