JD Gaming announced this Sunday, August 10, the arrival of Wang "
Zhuo" Xuzhuo for the remainder of LPL Split 3, the Chinese
League of Legends championship. Coming in from LNG Esports, the support player is expected to take over from Zhang "
Wink" Rui, who had been holding the role for less than a month. This marks the second consecutive change in the support position for JDG, a team that has seemingly been unable to find the right fit ever since the departure of Lou "
MISSING" Yunfeng.
The Chinese organization has been in turmoil for almost two years now. After failing to qualify for any international tournaments in 2024, JDG doesn’t seem to be faring much better this season, especially after finishing 7th–8th in LPL Split 2 — a placement far below the club’s expectations. That disappointing result pushed the team to make drastic roster moves,
parting ways with toplaner Hu "Ale" Jiale and long-time support MISSING. The latter, after more than three and a half years under the JDG banner, decided to step away from competitive play and mutually agreed with the organization to terminate his contract.
Despite the arrival of Wink in the botlane and Xu "Xiaoxu" Xing-Zu in the toplane, the roster shake-up failed to turn the team’s fortunes around. JDG continues to struggle in their Ascend Group, sitting at a 2–5 record, with their only recent bright spot being a 2–0 victory over Invictus Gaming in Week 4 of Split 3. With seven series already played and seven more to go, the team is at the midpoint of the Rumble Stage — and it’s here that another change is being made in the support role.
JDG now brings in Zhuo from LNG, a team that has also been struggling, holding a 1–6 record in the Nirvana Group. Having officially become a free agent earlier the same day, Zhuo joins a roster in urgent need of results to keep their LPL playoff hopes alive — and maybe, secure a spot at
Worlds. The World Championship, set to take place in China from October 14 to November 9, has eluded JDG ever since their failed Golden Road run in 2023. Missing out again would mark another step in the decline of the once-dominant Chinese squad, despite their aggressive offseason moves, which included signing rising South Korean star Kim "
Peyz" Su-hwan from Gen.G and Lee "
Scout" Ye-chan in the midlane.
