A new chapter is being written in
JD Gaming’s history, and it will come without a member who has been part of the roster since the organization’s arrival in VCT China. After more than two years competing with JDG, Park “
stew” Young-chan will not take part in
VCT China Stage 2 with the team, sources tell
Sheep Esports.
The player was still under contract with the organization until the end of the season, but stew and JDG mutually agreed to terminate it. After a respectable group stage, the team suffered two playoff defeats at VCT China Stage 1, first against Xi Lai Gaming and then against Dragon Ranger Gaming, both of whom would eventually qualify for Masters London. JDG now need to deliver a significantly stronger performance in Stage 2 if they hope to secure a place at Champions and are therefore looking to strengthen their roster.
Throughout his years with JD Gaming, stew has consistently been one of the cornerstones of the roster, making the organization’s decision to part ways with him a somewhat surprising one. In previous seasons, he primarily played the Duelist role before expanding his agent pool this year and transitioning into a Flex/Controller position during Stage 1. Despite adapting to this new role, the team ultimately decided to move forward without him for the remainder of the competition.
Despite his commitment and consistently respectable individual performances, stew and JDG never managed to establish themselves among the top teams in VCT China over the past few years. The team never reached a top-four finish in its region nor qualified for an international event. JD Gaming will now look to begin a new era without one of its longest-standing players.
