March 2025, first edition of First Stand. Top Esports step up as LPL champions to defend the honor of an entire region whose international results have been slipping compared to their eternal rival, the LCK. In the end, TES exited through the back door of a tournament in which they won just two of their eleven games, crumbling notably against the Taiwanese and European representatives. A performance unworthy of China's sole representative.
A year later, with First Stand expanding to welcome two Korean and Chinese representatives, Bilibili Gaming and JD Gaming arrive in São Paulo with a single goal: erase the disappointment left by Top Esports the year before, and try to deliver a new international title to the LPL — a region that has not tasted a single trophy since MSI 2023, won by JDG on the road to their Golden Road.
JDG: Rebuilding through Tabe
JDG are back on the international stage for the first time in three years, but the team bears no resemblance to the one that was stopped dead by T1 at Worlds 2023's semifinals, two matches away from the perfect season. In between, the third most decorated organization in LPL history had to rebuild. First came the end of a cycle in 2024, when JDG finished one game short of Worlds following the departures of Zhuo "knight" Ding and Bai "369" Jiahao. Then came a 2025 roster that generated plenty of expectations before collapsing in the clutch moments.
2026 brought a fresh start. Only Xu "Xiaoxu" Xing-Zu remained — everyone else left. More importantly, JDG benefited from a dramatic twist during the offseason when Wong "Tabe" Pak-kan, fresh off an excellent year at the helm of Anyone's Legend, left his team to join a project in need of renewal — his specialty.
Alongside the Hong Kong-born coach came two of 2025's breakout stars, the former CFO mid-jungle duo who had already made their mark internationally: Yu "JunJia" Chun-chia and Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong. Tabe completed his roster with one of the greatest ADCs in LPL history, Chen "GALA" Wei, paired with a rising rookie support coming off a strong year: Zhao "Vampire" Zhe-Can. JDG 2026 was born, and Tabe was about to work his magic once again.
