Kanavi and Ruler re-sign with JD Gaming ahead of 2024 LPL season
Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok and Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk have now been officially confirmed by JD Gaming (JDG) to have re-signed. The Jungler and AD Carry stars have both agreed to run it back with the Chinese organization for the 2024 LPL season.
This news comes off the back of the departure of both Mid Laner Zhuo “knight” Ding and Top Laner Bai “369” Jia-Hao. Therefore, this announcement is bound to bring relief to JDG fans as we continue through this off-season.
JD Gaming 2024 LPL Starting Lineup:
- Top Lane: ?
- Jungle: Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok
- Mid Lane: ?
- AD Carry: Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
- Support: Lou “MISSING” Yun-Feng *(Likely but unconfirmed)
- Head Coach: ?
Franchise Player
Having been with JDG since 2019, Kanavi has undoubtedly been the Franchise Player for the organization since his transfer from Griffin. While not always the monster player he once was, he is still considered one of the strongest junglers and players in the LPL and the center around which JDG has been building their rosters.
Secure At All Costs
Furthermore, to fans and observers of the JDG roster in 2023, Ruler was undoubtedly not just one of the brightest parts of the roster, but also one of the most stable. Regardless of how the rest of his roster is functioning, he regularly delivers with high mechanical precision. JDG managing to maintain Ruler for another year bodes incredibly well for their 2024 LPL season.
Proceeding Through the Ruins
Despite the good news, the future so far for this roster looks somewhat bleak, with 40% of the ‘Super-team’ that dominated the LPL in 2023 gone. Knight, who consistently delivered with his carry performances alongside Ruler, was half of the equation that allowed JDG to be a multi-lane threat. Moreover, 369’s expertise in playing tanks as well as teamfighting, allowed the more chaotic nature of JDG’s playstyle to really flourish.
The current fate of MISSING is unknown, though it is hopeful that he will remain on JDG considering his contract is only set to expire in 2024. As previously mentioned, the top LPL teams are currently undergoing overhauls on their roster. For example, Top Esports most recently confirmed the signing of their new Mid Laner and re-signing of their Jungler. This leaves TES’ former Mid Laner Song “Rookie” Eui-jin currently team-less.
There is no doubt that the longer this off-season goes on, the more radical the changes that will be announced. Time will tell how JDG will reconstruct their roster, and whether or not this is the end of their superteam dreams.
Conclusion
JDG is midway through their roster reconstruction now. With the confirmed re-signing of both Kanavi and Ruler, things are finally starting to look a little more positive for the dynamic Chinese roster.
Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
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