From Golden Road to Vacation Mode - Ruler and JDG fail to qualify for Worlds 2024
Ruler and JD Gaming have lost to Weibo Gaming in a thrilling battle that came down to the wire at the LPL Regional Finals.
The match was set to be the last chance for the teams to qualify to the 2024 League of Legends World Championship.
With the win, Weibo will be the fourth and final seed representing the LPL at Worlds.
For JDG, it's time to go home for what will be a very long off season for a team that failed to live up to expectations.
Ruler and JDG fly too close to the sun...
With Ruler joining the team at the end of 2022, JDG bolstered a world class roster for the 2023 season. Composed of 369, Kanavi, knight, Ruler and MISSING, JDG set out to dominate the year in League of Legends. And boy, did they dominate...
Star power through the roof, JDG won the 2023 LPL Spring Season, the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational and the 2023 LPL Summer Season to take over the League of Legends scene off the back of Ruler's historic year in the bot lane.
With Worlds 2023 up next, JDG had the chance to do the unprecedented, complete the Golden Road. Winning the 2023 League of Legends World Championship would have meant that JDG came out the victors of every single tournament they participated in for the entirety of 2023.
Ultimately, however, the biggest international stage proved to be too much for JDG, who lost in the semi-finals of Worlds 2023 against the would-be champions of Faker and T1.
Ruler laments his team's elimination from Worlds 2023 after coming so close to doing the impossible. (Credit: Yicun Liu/Riot Games)...and burn
Following their loss, the historic roster tragically broke up after a single season together. With knight leaving for LPL rivals Bilibili Gaming (BLG), and 369 doing the same to join Top Esports (TES), Ruler was left to pick up the pieces and muster the strength to push forward.
Even with one of the best AD carries the World has ever seen at the helm, however, 2024 has been a rough year for JDG.
After coming so close to completing the first Golden Road in League of Legends history, JDG has failed to win a single tournament in 2024.
Now, the team has hit a new low by failing to qualify for Worlds 2024 and missing out on the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage, against the biggest teams in the game.
JDG's players will now have to go on vacation sooner than they would have liked. Meanwhile, the organization will be left to look for answers in search of a way to return the team to its former glory.
For the latest League of Legends news, follow Strafe Esports. Also, follow the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews with players and coaches.
Image source: Liu YiCun/Riot Games
Read More:
G2 defeat Fnatic in Season Finals Grand Final to win the first LEC Grand Slam!