LGD have beaten JDG. LGD GAMING dropped the opener of their Week 4 LPL series against Beijing JDG Esports, then won the next two to take the best-of-three 2–1 on August 16.

The first game gave little hint of what followed. JDG closed it in 25:47, taking nine towers to LGD's two and both barons. GALA's Ezreal was the standout, going 5/1/3 and dealing 36,374 damage, the most of any player in the series. LGD actually held level on kills, 13 to JDG's 14, but the objective count told the real story.

Tangyuan and Shaoye flip the series

Game 2 was a different series altogether. LGD won it 25 kills to 6, and their mid and bot lanes did most of the damage. Tangyuan finished 7/0/15 on Orianna, and Shaoye went 9/1/10 on Jhin, with Crisp's Rell picking up 20 assists. Heng chipped in 6/1/14 on Nocturne. On the other side, JDG's top, jungle and bot lanes combined for one kill, and HongQ's Locke was the lone bright spot at 5/6/1, involved in every one of his team's kills.

JDG made a change for the decider, with xiaofang coming in at jungle on Lee Sin in place of JunJia. It didn't turn the tide. The third game stretched to 47:28, by some distance the longest of the series, and LGD ended it with a 12–7 kill lead, eight towers to three and the sole baron.

A quiet night for JDG's top side

Heng's Naafiri was arguably the decisive piece in that final game, finishing 5/1/5 with the most gold on the map. Shaoye kept up his form on Sivir, going 3/1/8 with 92% kill participation. For JDG, Xiaoxu's Gnar ended at 0/3/0 without taking part in a single kill, a tough line for a top laner across a game of nearly 48 minutes, and one that capped a series in which he went 1/11/12 overall.

The result leaves plenty for both teams to think about. LGD will take confidence from how they responded after a convincing opening loss, with Shaoye and Heng stepping up as the series went on. JDG, meanwhile, will want to know why the Game 1 version of their side, the one that took nine towers and two barons, didn't show up again, and whether the mid-series jungle swap is part of the answer.