LoL: Ale joins JDG in the LPL

Ale joins a rebuilding JDG to compete in his 7th year in the LPL

Hu "Ale" Jia-Le has found a new team. After spending the Summer Split with Anyone's Legend, the toplaner has secured a new place in the LPL by signing with JD Gaming, as announced on the organization's social media on Sunday. He takes over the spot previously held by Li "Flandre" Xuan-Jun and Xu "sheer" Wen-Jie, who shared the position this year.

The player is gearing up for another year in China's top league, marking the 7th LPL season of his career. His journey began in late 2018 in the second division, before making his LPL debut with Oh My God in Spring 2019. Midway through that year, he joined Dominus Esports, where he played until the end of 2020. Despite never finishing higher than 11th place, his career took a pivotal turn in early 2021 when he signed with LNG Esports.

Competing for the starting toplane position, he solidified himself as the team’s clear choice by the Summer Split. That season saw him achieve a fourth-place finish, granting LNG a spot in the Regional Finals and ultimately their first—and his only—Worlds appearance. Alongside Lee "Tarzan" Seung-yong and Wang "Light" Guang-Yu, they faced high expectations but fell short in the dramatic group stage, which saw all four teams finish 3-3. In the subsequent four-way tiebreaker, LNG was eliminated by MAD Lions.

Struggling to qualify for Worlds

He continued with LNG in 2022, delivering similar performances but falling short of Worlds qualification after a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to RNG in the decisive Regional Finals match. In 2023, he joined EDward Gaming, where the pattern repeated: a strong Spring finish in 3rd place, a 5th-place finish in Summer, but another Worlds qualification slip in a decisive series against Weibo Gaming. That match also denied fans a return of the legendary Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao to Worlds, who had briefly come out of retirement for the Summer Split.

Remaining with EDG for Spring 2023, he endured a difficult season as the team struggled, finishing near the bottom of the standings with only three wins in 16 games. Seeking a fresh start, he joined Anyone's Legend for the Summer. While his performances were solid, they weren’t enough to secure a playoff berth in a league dominated by its top contenders.

JDG are undergoing a full reconstruction

Looking to move past a disappointing 2024 season, JDG are aiming for a fresh start. Amid swirling rumors, it has been officially confirmed that the team's star ADC, Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, has left the roster to return to the LCK with Gen.G. Meanwhile, the contracts of all other players expired in November 2024. Ale now stands as the first and only confirmed member of a revamped roster determined to overcome the setbacks of this past year.

Despite a promising Spring Split that saw JDG secure a respectable 3rd place, the team faltered in Summer, losing momentum. They finished the Summer Split playoffs in a troubling 8th place after a surprising loss to Ninjas in Pyjamas. Thanks to their cumulative points over the year, JDG narrowly qualified for the Regional Finals but fell short again, losing 3-2 in the decisive match against Weibo Gaming.