JDG Tabe Opens up on the team’s improvement that led them to São Paulo – First Stand 2026 Interview

JDG were given the toughest opening match among the eight teams at First Stand. Ahead of the series against Gen.G, we talked to JDG’s head coach, Wong “Tabe” Pak Kan, to hear more about how the team was able to level up after a tough start, and a few more considerations on his expectations for the event.

Davide: First of all, welcome.

How was your flight coming to Brazil? I know that this is not your first time being here.

JDG Tabe: Compared to 2018, I’m a bit older now. It was a tough flight. I still have some pain in my right leg, but I think everything will be fine. I’m very happy and excited to come back to São Paulo again because eight years ago I was in CBLOL and I learned a lot when I was a coach in Brazil.

Davide: JDG has had a little bit of ups and downs during the regular season of the LPL split 1, but then the team ramped up heavily in playoffs.

What do you think were the reasons behind such improvement?

Tabe: First of all, I think I had a huge change in attitude towards my players, different from what I have done in the regular split. I was quite harsh to them. I really wanted them to have a perfect performance during the games… Maybe my style of coaching wasn’t suitable for the team at that time, and after the holiday period, I thought a lot. I decided to change my coaching style during the playoffs. I wouldn’t treat them that tough and I would always think of what I can nurture them. And another thing is, I wanted them to have their own idea rather than only listen to my thoughts.

Can you express your thoughts on each player and how you think they have evolved individually?

Tabe: First of all, Xiaoxu, comparing to the regular season, I told him [in order] to be the top player in the top lane, first of all, you have to learn how to play safe and farm because this patch, the whole season 16, most of the time top lane is laning phase… There are very few lane swaps. So you have to practice a lot in your laning phase and at the same time you have to avoid gank. I think, after the regular season, Xiaoxu really did a great job in providing a good environment for himself by avoiding gangs and also farming more quickly. This is the first thing and the second thing is that I think Xiaoxu is a really impressive player in team fights, although he has no international tournament experience. I’m looking forward to seeing his team fights in this Fist Stand.

The second player is Junjia. Junjia was a bit afraid [and] in panic during the regular split. But in the playoffs, I think he really did a good job. He became more ferocious and courageous in playing jungle, his smite and everything, including the Rift Herald. He always used the Herald to make impressive plays. I think he has already shown LPL fans that he is one of the best junglers in LPL now. So I’m very proud of him.

The third player is HongQ. In CFO, he really did a great job last year. But this year, when he joined LPL, I think everyone in the world knows that it is different in LPL. It’s a higher-level gameplay; it is tougher, and he has a very mature mentality, although he is that young. This is what really amazed me. In the regular split, he was playing very aggressively… same as XiaoXu. The coaching team always teaches him how to play defensively to avoid ganks. Because just like top lane, I think this patch, mid lane, you are continuously farming, and to avoid gank is very important. So I think he really did a good job in the playoff. And also, he practiced a lot of new champions, so it is very good for us as JDG for Fearless Draft.

And lastly is GALA and Vampire. I think GALA really did a great job in the playoffs to keep on teaching Vampire how to play better in the 2v2 bot lane. And Vampire is a brand new player. He has no experience in international games, either. But what he plays in the LPL playoffs, he showed that he is a really mature support player. And what I noticed is that he really is a keen learner. He absorbs knowledge very quickly, and what GALA and the coach team teach him, he will absorb very quickly. I think he will be the superstar of LPL support. And it is also my responsibility and mission to nurture a new support player, to hope he can carry JDG.

I think everyone in the world knows that GALA is very good at late-game AD champions, right? But what amazed me this split, including the playoffs, is that GALA showed his early game impact. The bot 2v2 GALA and Vampire played really well in the playoffs. What we chose in the tournament and their performance shows that Gala is not only an AD that can only play late game, he can carry the team through early game too. So this is the most impactful, the most stunning part in my point of view, that our bot lane shows early impact in the game. So I’m very happy about that.

Davide: You’re going to face Gen.G in the opening series.

Do you think that it’s a blessing to play against what is considered the tournament favorite and what do you think are the key factors that will determine the outcome of the series?

Tabe: To be honest, I think it is a blessing and also I don’t think it is a blessing. I don’t think it is a blessing because I think they are the world’s best team in the world now, so it is a very tough opponent. But, on the other hand, it is a blessing because we have the experience and the opportunity to face the world’s strongest team now, and we can learn a lot.

Everyone in Gen.G is the top in their lanes, and they are all experienced players. They have the same roster as last year. They also had a stunning performance throughout the year. So I think this is a really good opportunity for JDG to learn from them. And also, if we want to beat Gen.G, we need to think about a lot of tactics.

What do you think about the other teams, LOUD and LYON, that are in the same group as you?

Tabe: I think LOUD and LYON are also very impressive teams. We might have a chance to scrim with them, and also, we are in the same bracket, right? So we have a very high possibility of playing with them too. I think the strongest part in these teams is their ban picks because in their regions, they have a slightly different champion pool. And in my own opinion, my experience, they have a very wide variety of champion select during the tournament, and because of the patch 16.4 and 16.5 changes. They will be very tough opponents to face off against, too.

Aside from competitive results, what would you like to see from your team in order to consider it a successful event?

Tabe: I think as a coach, what I want to see is not only the competitive result but what we went through. I am very proud of my five players who really dedicate a lot to practicing and also keep on thinking about how to improve themselves. We are honored to have the opportunity to join First Stand.

So, other than the actual result, I really hope that my five players can learn from different teams in this First Stand. I told them already that every single team that can come to São Paulo represents that they are the best teams in the world. Now we are playing Fearless Draft, so maybe sometime we can see some crazy picks, some extraordinary picks that we will never face in the scrims. [While] the nervousness and the unknown factor in this tournament may pressure our players, if we can conquer the pressure, we will improve. And after this First Stand, we can bring all the experience back to LPL. And this, I think, is a very good thing for our team to evolve and to become a better team.