The First Stand 2026 has already kicked off, and JDG HongQ is confident in the team’s ability to bring a trophy home for the Chinese region.
Tsai “HongQ” Ming-Hong joined JD Gaming (JDG) during the 2025 offseason as one of the Pacific region’s most promising mid laners. In his first split, he quickly proved his value, helping the team reach the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) Grand Finals and secure qualification for The First Stand 2026.
In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, HongQ reflected on his move to the Chinese team, joining alongside a teammate, the biggest differences between regions, and his first experience visiting Brazil.
The new faces of JDG
The new JDG roster has been dominating regionally, delivering thrilling matches and securing the team’s first international qualification since 2023. Despite this achievement, HongQ says he doesn’t feel any extra pressure. “We had so many roster changes this year, and we want to prove ourselves on stage,” he said. “We’ve improved a lot since the beginning of the season, and we want to show that.”
Although the team fell short of winning the first split title, losing to Bilibili Gaming, the mid laner remains confident in their strategy. “I hope we can do much better this time. I’m really excited to play against Chovy,” he laughed. JDG’s first match at The First Stand will be against Gen.G, one of the tournament favorites for the title. “They are super strong, so we need to do our game, concentrate on our style, and try our best to play like usual. I’m sure we are going to showcase a good performance on stage.”
In 2026, JDG signed four new players to their roster, retaining only their top laner, Xu “Xiaoxu” Xing-Zu, who had joined the team midway through the 2025 season. Both HongQ and Yu “JunJia” Chun-Chia came from CTBC Flying Oyster, while Chen “GALA” Wei came from Invictus Gaming and Zhao “Vampire” Zhe-Can from Team WE.
LCP vs LPL
For HongQ, changing from the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) to the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) was not difficult. “Although we [HongQ and JunJia] crossed regions, I feel it’s not that hard to get into this team because it’s very easy to communicate,” he explained. “We don’t have a language barrier with the others, so we can easily understand each other’s goals.”
As for the main differences, he identifies the LPL as a region where people like to have more team fights, favoring a more aggressive playstyle and use of mechanics to shock opponents. “It’s way more focused on mechanics and skill,” he said.
During the LPL, HongQ has been known to pick off-meta champions like Swain and Cassiopeia. With a wider champion pool, fitting the team’s needs and making strategic choices comes naturally for the Taiwanese player. “Having a broader pool lets you give the team more options and flexibility. The current meta has a very fast game tempo, so we had to adapt to it,” he explained.
Returning to The First Stand
In the second edition of The First Stand, only three players returned to the stage: Park “Viper” Do-hyeon, formerly of Hanwha Life and now with Bilibili Gaming, along with JunJia and HongQ. This season, HongQ is no longer representing the Pacific region, but he believes the new representatives could deliver some exciting plays on the international stage.
Team Secret Whales (TSW) have secured their qualification after winning the first split. “TSW is a really strong team, and they know how to force team fights and exploit the opponents’ weaknesses,” HongQ said. “They’ll pull the enemy into chaotic gameplay and fight relentlessly.”
While GALA, Vampire, and JunJia have already switched jerseys with other players in the tournament, HongQ hasn’t had the chance yet. However, he hopes to get the opportunity soon.
This was also HongQ’s first time visiting Brazil. After a 30-hour flight, he’s excited to be in the country. “Everything here is amazing. I’m really impressed by Brazil,” he laughed. “The people are so kind and incredibly passionate about League of Legends.”
JDG will face Gen.G on March 17 in Group B. The tournament kicked off on March 16 with Group A matches, where BLG edged out BFX 3-2, and G2 dominated TSW with a 3-0 victory. You can keep track of all the matches, schedules, and results in our official hub.