JDG Esports release stew & coconut; welcome BerLIN & crownfisher
With stew’s departure, JDG turn the page on their Rare Atom core and bring in BerLIN from FPX.
CHINA – JDG Esports have made two roster changes ahead of the next phase of the season, parting ways with longtime player Park "stew" Young-chan and recent 2026 addition Colin "coconut" Chung while adding Zhang "BerLIN" Bolin from FunPlus Phoenix and newcomer Li "crownfisher" Ao.
stew’s departure marks the end of JDG’s last remaining piece from the Rare Atom acquisition in 2024. With the Korean player now leaving, JDG are also set to field a fully Mandarin-speaking roster for the first time.
stew had long been an integral part of JDG, primarily as a Duelist, and was often among VCT CN’s highest-rated players. However, while his individual performances remained strong, the team’s results struggled to match. JDG have yet to reach a VCT CN podium, with their best finishes being 5th-6th place in Stage 2 of 2024 and Stage 1 of 2026.
More recently, stew moved to smokes in Stage 1 due to a shoulder injury, with Niu "zhe" Zhe and Huang "Yuicaw" Yonglie taking over Duelist duties. Although the role swap appeared to work well for the team overall, it was still not enough for JDG, who are looking to finish the year strongly and push for a spot at Champions Shanghai under head coach Lee "bail" Sung-jae.
coconut, meanwhile, only joined JDG earlier this season after departing Xi Lai Gaming. His debut at Kickoff as JDG’s new Initiator was a difficult one, finishing with a 0.92 VLR rating and 155.8 ACS, the second-lowest mark in the league. While he improved individually in Stage 1 with a 1.00 rating and 183.4 ACS, JDG have opted to move in a different direction.
BerLIN now joins JDG for his first team outside of FunPlus Phoenix in the Chinese circuit, having spent his entire career under the FPX banner since 2022. The in-game leader arrives as a near like-for-like replacement for coconut, who has since moved the other way to FPX and is set to take over calling duties there.
During his time with FPX, BerLIN helped lead the team in five international appearances across 2023 and 2024, as well as three runner-up finishes in VCT CN in 2024, each time behind EDward Gaming. However, with FPX’s results declining over the past two seasons, particularly in 2025, whether BerLIN can help revitalize JDG remains to be seen.
crownfisher, on the other hand, arrives as a largely unknown prospect. He had no recorded official matches before joining JDG Esports, with his only listed appearances coming in CN Evolution Series Act 2, where he played Duelists.
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