JD Gaming vs Dragon Ranger Gaming Tips & Odds – VCT 2025: China Kickoff

By Tit Krajnik

11 Jan 2025

Tit Krajnik 11 Jan 2025

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JD Gaming vs Dragon Ranger Gaming VALORANT betting predictions for Sunday, January 12, 2024, in the first round of VCT 2025: China Kickoff (17:00 CST)
Both teams have made significant roster changes
Early-season matches tend to be volatile, making the underdogs a more appealing pick

VALORANT Champions (Getty Images)

JD Gaming vs Dragon Ranger Gaming Predictions

JD Gaming and Dragon Ranger Gaming will kick off the 2025 VALORANT esports season on Sunday, January 12, when they clash in the first round of VCT 2025: China Kickoff. Both teams enter the season with low expectations, having struggled last year and during the offseason.

JD Gaming vs Dragon Ranger Gaming Predictions
Head to Head
JD Gaming Form
JD Gaming Squad & Team News
Dragon Ranger Gaming Form
Dragon Ranger Gaming Squad & Team News

While DRG have better results from 2024, they have looked just as bad this offseason, with one victory from five games played. JD Gaming have managed one more victory over a six-game stretch, but this difference is marginal.

As an early-season clash between two mid-table teams, this match can easily go either way. Take the underdogs at better odds.

JD Gaming are 2-4 this offseason
DRG have managed one win ahead of the 2025 season kickoff
Expect a close and scrappy game

Head to Head

JD Gaming and Dragon Ranger Gaming have yet to meet this season.

JD Gaming Form

JD Gaming enter the 2025 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) season as one of the weakest Chinese teams. They did not have the best 2024 season, which is saying it lightly, as their best placement was fifth-sixth in VCT 2024: China Stage 2.

Yet even this offseason, JDG have not looked remotely good, with fifth-sixth-place finishes in FGC VALORANT Invitational 2024 and Superb Cup and just two wins over six games played.

At best, JDG can be considered a mid-table VCT China team.

JD Gaming Squad & Team News

JD Gaming have acquired two new players, Geng "Babyblue" Haoran and Chen "MrCANI" Ting-hsun this offseason.

Yeung "jkuro" Ho-chung
Park "stew" Young-chan
Chen "YHchen" Yu-han
Liu "Z1Yan" Zihan
Geng "Babyblue" Haoran
Chen "MrCANI" Ting-hsun

Dragon Ranger Gaming Form

Dragon Ranger Gaming enjoyed an explosive start to the 2024 season. They made semis in VCT 2024: China Kickoff and placed third in Stage 1, thus qualifying for VALORANT Masters Shanghai 2024.

In Shanghai, however, DRG fell apart early and exited the tournament in 11th-12th place. Their woes continued into Stage 2, which DRG finished in 10th, thus ended the season early.

During the offseason, DRG attended WALL-E Cup and FGC VALORANT Invitational 2024 but could not reach the top spots, ending the events in the fifth-sixth and ninth-10th.

Dragon Ranger Gaming Squad & Team News

Luo "Flex1n" Rui joined Dragon Ranger Gaming in November 2024.

Shao "Nicc" Yi-chun
Chen "TvirusLuke" Chen-ching
Ilya "vo0kashu" Ushakov
Lin "SpiritZ1" Ding-yu
Luo "Flex1n" Rui

Verdict

JD Gaming v Dragon Ranger Gaming

Early-season games tend to be highly volatile, and it does not help that this is a fixture between two squads that are flawed and unlikely to compete for top spots. Both sides have struggled during the offseason and gave me no reason to feel optimistic about either.

And while you could make a case for either side, from a betting perspective, it is hard to pass on JD Gaming at outsider odds.

JD Gaming To Win

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