Jade Dragons

 is a team participating in the Smite Pro League. The team is owned and operated by Hi-Rez Studios.

History
The Jade Dragons formed ahead of Season 8 of the SPL in February 2021, alongside seven other teams managed directly by Hi-Rez. The initial roster consisted almost entirely of the former roster of Ghost Gaming, retaining Fineokay, Sam4Soccer2, PolarBearMike, and PandaCat. Joining them was a former member of eUnited, Hurriwind, who replaced their former team member, CaptainTwig. sLainy would part ways with the team, and Cabom would join the team.

2021 Season
Consisting of the 2nd place 2021 SWC winners, the Jade Dragons started the season as a very promising team. This culminated in their Smite Season 8 Phase 1 win against the Olympus Bolts. There was a small rivalry between the Jade Dragons and Olympus Bolts, more specifically between Hurriwind and Venenu. Over the course of the 2021 season, the Jade Dragons vs. Olympus Bolts match-up would be favorable to the Dragons. This rivalry and their Phase 1 win would be the team's peak for the rest of the 2021 season. The Dragons' standings going forward would be 4-5th place. The Jade Dragons qualified for the Smite World Championship. The team, favored by fans, was defeated during the quarterfinals by the Solar Scarabs.

2022 Season
During the 2022 Finchmas charity event hosted in memory of John "Finch" Finch, the Jade Dragons revealed a change in their roster. They parted ways with Hurriwind and decided to pick up an SPL rookie, Pegon from the Sturdy Artisans. Cabom would not be returning to the team, and Cherryo would join the team. There was scrutiny among fans regarding the core of Fineokay, Sam4Soccer2, PolarBearMike, and PandaCat sticking together for another year. Regardless of scrutiny, the Dragons started off great with Pegon. During the spring season, they ended the spring season in 1st place. During the Spring Masters tournament, they placed 3rd place. During the middle of the recently ended summer season, the Dragons had an unexpected roster change. In a move surprising the community, Sam4Soccer2 was kicked from the Dragons as they felt that the player was no longer a good fit for the team. Behind the scenes, a couple of members of the Jade Dragons have revealed that the 2022 roster was not the ideal roster for them. They had wanted Screammmmm from the Solar Scarabs, but he did not want to accept their offer. In his stream, PandaCat leaked their new jungler, Screammmmm, who now felt more comfortable with accepting their offer. For the remainder of the summer season, the Dragons found great success with their new jungler. During the Summer Masters Tournament, the Jade Dragons managed to come in 1st place. This surge in confidence would carry over into the fall season. The Jade Dragons would have a good fall season, with a mix of overconfidence at the beginning. The team, undefeatable at the time, experimented with having Pegon jungle and Screammmmm mid. While unorthodox as it might seem, they found success at first with Screammmmm atlas mid. The Jade Dragons' winning streak would stop once they faced the Oni Warriors. The Dragons were close to beating the winning streak held by NRG Esports, however during their set against the Oni Warriors the Dragons would take their opponent too lightly. They had a dominant 1st game, a troll 2nd game, and a competitive 3rd game won by the Onis. This loss would be a small trip up by the Jade Dragons as for the remainder of the season, they would lose only 3 more times. Two of these games were against the Atlantis Leviathans who would gain reassurance since the beginning of the phase. Both of these games were close, but the Jade Dragons' failure to confirm objectives would spell defeat. The third loss would be a troll set against the Olympus Bolts, as at that point the Jade Dragons and Olympus Bolts' standings were confirmed, and they would decide to have some fun. Overall, the Jade Dragons would have a successful phase 3 as they would finish 2nd.

The Jade Dragons would face the Camelot Kings as their first opponent during the Phase 3 Playoffs for Worlds. This was during a time of a hot streak for the Camelot Kings, who would defeat the Jade Dragons in a 3-1 set. The Jade Dragons would be knocked down to the loser's Bracket and face off against the Oni Warriors. Barring technical difficulties that caused a reset during game 2, the Jade Dragons would dispatch the Oni Warriors in a 3-1 set and advance to the loser's final against the Olympus Bolts. The team has historically done well against the Olympus Bolts and this time it would be no different, as the Jade Dragons would win with a 3-1 score. Securing their 3rd place spot in the tournament, the Jade Dragons would get their choice of opponent for the quarterfinals of SWC. After the SWC Play-ins tournament concluded and the teams were set for the Smite World Championship, the Jade Dragons would pick their quarterfinals opponent. While the team had hoped to pick the Tartarus Titans, the Oni Warriors were their choice due to the Atlantis Leviathans choosing to face off against the Titans. During the Smite World Championship, the Jade Dragons would 2-0 the Oni Warriors during the quarterfinals in convincing fashion. Their next opponent would be the Tartarus Titans, who had won their set against the Atlantis Leviathans against all odds. The match against the Tartarus Titans would be a suspenseful one, as the teams both played well. Unfortunately for the Dragons, the Tartarus Titans capitalized on a small mistake during game 5. A mistimed jump by PolarBearMike would result in his death and a snowball for the Tartarus Titans. The Jade Dragons would lose 2-3, ending their hopes of achieving Grand Finals once again. Following this, Pandacat would announce his retirement from competitive smite.

2023 Season
Post-S9 Worlds was an interesting time for the Jade Dragons. The core, who had stayed together since S6, had decided to break up. Pandacat retired, and PolarBearMike and Scream decided that change was needed. Pegon and Fineokay were interested in staying with another teammate. However, the team in the end decided that a full break was best. PolarBearMike, who had large respect for Dardez, decided to team up with him and the other Oni Warriors. The team decided to pick up Lasbra, as many pro players praised his performance during the World's tournament. The team, even though they were made up of the Oni Warrior core, decided to brand themselves as the Jade Dragons. During the Kickoff tournament for SPL, the Jade Dragons had a strong showing despite Dardez playing on ping. They would 2-1 the Atlantis Leviathans and 3-1 the Eldritch Hounds. They would face the Oni Warriors during the Finals of the tournament but would lose 0-3. After the tournament was over, the Jade Dragons would be placed in the Chaos division alongside the Oni Warriors, Atlantis Leviathans, and Gilded Gladiators. The Jade Dragons had fair first games during the summer phase. While they lost 2-0 to the Camelot Kings, they did win against the Gilded Gladiators and the Highland Ravens. However, this is where things took a turn for the Jade Dragons. The meta had changed and it was not advantageous for the Dragons. The team didn't seem to be on the same page and they were widely inconsistent. Loss after loss finally culminated in the most embarrassing defeat. They would lose 0-2 to the Gilded Gladiators, the team that was dubbed the worst by the community. While the Gilded Gladiators had an impressive win against the Camelot Kings, the win against the Jade Dragons was more impressive. The Jade Dragons were not experimenting or taking their opponent lightly. They were outmatched by the Gilded Gladiators. The Jade Dragons would continue their slump until the last match of their summer phase. Against the Atlantis Leviathans, the team would win 2-1. The Jade Dragons would keep this small momentum in the playoff tournament. While they would lose 1-3 in the quarterfinals, the team would go through the elimination bracket and finish the tournament in 3rd place. Coming into the Summer Masters tournament, the team's first opponent would be the Camelot Kings. The team would beat the Kings in a 2-0 set but would lose 1-3 to the Oni Warriors. While the season has not been the best for the Jade Dragons, their 3rd/4th place finish was better than many would have thought. Dardez also arrived on LAN sometime during the playoffs. With the break between Masters and Fall split, the team can practice and be more cohesive. As of now, the fall season has not started.