The Performance Gap: South Asia vs. Southeast Asia Valorant Esports

Are you curious about the performance gap between South Asia and Southeast Asia in Valorant Esports? This article delves into the stark differences in performance and competitiveness between these two regions. While Southeast Asia showcases dominant teams and high viewership, South Asia is striving to catch up.

We explore the factors contributing to this gap, including average combat scores, clutch ratios, and the need to identify and nurture young talents. Discover how South Asian teams can bridge this divide and make their mark in the world of Valorant Esports.

Note: This article represents the personal opinion and research of the writer.

South Asia vs Southeast Asia’s Performance in Common Tournaments so far

To ensure a fair and balanced comparison, we have specifically selected tournaments in the South Asian region that witnessed nearly equal participation from both South Asian and South East Asian teams. Although the focus is on South Asia, predominantly Indian teams have been represented. Our analysis will center around the player counts of each region within the top ten players at the conclusion of these tournaments and also team standings.

• Valorant India Invitational by Galaxy Racer (2022)

During the tournament, which took place from October to November 2022, Paper Rex triumphed over Team Heretics. Surprisingly, all Indian/South Asian teams were eliminated in the group stage. Regarding player performance, among the top 10 players at the tournament’s conclusion, two were from India, while seven players hailed from the SEA regions.

• The Esports Club Challenger Series 9 (2022)

Just prior to the Valorant India Invitational, The Esports Club Challenger Series 9 occurred between September and October 2022. Bleed Esports emerged victorious by defeating Fancy United 3-1 in the grand finals. Surprisingly, Indian teams failed to secure a top-three finish, despite the tournament being predominantly hosted on Indian servers. At the conclusion of the event, the top ten players comprised four players from India and the remaining players from the SEA region, despite India having more representation overall.

• Zotac Cup (2022)

The Zotac Cup was another Valorant tournament featuring participation from both South East Asia (SEA) and South Asia regions. Once again, following the trend, a SEA team named Full Sense from Thailand secured victory by defeating Kingsman of Malaysia. Interestingly, at the conclusion of the tournament, all the top four teams were from the SEA regions, highlighting their dominance in the competition.

• The Esports Club Challenger Series 6 (2021)

In the tournament, there were four teams from South Asia and four teams from SEA regions. Alter EGO emerged victorious by defeating Action PH with a score of 3-0 in the grand finals. However, it is noteworthy that once again, no team from the South Asia region managed to secure a spot in the top four. The highest-ranking South Asian team was Global Esports, finishing in 5th place. Furthermore, in terms of individual player performance, only two players from South Asia made it into the top ten overall.

The story remains the same from The Esports Club Showdown and many more small tournaments. The following tables give the overall performance over the last few years. Remember, few low-tier tournaments have been excluded.

 

S.NO	Tournament	Date	Top Team (South Asia)	Best Position
1	VCT 2021: APAC Last Chance Qualifier	October, 2021	Global Esports	7th-8th
2	The Esports Club Showdown	October, 2021	Velocity Gaming	4th
3	Bleed eSports Christmas Showdown	December, 2021	Global Esports	5th- 8th
4	TEC Challenger Series #6	December, 2021	Global Esports	4th
5	VCT 2022: APAC Stage 1 Challengers	March, 2022	Velocity Gaming	9th-12th
6	VCT 2022: APAC Stage 2 Challengers	May, 2022	Global Esports	13th-16th
7	Zotac Cup	January, 2022	Velocity Gaming	5th-6th
8	TEC Challenger Series #9	October, 2022	Revenant Esports	3rd-4th
	Valorant India Invitational	October, 2022	God Sqaud (former GE)	5th-6th
	VCT 2023: Ascension Pacific	June, 2023	Orangutan	Eliminated

SEA outclass SA in higher international participations (Master, Champions)

Teams from the Southeast Asian (SEA) region, including Paper Rex, Team Secret, Full Sense, Xerxia, and others, have consistently demonstrated active participation and notable performances in Valorant Masters and Champions tournaments. Their presence has solidified the SEA region’s reputation as a competitive force in the Valorant esports scene.

In contrast, the South Asia region has generally been limited to participating in events up to the Asia Pacific Challengers or Last Chance Qualifiers stages. This indicates a significant performance gap between the two regions. The South Asia region is currently striving to bridge this gap and elevate its competitive standing in Valorant esports

How South Asian players stand against the top two regions of South East Asia

Moving from the team let’s focus, How individuals from South Asia/India stand against the top two regions in Southeast Asia: that is Indonesia and the Philippines.

For this, we have taken the following data into consideration from the top fifteen players of all time from each region (as per VLR).

Note: All data used here is taken from VLR.gg and tweaked for a comparison parameter.

Average Headshot percentage: The Average Headshot Percentage (HSP) refers to the ratio of headshot kills to total kills for a player.

• India/South Asia’s top 15 players have an average 26.66 headshot percentage.
• Indonesia’s top 15 players have an average 24.75 headshot percentage.
• The Philippines’ top 15 players have an average 25.58 headshot percentage.

Here we can clearly see that players from South Asia have a higher headshot percentage. However, what about the Average combat score?

Average Combat Score: It is a performance metric that measures a player’s overall contribution in combat during a match.

• India/South Asia’s top 15 players have an average of 229.5 average combat score.
• Indonesia’s top 15 players have an average of 232.5 average combat score.
• The Philippines’ top 15 players have an average of 230 average combat scores.

Things are quite close here, but the main reason for shadow performance by South Asian teams are Clucth ratio percentage

Average Clutch Ratio

• India/South Asia’s top 15 players have an average 14.02 clutch ratio percentage.
• Indonesia’s top 15 players have an average 15.66 clutch ratio percentage.
• The Philippines’ top 15 players have an average 15.75 clutch ratio percentage.

Despite displaying relatively close Average Combat Scores (ACS) in Valorant, South Asian teams, particularly those from India, struggle to perform against their Southeast Asian (SEA) counterparts. One contributing factor is the lower Average Clutch Ratio (CR) exhibited by South Asian players. With an average of 14.02%, compared to Indonesia’s 15.66% and the Philippines’ 15.75%, South Asian teams face challenges in clutch situations, impacting their overall performance against SEA teams.

In addition, taking trade can be also added to another factor. Data also shows to the SEA team has a higher quick-to-trade ratio than the SA region.

Conclusion

To excel in Valorant, South Asian teams can adopt several strategies. First, they should focus on identifying and nurturing young talents, providing them with proper training and guidance. Additionally, emphasizing the importance of ratings and ranks in Valorant can help players set goals and improve their skills.

Establishing stable organizations that can provide support and resources will be crucial. Leveraging the international experience of Indian players and effectively utilizing their expertise can further enhance the performance of South Asian teams on the global stage.

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