- Ahead of the new year, we take look at the Top 10 Valorant players in the APAC region to watch out for in 2021
- APAC players will soon be able to compete in the upcoming Riot Games Valorant Champions Tour in January.
Valorant might be the cool new competitive game on the block but it has become the home of the best FPS players in the world. It sits comfortably between the world of team shooters featuring characters with abilities like Overwatch and classic objective-based games like CS:GO. Riot Games, the studio behind the game has pushed the game’s competitive scene aggressively and we have had some memorable tournaments throughout the year. Today we take a look at some of the best players who competed in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, who we definitely need to keep an eye out for, heading into 2021.
1. FrizzNatsz (Alter Ego – Indonesia)
FrissNatsz is one of the best Sova players in the APAC region and despite coming second in First Strike Indonesia, his performances throughout the tournament have been memorable. He has had a tremendous impact this year in the Valorant scene with his team winning ESL Community Clash, AOC Masters Tournament (Indonesia) and the AOC Masters Tournament main event. He makes it to the top of our list because of his achievements at Alter Ego, which is currently the top team from the SEA region in the vlr.gg APAC leaderboards. Despite not winning First Strike Indonesia, he was one of the star performers at the tournament.
2. Vascalizz (Team nxl – Indonesia)
Vascalizz won it all this year in the Asia-Pacific region. His team is currently the best in Indonesia in rankings he put on stellar performances throughout the First Strike Indonesia tournament. He made plays when it mattered the most against teams like BOOM Esports and Alter Ego, who proved to be their toughest opponents at First Strike. He is part of the First Strike Indonesia champion squad and he was one of the biggest impact players alongside BudimeisteR for Team nxl.
3. BudimeisteR (Team nxl – Indonesia)
BudimeisteR is our second entrant from Team nxl and he is one of the most prolific ex-CS:GO players from the APAC region. He shifted to Valorant this year has not looked back ever since. With a First Strike Indonesia win under his belt, he will be looking to compete at the Valorant Champions Tour next year. Vascalizz and Budimeister were the two biggest stars at First Strike Indonesia and they have been consistent throughout Riot's event which is why he takes the number 3 spot.
4. Rainy (ahq-Esports Club – Taiwan)
Rainy is one of the best Taiwanese Valorant players and has helped his team ahq Esports Club secure wins at the Taipei Cup 2020, Valorant Flames Cup 2020, Rise of Legion 2020, Cyber Games Arena (APAC) and First Strike Hong Kong & Taiwan. His consistent performance at the First Strike Hong Kong against the likes of LJG and Legends makes the First Strike HK and Taiwan winner our number four choice.
5. JessieVash (Bren Esports – Philippines)
JessieVash is one of the biggest esports stars in Asia-Pacific. He has been a former Dota2 and Overwatch pro for Mineski before moving to Valorant earlier this year. He is currently signed with Bren Esports and has helped his team secure First Strike Philippines, KDR Tournament, PVP Esports Final 2020 and more. Few players perform at the biggest events at the age of 30 and JessieVash has not only earned his fair share of fame in DOTA2 in the past, but his left an impact at the First Strike Philippines (Mineski VxV) as one of the most consistent players in the tournament.
6. DubsteP (Bren Esports – Philippines)
DubsteP is a former CS:GO pro who joined Bren Esports along with BORKUM, Dispenser, ChinG, JessieVash, and Gibo. He has been instrumental in his team’s success in tournaments like First Strike Philippines, KDR Tournament and PVP Esports Final Event 2020. Alongside JessieVash, DubsteP is our second entrant from Ben Esports in our top ten for his tournament winning performances throughout First Strike Philippines (Mineski VxV).
7. Jinny (Attack All Around – Thailand)
Jinny is among the most talented players in the APAC region and has helped her team Attack All Around reach new heights with wins at AfreecaTV Asia Invitational, AOC Masters Tournament Thailand, FPS Thailand X Hashtag Battle Rage and more. Attack All Around ranks higher than teams like Bren Esports and ahq Esports Club in VLR.GG's rating system and their wins at the AOC Masters tournament proved how instrumental Jinny is to the team. Despite the roster seeing major changes throughout the year, Jinny has been consistent throughout the year and has won ten tournaments in Thailand and beyond in a span of 6 months.
8. Rite2Ace (Velocity Gaming/Team Mahi – India)
Rite2Ace of Velocity Gaming is one of the most consistent players in the APAC region. He has been featured as the #73 player in Valorant’s Top 100 leaderboard last month. Velocity Gaming is currently the #3 team in the APAC rankings on VLR.GG they have been one of the most dominant teams in tournaments like TEC Challenger Series 1, AORUS South Asia Cup, Sky Esports Championship 2.0. Rite2Ace has previously made it to the top 15 K/D Valorant charts internationally on the vlr.gg leaderboards and has won all four TEC Challenger Series he has participated in with Velocity Gaming/Team Mahi.
9. BOOMBURAPA (MiTH.Attitude – Thailand)
BOOMBURAPA is a part of MiTH.Attitude and one of the top players in Thailand. He is currently competing in the SEA Fire Championship 2020 and has helped his team win ESL Thailand, Ryzen Radeon Master, Len Tee Baan 3 and cement their spot as the number one Valorant team in Thailand in 2020. He has successfully led his team to right tournament wins in the past six months since he joined MiTH.Attitude and has consistently been one of the best players in Thailand since Valorant's release.
10. ZesBeeW (Team SMG – Singapore)
Former GMCC Roster of ZesBeeW, falfalfal, Kama, LEXY, Divine, Aeozora and coach Colbat joined Team SMG’s Valorant roster and immediately left an impact in the APAC Valorant scene. ZesBeeW has helped his team reach the finals of the First Strike Malaysia and Singapore event and has won TheGym Singapore Invitational, Bad Blood Season 1 and AOC Masters – Singapore this year. ZesBeeW was the best player in First Strike Malaysia and SIngapore and he helped his team qualify for the main event in the first qualifier. His team fell short against Malaysia's against Team SMG but he still retains his spot as one of the top Valorant players in Singapore, earning him a spot in our top 10 list.
Note: We chose the players on this list based on their standings in First Strike and other major tournaments, team rankings, their performances throughout the year and data collected from Liquipedia and VLR.GG.
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