PMPL South Asia Group Draws: Which Group is The Toughest?

PMPL South Asia is the only PMPL with 20 teams, ie, the format for each match will be slightly tweaked than the rest of the leagues that are taking place in other regions. 5 groups of 4 teams have been decided, with 4 groups playing at a time. It is a three week long tournament from the 19th of March to the 5th of April. 

We take a look at each of the 5 groups to see which teams have their roads cut out for them and which teams have to tread carefully. Of course, the distribution of groups is not super important as only 4 teams will not be playing in any given much, therefore this is more of a fun exercise. 

Group A 

Group A will see the debut of TSM in PUBG MOBILE as TSM-Entity takes on the likes of Marcos Gaming, Hype and Celtz. MG themselves have been fantastic to watch throughout last season and in the PMCO. Their aggressive kill heavy style naturally complements their ability to turn games into wins and the squad were agonizingly close from qualifying for the PMCO Fall finals in 2019. This year however, the team will look to go all the way and secure a spot at PMWL East. TSM-Entity however, although a strong team on paper haven’t played in a major tournament since PMAS and it will be interesting to see how a team with three of the most talented fraggers are able to perform. 

This will be Clutchgod's first major tournament as an IGL | Image via @clutchgod_pubg

Meanwhile Hype were the best performing team in PMCO South Asia and although it wasn’t a big margin, there will be high expectations from the Nepali fans. Celtz on the other hand, blasted onto the Indian scene on the back of their ability to grind in scrims, but one can’t help but question whether the team has reached their skill ceiling at this point. 

Group B

Team SouL are one of the heavy favorites in this group, not because of their fragging power or their strategic prowess, but because of what we like to call the SouL factor. That ability to persevere in the toughest of situations, and emerge victorious is something SouL has proven time and again. On top of all of this, they have one of the biggest fanbases in the world and while that can be additional pressure at times, SouL seems to know how to use it to their advantage. 

MortaL and Viper will try to qualify for the third time in a row | Image via @ig_mortal

Joining them will be a team, who have so much potential that no one is taking them lightly. Team Tamilas had some troubles with their roster after star player, MantyOP left them a few days ago, but he has since then rejoined. TT might be the new kids on the bloc but the way that they have arrived and just how much they have been able to achieve means that the team has a very realistic shot of making the top 5. Finishing off Group B will be VSG Crawlers, a team who seem to be having some troubles with their consistency and Bangladesh’s Instinct Esports. The team had to go through quite a journey from qualifying to passport issues to make it here, and being the sole representatives from their country, have a lot to prove. 

Group C

Group C sees three Indian powerhouses in SynerGE, Megastars and UMumba Rxn, three teams who have somewhat similar tendencies and results. SynerGE of course, have the experience of attending an international LAN, but both UMumba and Megastars have been playing in official matches more recently. Nepal’s Jyaamaara will be joining Group C as its final member and are a team who could turn out to be the king makers in PMPL with their unpredictable rotations and drop points. 

Shryder and Seervi are back to help SynerGE qualify for yet another international event | Image via ig_seervi

Group D

Group D or as it stands, the group of death sees three heavy favorites in it. Orange Rock, Fnatic and TeamIND all have had their highs in the Indian PUBG Mobile scene. Orange Rock’s new roster with Daljisk and Anto have been impressive to watch, and with one of the best IGLs in the country in Mavi, there is little that is stopping the team from becoming the best, than they themselves. TeamIND are one of the most consistent sides in India and have played in both PMCO Spring and Fall in 2019. With the addition of Snax, the squad’s firepower has increased tenfold but whether they are able to use their calculated and strategic approach effectively, remains to be seen. 

Mavi is the best IGL in India at the moment | Image via @mavi.harman

Finally, we come to Fnatic, a team who have everything from starpower to a big brand. However, the team have not done well under pressure and often compound their problems with some bizarre decision making. Nonetheless, the addition of N1nja to the squad means that the team may have some surprises in store for us. Finishing off group D, is Deadeyes Guys a squad who very honestly I haven’t seen or heard of too much. So let’s hope that they can be the breath of fresh air that takes Nepal to the World League. 

Group E

Group E features PMCO India winners, Godlike whose players Carry and Xz1st showed that leaving Orange Rock might not necessarily have been the worst decision for the side. With the backing of star streamer Kronten and the experience of Gill and Smxkie, it’s hard to not be excited to see what this team can achieve. Joining them will be Power House or ex ETG.Brawlers, a side whose addition to PMPL has been a mystery to all as they were neither the next in line nor did they play in PMCO. Elementrix from Nepal have easily been the best team from the country internationally and a repeat performance from PMSC World Cup could easily see them in the top 5. 

PMPL South Asia is set to begin on the 19th of March and will be played online due to COVID-19.