5 Things We Learnt From The PMPL South Asia League Stage

The PUBG MOBILE Pro League South Asia League stage concluded with Orange Rock being declared the winners. The win secures a slot for the team at the World League where they will be joined by TSM-Entity and Godlike, who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Additionally, the top 16 teams will also be a part of the PMPL South Asia finals, which will be played out in the coming weekend. The top 2 teams in the finals will also be receiving spots in the World League. The league stage however, consisted of 60 matches, with each team playing in 48. The long drawn format and large sample provides some interesting insights, which we break down for you. 

[Also read: Orange Rock Win PMPL South Asia League Stage; TSM-Entity and Godlike Also Through To World League]

TSM-Entity’s Fragging Potential is Unmatched But SynerGE Came Close

Despite coming in second place, TSM-Entity’s aggression and firepower has time and again proved to be the best in the region. All four players in the team are extremely gifted when it comes to fragging and the team’s tally of 276 kills was the highest in the competition. While an average of 5.75 kills per match may not seem a lot, we have to remember that this was the league stage where teams have to take things slow and play for the long game. Unsurprisingly, Jonathan, who is considered one of, if not the best player in the region, finished the competition with 85 kills while his teammates, ZGod and Clutchgod are also in the top 10 fraggers list at 7th and 9th. In fact, it’s very likely that if their 4th member, Neyoo had been a part of all the games, he too would have been in this list and maybe even helped the team finish in 1st place. 

TSM-Entity's Jonathan was the top fragger in the league stage | Image via @thatesportscameraguy

Another team who impressed with kills were SynerGE  who ended the competition with 266. While TSM-Entity’s high kill score is and was largely expected, SynerGE’s approach and playstyle was like a breath of fresh air. Though the team fell short in the end due to a relatively slow start in the opening weeks, their tally of 256 points in week 3 is the highest by a team for a single gameweek. Just like TSM-Entity, SynerGE also had 3 players in the top 10 fraggers leader board with Ted, Seervi and Austinx all making significant contributions. Despite matching up to the top 3 teams with kills, what SynerGE really lacked was the ability to win games and had only 5 chicken dinners compared to OR’s 10, TSM’s 8 and Godlike’s 9. In the end, the team fell short by just 9 points, and one can only wonder what could have happened if they had just one more win to their name. 

Orange Rock’s Consistency and Pacing Took Them To The Top

Having come in as favorites during the 2019 Fall South Asia qualifiers, few can forget Orange Rock’s infamous early exit. Since then, the team has made some major roster changes and came into the PMPL as a fresh side. Their understanding of the game and read of the situations was simply phenomenal and the team managed to win first place by a comfortable 26 points in the end. They were also the only team to finish with 200+ points in each week. IGL Mavi and sniper Daljitsk featured in the frags department, making their way into the top 10 leaderboards. The team’s tally of 10 chicken dinners is also the highest in the league stage. However more than the wins, what is impressive is their haul of 416 placement points, a true testament to the consistency of the side. The team achieved a top 5 placement in 23 games, which is nearly half of the total matches they played. What was beautiful about Orange Rock’s approach to the games was the fact that they had a good grasp of when to play aggressive and when to play for the later circles and very rarely did we seen the team making risky rotations and careless pushes. The team understood how to play out the long game, focusing on the bigger picture, spreading their efforts across three weeks to clinch the title. Another great aspect about OR’s play was how they used their players, utilizing all their 5 players in key scenarios to each one’s maximum potential. While most organizations have struggled to utilize their 5th member properly, OR’s understanding of when to use which player has been out of the ordinary.

Teams from Nepal and Bangladesh Are Still Lacking

The end of the league stage also saw 4 teams eliminated from the competition and co-incidentally, all 4 players belonged to countries outside India. While this may not necessarily be a major surprise, it’s still worthwhile to note that a higher success rate could have been possible. In fact, the 6 teams from Nepal and Bangladesh managed just 5 chicken dinners between themselves in 60 matches. The only two teams who aren’t from India and will be playing in the grand finals are Nepal’s Elementrix and Team Xtreme. They finished in the 14th and 16th position respectively in the league. As in any sport, the “anything can happen” rule still applies to the finals, but it will be nothing less than a miracle if one of these teams manages to clinch a world league spot for their country. For the rest, it’s back to the drawing board and one can hope that the experience and exposure from the league stage will be utilized well and help these teams bounce back stronger next season.

MegaStars Are A Team To Watch Out For

Megastars are one of the fastest rising teams in the Indian scene | Images via Encore, Vexe and Paradox

Despite not qualifying for the World League, a team which impressed most were MegaStars. The young squad has some extremely talented players such as Vexe who finished second in the overall kill leaderboards for the league stage. While the team are still far from reaching the level of other top sides such as TSM-Entity and Orange Rock, their playstyle and performance showed that they are in the right direction. While the team has a good structure, approach and the talent one thing that has been lacking is the lack of experience. Nonetheless, a 5th place finish is something that they should be proud of and we can’t wait to see what the team can achieve in the final stage. 

Old Favorites, SouL and Team IND Have To Step It Up In The Finals

SouL and Team IND are two legacy brands in the Indian PUBG MOBILE scene | Images via @NODWIN Gaming

Two teams who have a storied history in the PUBG MOBILE scene in India are Team IND and SouL. Both organizations have represented the region in multiple international competitions in the past and are legacy brands in India. Team IND’s 12th place finish was a massive disappointment for a team who are well known for their consistency. The addition of Slayer and Snax to the lineup was definitely expected to increase the team’s firepower but the side’s increasingly passive playstyle has led to a decline in their performance. Soul managed to end up in 8th place thanks to a last day hustle, but the team also faced criticism for under performing during key sections of the league stage. The experience and quality that these teams have should translate to better performances and the upcoming finals stage will be the proving ground to see if they can take up the challenge. Both teams have previously thrived in high pressure situations and despite a dull season, fans will still look towards them to qualify for yet another international event.

The South Asia Finals kicks off on the 12th of June and will have 3 days of action and 15 matches in total. The top 2 teams, excluding the ones who have already qualified will also get spots in the World League. A 138K USD prize pool is also on the line and the chance to represent their region on an international stage.