Asia is a Force to Be Reckoned with In Valorant’s Latest International Tournament

Asia continues to impress in the international Valorant scene as DRX, Xerxia, and Zeta Division come out through the first elimination round of the Masters Reykjavik tournament.

When talking about the best regions in FPS esports, tournament casters will mention Europe, North America, and Brazil as front runners. However, in the most recent Valorant tournament, Asia has once again proved itself as a force to be reckoned with to the rest of the world.

The teams representing Asia are Korea’s DRX, Japan’s Zeta Division, and APAC’s Xerxia and Paper Rex. While Paper Rex has to wait for the tournament’s next phase, the other three teams have shown off Asia’s immense talent. As DRX remains undefeated, Zeta Division pulled out an incredible upset by eliminating European favorites FNATIC.

Additionally, Xerxia, a team comprised of all Thai players, bested North America’s Optic Gaming in a convincing 2-0 sweep. Optic and Xerxia previously went against one another in the last major Valorant international tournament under the names of Envy and X10Crit, respectively. In their previous encounter, the APAC team came out on top as they eliminated one of North America’s best from the tournament playoffs.

For those unfamiliar, Valorant is a first-person shooter wherein two teams of five compete against each other to accomplish an objective. Depending on whether a team is attacking or defending, the objective will vary as one team will need to plant a bomb and hold it. While the other team aims to defuse the said bomb. Similar to Counter-Strike, Valorant’s professional esports scene has garnered global interest, with rivalries popping up left and right between regions. While the game’s most famous rivalry is between North America and Europe, or NA vs EMEA, teams from the Asian regions are quickly catching the attention of fans.

The playstyle of Asian teams is seen as fast-paced and chaotic, however, it is this same playstyle that causes teams to scramble and panic if they are unprepared. In my opinion, the tournament will only further cement Asia’s reputation as a top region for Valorant.

Source: Dotesports, Dexerto