The competition for the top five spots was incredibly close, arguably the tightest in the past three years.
SOUTH KOREA – Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan of DRX secures the fourth position in the Top 20 APAC Players of 2023 at the VALO2ASIA Awards, recognized for his outstanding play and maintaining peak performance levels with minimal decline even when facing the very best international opposition.
The Korean player makes his third appearance on the Top 20 APAC Players of the Year list performance in 2023 that earned him the titles of VCT Pacific’s League Play MVP and Controller of the Year. MaKo got his first cap in 2021 as one of Asia’s most promising prospects, leading to him joining Vision Strikers. Since then, he has remained a loyal member of the team, continuing with them through their acquisition by DRX to this day.
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MaKo’s statistics for the VCT Pacific League are simply elite. He achieved an average VLR rating of 1.18 and maintained a 24% clutch rate over 731 rounds.
The competition for the top five spots was incredibly close, arguably the tightest in the past three years. All five players showcased exceptional form, with only their results and storylines creating a narrow margin between them. This fine line made it challenging for the Panel of Judges to rank him any higher, with his 4th place effectively being on par with a first-place finish in terms of individual skill and impact.
Here’s what the voting panel members of the 2023 VALO2ASIA Awards have to say about MaKo:
Mitchell “Conky” Concanen:
“MaKo was the heavy favourite for me this year, his ability to set the team up so perfectly, as well as ability to have so much impact individually as a controller is incredible to witness.”
VALO2ASIA is not affiliated with or sponsored by Riot Games, Inc. or VALORANT Esports.
Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
