The VALO2ASIA Awards 2023 - Introduction
The VALO2ASIA Awards is entering its third year, and we are ready to recognize some of the standouts in Asian VALORANT this year across three categories.
The VALO2ASIA Awards are returning for 2023, where we will crown some of the best APAC players in the game who made their mark over the season.
The ranking, as in previous years, will draw from statistics across all events endorsed by Riot Games throughout the season with details for each category provided later. Furthermore, a player's role in their team's victories and their performance in significant matches will also be factored in when determining the final standings.
The rankings are shaped by the collective input of a 20-member judging panel, with their individual votes combined to produce a consolidated list. Our panelists are a diverse mix of talents, bringing insights from the Challengers League, Game Changers, Ascension, and the VCT Pacific League. With their varied perspectives and our broad sample size, we believe the results will be a true representation of the season.
Meet your 2023 judges:
| ๐บ๐ธ Seth โAchiliosโ King | ๐บ๐ธ Clinton โPaperthinโ Bader |
| ๐ธ๐ฌ Victoria "ChubbyNinja" Cheng | ๐บ๐ธ William "Chobra" Cho |
| ๐ต๐ญ Darwell โAsuraiโ Llerena | ๐ต๐ญ Nico โBlackenBlueโ Gayoso |
| ๐ต๐ญ Dathan โDaksโ Rosales | ๐ต๐ญ Mika "Mikafabs" Fabella |
| ๐ฆ๐บ Mitchell โConkyโ Concanen | ๐ฆ๐บ Dion "Komodo" Pirotta |
| ๐ฎ๐ฉ Albert โFrostmistyโ Giovanni | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Bella โHeartfireโ Victoria |
| ๐ฎ๐ฉ Andi โSleepyโ Bangsawan | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Antonius โSonโ Willson |
| ๐ธ๐ฌ Kentrell โheyimquackโ Kwek | ๐ฒ๐พ Natasha โTashbunnyโ Hashim |
| ๐จ๐ณ Gai โAlanโ Yandahan | ๐ป๐ณ Nguyแป n โTLingโ Trแปng Linh |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Kaavya โZahkโ Karthikeyan | ๐น๐ญ Atthasid โZoFeaRzโ Intravichai |
Juandi, Editorial at VALO2ASIA, commented: โThe VALO2ASIA Awards is an initiative that aims to not only grow the scene (future) but also to build a legacy for the players, giving them something to look back on five to ten years from now (past) and see how far they have come. During my time covering Counter-Strike in Asia, I even found it difficult just to obtain basic information on even the ten best players in my region; this frustrating yet simple problem was one of the motivating factors for starting this annual celebration and continuing it for years to come.โ
Top 20 APAC Players of the Year
These are the top players from the Pacific region who made waves throughout the 2023 VCT season. In light of the recent overhaul of the VALORANT Champions Tour for this season and after a long internal discussion, this category is now reserved exclusively for players at the highest level of VALORANT in the region. Nominations will feature players from the Pacific League who competed in Sรฃo Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.
Those from the tier-two circuit will still be recognized in another category, the specifics of which we'll delve into later in our new Top 5 APAC Challengers Players of the Year.
Top 5 APAC Game Changers of the Year
In championing this category, we seek to shine a spotlight on the contributions of women in the scene, celebrating their achievements and supporting them in their professional development. Last year, we debuted the Game Changers category and witnessed its impact, and itโs something that we want to continue to do as part of our mission at VALO2ASIA. This year, we have chosen to keep the category and increase the list to the top five, up from the previous year's three.
Judges are not obligated to cast their votes in the Game Changers category. We understand that some judges might not be deeply engaged with the GC scene. Our primary goal is to ensure that votes for this category come from those with an understanding of the Game Changers scene in APAC (SEA).
Nonetheless, we have opted to limit the category to the APAC (SEA) region, excluding East Asia for the time being due to the limited player sample size especially given that China was only introduced to the official circuit this year. We believe that this is the best course of action, and we prioritize the inclusion of the East Asian circuit in the upcoming year.
Top 5 APAC Challengers Players of the Year
The newly introduced category, Top 5 APAC Challengers Players, will spotlight players outside of the Pacific League but who have shown outstanding performances in the 2023 Challenger Leaguesโwhether in their sub-regional leagues or in Ascension.
The candidates for this category are those whom the judges believe are deserving of advancing to the VCT Pacific League or are expected to excel in the upcoming season of the Challenger Leagues. This category is not exclusive to newcomers but encompasses all players from the tier-two ecosystem.
The VALO2ASIA Awards 2023 - Medals
Medals will be given to the following:
- Top 5 APAC Players
- Top 5 APAC Game Changers Players
- Top 5 APAC Challengers Players
Wrapping up the VALO2ASIA Awards, we're adding a personal touch. To honor the best of the best, the top five players in each category will receive medals. And to make it even more special: each medal will be engraved with the player's name.
The VALO2ASIA Awards - In Retrospect
| 2021 | 2022 |
| #1 - ๐ต๐ญ Jayvee โDubstePโ Paguirigan #2 - ๐ฎ๐ฉ Jason โf0rsakeNโ Susanto #3 - ๐น๐ญ Patiphan โPatiphanโ Chaiwong #4 - ๐น๐ญ Kititkawin โPTCโ Rattanasukol #5 - ๐ฐ๐ท Kim โstaxโ Gu-taek |
#1 - ๐ธ๐ฌ Wang โJingggโ Jing Jie #2 - ๐ฎ๐ฉ Jason โf0rsakeNโ Susanto #3 - ๐ฐ๐ท Kim โMaKoโ Myeong-kwan #4 - ๐ฐ๐ท Byung-chul โBuZzโ Yu #5 - ๐ฐ๐ท Kim โstaxโ Gu-taek #1 Game Changers - ๐ฎ๐ฉ Odella โeneriiโ Abraham #1 Personality - ๐ธ๐ฌ Benedict โBenkaiโ Tan #1 IGL - ๐ฐ๐ท Kim โstaxโ Gu-taek |
The VALO2ASIA Awards 2023 - Timeline
- November 1 - Event announcement
- November 4 - Revealing 20-18
- November 5 - Revealing 17-15
- November 6 - Revealing 14-13
- November 7 - Revealing 12-11
- November 9 - Revealing #5 and #4 Game Changers Players
- November 10 - Revealing #3, #2, #1 Game Changers Players
- November 12 - Revealing #5 and #4 Challengers Players
- November 13 - Revealing #3, #2, #1 Challengers Players
- November 15 - Revealing 10-9
- November 16 - Revealing 8-7
- November 17 - Revealing 6-5
- November 18 - Revealing 4
- November 19 - Revealing 3-2-1
Weโll be starting the countdown, revealing entries from Saturday, November 4 until Sunday, November 19, when we announce our APAC Player of the Year
VALO2ASIA is not affiliated with or sponsored by Riot Games, Inc. or VALORANT Esports.