Was Intel Valorant Challenger Series an indication of how far SA teams need to improve against other regions?

Intel Valorant Challenger Series finally came to an end as Alter Ego emerged victorious after defeating Action PH in the Grand Finals with a 3-0 scoreline. With this win, Alter Ego claimed $10,000 prize money and became the best in the region.

Intel hosted the Valorant Challenger Series in association with The Esports Club, one of India's most renowned tournament organizers. Teams from SEA and South Asia participated in the tournament for a prize pool of $20,000. However, the tournament was not a joyride for the South Asian teams as the SEA teams dominated throughout the tournament.

Global Esports, Enigma Gaming, FS Esports, and Team Exploit were the four teams to have qualified for the main event after the qualification stage. Global Esports secured fourth place, whereas the other three teams finished in the bottom half.

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South Asian Valorant teams need more improvement to match the level of other teams from SEA region

Since Global Esports' exciting performance in the APAC Last Chance Qualifier last September, South Asian teams demanded better opportunities on the international stage. Riot did come up with the Valorant Conquerors Championship 2022, which will be the sole qualification event for South Asian teams in the APAC Split 1 Valorant Challenger Playoffs. The top two teams of the VCC 2022 will have a direct slot for the tournament.

South Asian tournament organizers have also come forward with several tournaments involving APAC teams so that South Asian teams can prepare themselves for the upcoming APAC Split 1 Valorant Challenger Playoffs. However, the recently concluded Intel Valorant Challenger Series should be an awakening for South Asian teams.

South Asian teams struggle both strategically and mechanically against the SEA teams in the Intel Valorant Challenger Series. It was a red sign for the South Asian teams ahead of the Split 1 APAC Challenger Playoffs, and teams as well as players accepted the gap between the two regions.

Global Esports' Ganesh "SkRossi" Gangadhar, Enigma Gaming's Rishi "RvK" Vijayakumar, and some other players also stated that there is still huge room for improvement for South Asian Valorant teams in order to compete at the same level as the top SEA teams.

Team XO's Simar "Psy" Sethi also commented regarding the poor performance of South Asian teams against other regions. In a recent livestream, Psy said:

"Playing regularly against top SEA teams will help all South Asian teams to find out our mistakes and we can make ourselves better. Global Esports previously showed the potential of South Asian teams in the APAC Last Chance Qualifier. Now, we need to improve ourselves to compete at the same level with them. In some months, all the fans can see the improvement."

With VCC 2022 coming next month and the Split 1 APAC Challenger Playoffs starting in February, South Asian teams have very little time to improve themselves. It will be interesting to see how they prepare for the event within just a matter of weeks.