In a shocking and unfortunate turn of events, Riot Games recently announced that the winner of the 2023 VCT Americas Ascension tournament, The Guard, will not be participating in the upcoming 2024 league season. According to Riot’s initial statement, The Guard failed to meet competition entry deadlines, resulting in their exclusion from the league.
The Valorant community is reeling from this unexpected decision and has united to come up with a more favourable solution. It’s clear to many that the situation is unjust — The Guard’s Valorant roster worked tirelessly to climb to the top of Ascension, only to have their achievement entirely overshadowed by “circumstances beyond their control”.
VCT Americas to leave one empty promotion slot following The Guard’s omission
On August 29th, Riot Games delivered a jarring announcement via their official NA Valorant Esports Twitter account, revealing that The Guard had “failed to meet the deadline to agree to the Team Participation Agreement for VCT Americas.” As a result, The Guard has been barred from taking part in the 2024 VCT Americas tournament.
Consequently, the 2024 VCT Americas will proceed without a promoted team from the Challengers League, leaving an empty promotion slot and resulting in a 10-team league for the upcoming season.
Shortly after this shocking announcement from Riot, The Guard shared their response on Twitter, confirming that they “will not compete as a guest team in the VALORANT Champions Tour Partnership Program for the 2024 season”. The organisation expressed their disappointment in “arriving at this outcome unexpectedly”.
The Global Head of Valorant Esports, Leo Faria, explains the rationale behind leaving the promotion slot empty. In his statement, he reiterated that The Guard failed to complete the onboarding process even after “two months and several follow-ups.” He continued, “The essence of Ascension lies in rewarding performance, and while M80 boasts undeniable talent, elevating a team that didn’t secure victory in the tournament contradicts that purpose”.
What’s going to happen to The Guard’s Valorant roster?
As of now, it appears highly likely that The Guard will release its entire Valorant team, including coach Josh Lee. Doing so will make valyn, trent, JonahP, Tex, neT, and Head Coach Josh free agents.
The chemistry and bond between the Valorant players are evident in Guard valyn’s post: “Well if things don’t work out and we’re not teammates next year I can at least say that was the most fun 2 years of my life and we accomplished shit we talked and manifested since day 1. So blessed to have done it with this group”
Prominent figures in the Valorant Americas scene, such as Disguised Toast and Ludwig, have voiced their opinions on this matter. Disguised Toast has even extended an offer to sign The Guard’s Valorant roster, stating that he would do so “if it means them getting to play in franchising and keep the spot they earned”.
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- Source: https://realsport101.com/valorant/the-guards-shocking-omission-from-vct-americas-2024-leaves-empty-promotion-slot/
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