The Guard’s promotion to the 2024 VCT League falls through
In preparation for the upcoming VCT season, the initial plan was that along with the 30 permanently partnered teams, three new organizations- The Guard, Bleed Esports, and Gentle Mates – would join their respective regional leagues. However, Riot Games have announced on X (formerly Twitter) that, after extensive discussions with The Guard, they have decided to maintain the VCT Americas at 10 teams.
Credit: The Guard
This decision arises from the unfortunate circumstance that the Americas Ascension winners did not meet the stipulated deadline for reaching an agreement on the Team Participation Agreement for the franchised Leagues. Riot Games stated in their announcement that negotiations transpired over several months between the two parties but regrettably did not culminate in a mutually agreeable resolution.
An update regarding the teams participating in VCT Americas 2024. pic.twitter.com/YCYoZSPpcL
— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesports_na) August 29, 2023
Discussions about the financial state of The Guard had been ongoing since the start of the season, especially in the wake of their substantial staff layoffs. Despite these initial challenges, there appeared to be a glimmer of hope for the American org as their Valorant roster won the Ascension League, suggesting the possibility of their continued participation in another VCT season.
There’s been numerous layoffs at The Guard, according to @JakeSucky
I will try to find out how this affects the VALORANT boys. pic.twitter.com/EUcwOL7QqC
— George Geddes (@GeorgeCGed) February 22, 2023
The Guard roster, which currently consists of Trent “trent” Cairns, Jonah “JonahP” Pulice, Michael “neT” Bernet, Ian “tex” Botsch, and Michael “neT” Bernet, secured their franchise spot after beating M80 in the Americas Ascension grand finale in July this year.
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