The Guard players left “devastated” by sudden VCT Americas denial
Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesNews of The Guard being denied a spot in the VCT Americas league despite earning it was just as sudden for the players as it was for the general public, leaving the promising roster of talented players devastated by news that they’re losing their chance at greatness.
Clawing your way out of Valorant’s tier 2 scene as a pro player is really, really difficult. Being good enough to get noticed by a team already franchised for the VCT league as a replacement for one of their players is difficult enough as-is, but there’s an arguably harder road for players who are willing to run the Challengers gauntlet.
Only one team from each main Valorant region is able to ascend to the VCT leagues in their respective region via the aptly named Ascension tournament. However, if you put together a team good enough to take that sole position, you’re promised a path to compete for a spot on the world stage.
Or, at least, you were supposed to be. The Guard has been denied a spot in VCT Americas despite earning their way there, leaving the players in disbelief and without a job.
Tragedy strikes as The Guard Valorant players left jobless
According to the players on The Guard as well as the Valorant Americas Player Association, the decision for them to be left out of the league was ultimately made between The Guard and Riot without the players themselves being involved.
As a result, the ruling was just as surprising to The Guard’s players as it was to the general public. Amid the surging uproar surrounding Riot’s controversial ruling, these players have been left devastated by the news.
Jonah ‘JonahP’ Pulice tweeted his immediate reaction to the news, being caught completely off guard by it.
Meanwhile, Michael ‘neT’ Bernet spoke on the emotions he was going through following the announcement: “I am devastated. All the hard work and sacrifices we have went through as a team just to have it stripped away from us through Twitter…” He continued. “I really hope Riot reconsiders and gives us the chance to play together one more time…. Please Riot understand that it’s more than just a game for us but it truly is our entire life.”
This statement was met with an outpouring of support, even from those The Guard would be competing against in the VCT Americas league. Big names like Jordan ‘Zellsis’ Montemurro, Dylan ‘runi’ Cade, and Anthony ‘vanity’ Malaspina voiced their support for him and the rest of The Guard’s members in the aftermath of Riot’s ruling.
Coach Josh ‘JoshRT’ Lee has been calling on others to pick up The Guard so they can have a chance at maintaining their spot in the VCT Americas league, going as far as tweeting at Ben Affleck and Elon Musk in a public plea.
It remains to be seen what happens to The Guard and whether or not Riot will reconsider their decision if another organization were to represent these players.