The Guard triumphs in Ascension, secures spot in VCT Americas
The GuardThe Guard defeated M80 3-1 in the Grand Final of Americas Ascension and earned a spot in VCT for the next two years.
The Guard will return to tier 1 competition in 2024 as the Valorant team defeated M80 3-1 in the Grand Final of Americas Ascension to earn a two-year promotion into VCT Americas. The organization was not chosen to join the Riot Games’ partnered league at its start in 2023 and thus had to play its way into the competition through the North American Valorant Challengers League.
The esports organization was invited into the league upon its initial announcement and kept four of its core players from the 2022 season. In the Challengers League, The Guard put together a 4-1 record in the first split and placed third in the Mid-Season Face Off.
Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesThe squad continued that form into the second split and finished the group stage with another 4-1 run. In the playoff stage, The Guard finished in the top two and qualified for Americas Ascension along with M80.
The team went undefeated across the entire promotion tournament, going 2-0 in the group stage and stomping through the upper bracket to the Grand Final.
The Guard win Americas Ascension 3-1 over M80
With its promotion into VCT Americas, The Guard will get the same benefits as partnered teams, including a stipend from Riot Games and the opportunity to qualify for Masters and Challengers in the 2024 and 2025 VCT seasons. The team and its players will also presumably have the chance to earn revenue through in-game skin sales from Valorant Champions if they qualify.
Whether The Guard and other teams promoted through Ascension will get to create and earn revenue from team-branded skins like other partnered teams has yet to be confirmed.
Fans will get to see The Guard make its VCT Americas debut in 2024 as the squad will get to take on the likes of Cloud9, NRG Esports, and Sentinels in the tier 1 Valorant league. However, the organization has only earned a two-year stay and will be back in the Challengers League for the 2026 season.