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According to a recent post on the Valorant Esports NA X (previously Twitter) page, Riot Games officials had a meeting with the players of the former The Guard roster to discuss the path ahead for them. This meeting was held in light of the players' release from The Guard's roster after the organization failed to sign the Team Participation Agreement for VCT Americas.
On August 29, 2023, the Valorant community was taken by storm as Riot Games announced that The Guard had been removed from the VCT Americas lineup for 2024. They also mentioned that no other team would fill this spot, and the tournament would go on with ten teams instead of 11. This was followed by a massive uproar in the community, who deemed this decision unfair to the players.
A petition was started to allow The Guard's players to play under another organization's banner since they had earned the chance fair and square by winning Americas Ascension tournament in July 2023. At the time of writing, the petition has gained more than 11,000 signatures.
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Former The Guard Valorant players might not miss out on VCT Americas 2024
The recent announcement from Riot Games states that the players who played and won VCT Americas Ascension under The Guard's brand may look for opportunities as individuals or as a team.
The team consists of the following members:
- Jacob "valyn" Batio (IGL)
- Michael "neT" Bernet
- Jonah "JonahP" Pulice
- Trent "trent" Cairns
- Ian "tex" Botsch
- Josh "JoshRT" Lee (Head Coach)
These players may look for a "suitable candidate organization" that will be allowed to fill the Ascended spot and participate in VCT Americas 2024, provided it fulfills the necessary criteria.
Leo Faria, Global Head of Valorant Esports, had earlier mentioned in an X post that Riot Games would not allow former The Guard players to participate in the International League of VCT 2024 under a different brand since that set a precedent for VCT slot buyouts in the future.
It can be assumed that the choice to reverse their original decision was influenced, at least partly, by the heartfelt support from the Valorant community.
The community is rooting for the players to find a banner to compete in VCT Americas under. Disguised Toast had expressed interest in buying out the team when The Guard's disqualification was announced.
Dignitas, an organization with successful Rocket League, Fortnite, and League of Legends rosters, reposted the latest announcement with a "hey" comment. Whether this pans out in anything concrete remains to be seen.
