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The VCT Ascension Americas 2023 nears its conclusion, with one final game deciding the event's champions. The tournament winner will earn a spot in the VCT Americas League for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Guard and M80 are the final two teams standing and will play in the grand finals. Both sides have played against each other in the past, regionally.
The North American derby will be an extremely exciting matchup and a fitting conclusion to VCT Ascension Americas 2023. Here is everything you need to know about the grand finals between The Guard and M80.
The Guard vs M80: Which North American will ascend to the VCT Americas League?
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Predictions
The Guard are among the best teams in the tier two Americas circuit. The North American team were exceptionally strong during the Challenger splits, with only M80 being able to best them in important matches.
At VCT Ascension Americas 2023, The Guard are yet to lose a series and have looked dominant. They defeated M80 in the playoffs brackets and handed The Union their first loss in the tournament.
Three of the five players on the roster are currently in the top five rated players at the event. Trent "trent" Cairns is the highest-rated player at the event while Jonah "JonahP" Pulice and Michael "neT" Bernet are ranked in third and fifth spot, respectively.
M80 were the undisputed best team in the North American tier-two circuit. The team comprises the former Ghost Gaming core along with Alexander "Zander" Dituri and Daniel "eeiu" Vucenovic.
The Canadian team were unstoppable regionally, with not even The Guard, who have international experience, able to stop them. They won both the splits and the Mid-Season Invitational and headed into VCT Ascension Americas 2023 as heavy favorites to win the event.
The team had a rocky start but bounced back in the lower brackets. They have seemingly regained form by overcoming their offline jitters, as they dominated 9z Team and The Union in back-to-back matches to reach the grand finals. Players like GianFranco "koalanoob" Potestio and Marc-Andre "NiSMO" Tayar have been standouts for M80 at the event.
Predicting the winner of the grand finals is difficult as both teams have back-and-forth results when facing each other. The Guard beat M80 earlier in the tournament, but the latter have showcased signs of regaining their form.
The Guard, however, should be slight favorites, as they have more experience in high-pressure situations.
Head-to-head
The Guard and M80 have faced each other four times in the 2023 VCT season. The head-to-head record between these teams stands at 2-2.
Recent results
The Guard's latest result was a victory over The Union. They won the best-of-three series with a 2-1 scoreline.
Similarly, M80's latest result was a win over The Union. They demolished the Brazilian team 2-0.
Expected rosters
The Guard
- Jacob "valyn" Batio (IGL)
- Michael "neT" Bernet
- Jonah "JonahP" Pulice
- Trent "trent" Cairns
- Ian "tex" Botsch
- Josh "JoshRT" Lee (Head Coach)
M80
- Daniel “eeiu” Vucenovic
- Mohamed “johnqt” Amine Ouarid (IGL)
- GianFranco “koalanoob” Potestio
- Marc-Andre “NiSMO” Tayar
- Alexander “zander” Dituri
- Vincent "Happy" Schopenhauer (Head Coach)
When and where to watch
Valorant Esports enthusiasts can watch the VCT Ascension Americas 2023 grand finals on the official Valorant Americas Twitch and YouTube channels. Viewers can also join popular watch parties hosted by personalities such as Tarik.
The Guard will play against M80 on July 9, 2023, at 11:30 pm IST / 8 pm CEST / 11 am PDT.
