VALORANT Community Reacts to The Guard Pros Not Making it to VCT
Riot Games’ new VALORANT initiative has been about making the path to pro more accessible than ever. This included expanding past the VCT Americas’ 10-team league by adding teams that excelled in Challengers and overcame the opposition in the Ascension tournament.
After The Guard dominated Challengers and Ascension this season, the team was invited to join VCT Americas but it was soon revealed that The Guard had failed to sign a Team Partnership Agreement, resulting in the team being turned down from VCT Americas. Riot didn’t promote any other team in its place.
The news, initially shared on Twitter, caused huge backlash from the VALORANT community. Viewers, pros, and streamers alike all had a lot to say about the situation. Some blamed Riot Games for failing to stick to their promise of promoting Challenger teams while others blamed The Guard for struggling financially and not properly supporting staff and players this season.
Ultimately, however, the entire community agreed that the victims were the pro players no matter what led to this outcome.
Global Head of VALORANT Esports, Leo Faria, further frustrated the VALORANT community by sharing what happened on Riot's side of the situation.
Faria explained that after Ascension wrapped up, Riot started the onboarding process with the three winning teams, "expecting them to release their signature" for the promotion.
Unfortunately, The Guard never completed this "after several follow-ups." This left Riot with three options: allow the five players to be picked up by a new organization, promote the Ascension runner-up, or not promote any team. "We want to see five friends and dream making it all the way to the top, and we are prepared for that occasion," Faria said. "In case a free agent team makes it to an International League, the players would have an opportunity to find an organization that would support them in the International League.
This particular situation is different, since this team played through Challengers and Ascension under The Guard banner, and became free agents after the fact." And why not promote M80? Faria claimed it would set a bad "precedent" since the promotion was supposed to be based on performance and M80 didn't win. For this reason, Faria concluded that Riot felt bad for everyone involved but had to "protect the integrity of the sport." This explanation, of course, didn't sit well with the competitive VALORANT community and the lashing out has continued.
VALORANT Community Reacts Negatively to The Guard News
Leading up to the Ascension tournament, many in the VALORANT scene noticed that The Guard’s players were often training and trialing with other teams. It wasn’t all too shocking since The Guard is rumored to be dropping out of VALORANT altogether, along with Call of Duty and Overwatch.
But now, it seems like the players’ futures are up in the air thanks to the shocking situation with VCT Americas. With The Guard no longer joining the top-tier VALORANT franchise, fans have voiced frustration for the players, with many noting that the entire season was “a waste.” Even more voices chimed in all over social media and Reddit, demanding to know what went wrong in the process that led to The Guard’s players having nowhere to go.
Insiders told WIN.gg that The Guard is set to release all of its VALORANT players without buyouts after not becoming part of the VCT. The report also states that The Guard will likely pay the players their termination buyouts but fans felt this wasn’t enough.
A lot of VALORANT fans noted that The Guard has known about its financial woes for a while and should have found new homes for its players, who are now left without a path into the VCT since roster signings are now closed.
But Riot wasn’t off the hook either. Many VALORANT fans wondered why the massive company wouldn’t have a solution for the players before announcing that The Guard was not joining VCT Americas. Why wasn’t there a backup plan in place?
Said one fan on Reddit: “I do find it a bit odd that Riot wasn’t able to find a solution here with TGRD. This is a system they designed, and they absolutely must have considered the possibility that teams with poor or no org support would win ascension. In addition, it was clear from the beginning of the year that TGRD had a good chance of winning. If the whole system they built hinges on onboarding a Challengers team into VCT, it’s a pretty big indictment to fail on their very first try.”
Famous streamer turned esports mogul Ludwig Ahgren also tweeted in response to the shocking news, replying to Riot: “Seriously reconsider. Let the players keep the slot and allow someone to buy their contracts and franchise fees. Or let M80 go as a runner-up.”
This got a lot of applause from both The Guard players and members of M80.
Fellow streamer turned esports mogul Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang chimed in with his frustrations as well — and he was far from the only one.
What Will Happen Next With The Guard Players?
The Americas VALORANT Players Association caught wind of the situation and its unfolding drama, making a statement of its own on Twitter.
“We will continue to advocate for these players behind the scenes with Riot and publicly ask for support in pushing for a new solution. Riot should know that the most important thing is that these five players are rewarded the opportunity they earn, no matter what,” the AVPA wrote.
For now, it’s not clear what the solution between The Guard, its players, and Riot Games will be. With people whispering of a possible VCT walkout similar to what happened in the LCS earlier this year, Riot Games will most likely be forced to make an announcement sometime in the near future.
