VCT Americas 2024: The Guard players were unaware of Riot’s decision

Riot announced this Tuesday (29) that The Guard will not be at VCT Americas 2024. The team won VCT Ascension, but according to the developer, it did not meet the deadlines of the “Participation Agreement” for the franchise.

The news took everyone by surprise, including The Guard players themselves, who said they heard the news via the Twitter post.

JonahP

What? I just woke up. That’s not possible

What did I just wake up to. There’s no fucking way man

— GUARD JonahP 🇮🇹🇨🇦 (@JonahP_) August 29, 2023

neT

I’m devastated. All the hard work and sacrifices we went through as a team only to have it taken away from us via Twitter… At the end of the day, some things in life are really out of your control and it’s unfair, but to be punished for putting my heart and soul on the thing i love really hurts. I want nothing more than to win a world championship with my brothers. Thank you all for always supporting us and THANK YOU especially to my literal second family. I know I wouldn’t be the player I am without you. I really hope Riot reconsiders and gives us the chance to play together once more…. Please understand that it’s more than just a game for us, but it really is our whole life.

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… At the end of the day some things in life are truly out of your control and it is unfair but to be punished for putting my heart and soul into…

— GUARD neT (@neT_valorant) August 29, 2023

JoshRT

A lot to process right now… A lot of work went into our Ascension winning streak and we built a program that would have been very competitive next year. Now I have no idea where the future of my team is. Open to talk about any potential organization now as I will be Free Agent

A lot to process right now…

So much work was put into our Ascension winning run & we built a program that would’ve been very competitive next year. Now I have no idea where my team’s future lies.

Open to talking any potential orgs right now, I’ll be a free agent. https://t.co/UXGHwJqPIN

— GUARD JoshRT (@JoshRTz) August 29, 2023

The community also did not react well to Riot’s decision, as in addition to harming The Guard, the developer also harmed several teams that played throughout 2023 in search of Ascension qualification and a possible vacancy.

So far, The Guard itself has yet to comment on Riot Games’ decision. It is worth remembering that the North American team will not be replaced, so VCT Americas 2024 will continue with the same number of teams.