UPDATE: The Guard's players, staff, and the organization have reacted to the announcement alongside Riot Games' Leo Faria. The article has been updated to reflect this.

The Guard The Guard Inactive JonahP Jonah Pulice trent Trent Cairns neT Michael Bernet valyn Jacob Batio tex Ian Botsch will not be in the 2024 VCT Americas as they failed to meet deadlines, Riot has announced.

The Guard were the 2023 VCT Americas Ascension winners, which earned them a two-year slot in the VCT Americas. The roster beat M80 M80 North America Rank #1 zander Alexander Dituri NiSMO Marc-Andre Tayar koalanoob Gianfranco Potestio nitr0 Nick Cannella BcJ Brendan Jensen — who had dominated the North American scene leading up to Ascension — in the grand final, securing a return to Tier 1 competition after being left out of the VCT partnerships.

The announcement should not come as a surprise, as The Guard have recently fazed out esports operations. According to The Esports Advocate, Ownership group Kroenke Sports & Entertainment gutted the organization back in February and put its OWL and CDL teams up for sale. TEA also reported that the organization's Valorant venture had a "sole focus on competitions through the 2023 season."

Had The Guard met the Team Participation Agreement deadline, the organization and roster would have stay in the VCT Americas for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Now that this year's Ascension Americas tournament has been virtually scrapped, Riot has confirmed the next season of the Americas League will only field 10 teams. This also means that the 11th slot will not be handed to M80 M80 North America Rank #1 zander Alexander Dituri NiSMO Marc-Andre Tayar koalanoob Gianfranco Potestio nitr0 Nick Cannella BcJ Brendan Jensen , the players, or any organization that chooses to sign them.

The Guard lift the Ascension trophy What symbolized a year of dreams, now symbolizes a year wasted. (Photo by Bruno Alvares/Riot Brazil)

Coach Josh "JoshRT" Lee has reacted to the announcement, saying he has "a lot to process right now," but is "open to talking to any potential" organizations. Jonah "JonahP" Pulice said the team "didn't know anything" prior to the announcement and that he woke up to the news of losing the VCT Americas slot. neT echoed his teammate's feelings, hoping "Riot reconsiders and gives us the chance to play together."

The Guard have released their own statement, saying the organization is "disappointed to arrive at this outcome unexpectedly," referring to missing the Team Participation Agreement deadline they missed. The organization also states that they "are comitted to supporting" the players in their transition to other teams but, according to George Geddes, the organization is likely to pay the players their termination buyouts as most of the team's contracts are expiring soon.

Several community figures have called on Riot to promote M80 in their spot. In a statement on his Twitter, Global Head of Esports Leo Faria explained Riot did not agree to this as it would "create questionable precedents," given M80 did not win Ascension. Had the team qualified as a free agent roster, they would have had the time to secure contract with a suitable organization.

However, since the roster played the entire season under The Guard, Faria rejected the idea of letting the players sign with another organization. He argues that this option "opens the door for slots in the VCT to be sold," which Riot does not allow.

Riot have not yet announced plans for Americas Ascension in 2025.

In the 2024 VCT Americas, The Guard The Guard Inactive JonahP Jonah Pulice trent Trent Cairns neT Michael Bernet valyn Jacob Batio tex Ian Botsch were expected to field: