After entering the VALORANT North American Challengers scene in 2023 with the goal of making it back to tier one, The Guard has fought through the lower bracket to sweep Moist Moguls 3-0 and earn the final regional spot for Ascension.
It was no easy feat as their playoff opponents have had their number in recent matches, beating The Guard in Split Two and sending them to the lower bracket on June 2. But on June 9, they exacted their revenge.
The Guard showed adaptations to their recent matches against Moist, pulling out all the stops to develop an early lead on both of the first two maps. On map one of the qualifier on Ascent, The Guard built a 10-2 lead by halftime, and on map two of Fracture, it was 9-3. Moist threatened comebacks on both maps, but The Guard kept their heads high to hang onto their lead and claim victory.
One standout player was Jonah “JonahP” Pulice, particularly on Fracture, completing multiple clutches in what felt like back-to-back rounds. A key one-versus-three started out in chaos on a B site post-plant, and as JonahP was stuck in a corner having to cover three different angles, many thought the round over.
To everyone’s surprise, he managed to kill all three of the retaking Moist squad one by one in a matter of seconds, including a final kill onto aproto with Breach’s ultimate. It was a momentum killer for Moist Moguls’ first half and was critical for The Guard in their push to win Fracture.
The series was defined by the resolve of both teams, but The Guard were the ones to emerge the strongest. The first two maps were near comebacks from Moist Moguls, but map three of Haven almost turned into a Moist rout. Up 6-1, The Guard pulled back to enter the half down by just two rounds. Then, after winning the opening three of the second half, it was The Guard’s turn to flip the script, ending the map and the series swiftly 13-8.
For the organization, this win has the potential to change the outlook of The Guard for the future. Earlier this year on February 22, it was revealed The Guard would suffer massive layoffs, leaving a skeleton crew to oversee their teams across all esports with the intent to depart the scene entirely over the next year. Divisions like the Los Angeles Gladiators in the Overwatch League and the Los Angeles Guerrillas in the Call of Duty League are reportedly still for sale.
Related: The Guard owners reportedly seeking to sell or shut down LA Gladiators and Guerrillas
It was a different situation for The Guard’s VALORANT team, which was confirmed to be unaffected by the organization’s layoffs thanks to the team’s building success and their upward trajectory in the growing esport. While it remains to be seen whether The Guard will retain a franchised spot should the team be successful at Ascension, it’s hard to imagine The Guard making it to the Champions Tour and separating afterward.
The Guard will join M80 as the representatives from NA Challengers to compete at the VCT Ascension Americas tournament in São Paulo, Brazil, with games beginning on June 30.
