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Acend announces departure from VALORANT Esports, citing 'alarming signs of decay'
Acend Esports Club (Acend) have announced their decision to depart from VALORANT Esports come the 2025 season. The organization that once lifted the Champions trophy all the way back in 2021 has since struggled to find their way back to the peak.
Their declaration clarified that the decision began taking effect after the organization’s failure this year to qualify for the EMEA Ascension tournament.
Despite that, Acend stated their initial intention had been to continue competing in Tier 2, even going so far as to say scouting for the new season had already begun.
However, they confirmed that ultimately, they judged the Tier 2 ecosystem heading in a direction away from expectations, claiming that it was showing “alarming signs of decay” in 2024.
As a result, coupled with the low monetary incentive, lower playtime, and high player salary costs, Acend have deemed it too much to continue to be sustainable.
Acend: From Champions to Forgotten
Acend was once one of the premier teams of Europe, competing amongst the very best of the best. In 2021, Acend won the Stage 1 Masters in Europe - a regional Masters title and an incredibly impressive achievement at the time.
Later that year, they faced Gambit in the finals, coming away with the first ever Champions trophy, making them the first world champions in VALORANT history.
In late 2022, when the confirmation of partnership status did not come for Acend, the organization chose to continue competing within the Tier 2 ecosystem. For 2 years they toiled in the scene, crushing their competition within their regional league, having won both East:Surge splits.
They went on to place 3rd in the Ascension tournament, losing to eventual winners Gentle Mates, who ascended to join the other Tier 1 organizations in 2024.
In short, a multitude of dissuading factors have come together to persuade Acend not to continue pursuing competition in VALORANT’s Tier 2 - including the new changes coming to Challengers in 2025 that remove the 2 year guarantee for Ascended teams and instead require results to maintain their position past 1 year.
However, Acend has not closed the door completely on the possibility of a return in the future. Driven away by the conditions of the Tier 2 league, perhaps with time and improvements, Acend will find their way back on to the grand stage once again.
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Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
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