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ASCENDED! The Guard win Valorant Challengers Ascension Americas
Kaustavmani Choudhury
10 Jun, 2023, 14:34
|Last updated: 11 Apr, 2025, 19:45
The Americas have a new Challenger!
The Grand Finals of the Valorant Challengers Ascension went underway last night, and fans saw the rise of the new VCT Americas team.
Grand Finals: The Guard vs M80
The Guard managed to best M80 in the Grand Finals. The North American derby went the way of The Guard, as they won with a comfortable 3-1 in the series.
TGRD ban Lotus, Fracture
TGRD pick Ascent
M80 pick Haven
TGRD pick Bind
M80 pick Pearl
Split remains
Map 1: Ascent
M80 started off strong on Ascent. Out of the 12 defense rounds, M80 managed to secure 8 rounds. Ending the half at 8-4. Kicking off the second half in style, M80 took 3 rounds right off the bat. But The Guard put up quite a fight, as they won 7 rounds in a row. But M80 managed to pull it back together, and won the 2 remaining rounds. They won the map 13-11.
Map 2: Haven
The Guard bounced back on Haven. But they did it in a dominant fashion. They showed off a stellar attack side, managing to concede only 1 round. They ended the first half at a dominant 11-1. M80 started off the second half strong, as they managed to take the two opening rounds. But The Guard quickly disbanded any attempts of a comeback, as they won the 2 rounds needed to win the map at a strong 13-3.
Map 3: Bind
M80 started off Bind by showing off a strong attack side. The Guard only managed to hold back 4 rounds, as the first round ended 8-4. The Guard however, had a strong attack of their own. They took 6 rounds right off the bat in the second half. They managed to bring themselves up to 12, but M80 managed to equalize and push the map into Overtime. However, The Guard managed to pull themselves back together, as they won both rounds, and took the map 14-12.
Map 4: Pearl
Pearl was a very even affair. It was do or die for M80, and a chance to win it all for The Guard. Each team started off by taking 3 rounds each, not being able to build any momentum. The first half ended 6-6, with neither team being able to take the lead.The Guard managed to find their bearings, and showed off a strong attacking side. Only conceding 3 rounds, The Guard managed to end the map 13-9.
The Guard have won Valorant Challengers Ascension Americas and are being promoted to VCT Americas 2023 and 2024.
M80 put up a tough fight, but it was not meant to be. They falter in front of the Guard, and miss their chance at promotion. They will show their mettle another time.
All the other teams managed to put up decent performances in the Ascension tournament, but the competition outshined them this time. The teams will have to try next time.
