The Guard is reportedly keen on re-signing Jacob ‘valyn’ Batio and Michael ‘neT’ Bernet as both are set to enter free agency in 2023.
The Guard reportedly wants to re-sign both valyn and neT as the two Valorant stars are set to enter free agency in 2023, according to George Geddes.
The Guard recently qualified for VCT Americas for the next two years through the Americas Ascension tournament. The organization was rejected from Riot Games’ partnered international Valorant leagues in late 2022 after a successful 2022 season that saw the team attend VCT Masters Reykjavík.
In September 2022, The Guard allowed almost its entire Valorant roster to enter free agency and look for offers within the partnered league. However, most of the team re-signed to the organization for the 2023 season, including valyn and neT.
The Guard keen on re-signing Valorant pros valyn and neT
With largely the same squad from the 2022 season, The Guard bulldozed their way to Valorant Champions Tour Americas qualification. The team went 4-1 in the first split of the North American Challengers League and placed third at the Mid-Season Face Off. In the second split, The Guard went 4-1 again and managed to qualify for Americas Ascension by placing second in the playoffs.
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ASCENSION CHAMPIONS. WE'RE GOING TO VCT AMERICAS LEAGUE. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/OW2g3gOoET
— The Guard (@TheGuard) July 10, 2023
At Americas Ascension, the team only lost on map in the Grand Final to fellow North American squad M80. After a long battle to make it up to the big leagues, The Guard had finally proven they had what it takes to play in VCT Americas.
M80 and many other Challengers League teams are dropping their players or letting them explore options for the 2024 VCT season. Both valyn and neT should be hot commodities on the free agent market as their roles, IGL and Sentinel respectively, are in high demand across VCT Americas and the Challengers League.Geddes reported a day later that The Guard’s Jonah ‘JonahP’ Pulice has entered free agency.
Keep track of all the changes in the Valorant scene with our off-season rostermania tracker.