The Guard qualify for VCT 2023 Ascension Americas Grand Final

The emotions of the VCT 2023 Ascension Americas continue, and we already have our first finalist in the tournament, The Guard. Undoubtedly, this has been one of the favorite teams to fight for the coveted slot for the VCT Americas League in the coming seasons, so it is not a surprise at all their qualification to this grand final.

However, in the Lower Bracket, things are a bit more hectic, as M80, another of the big favorites, is playing for their lives in each of the matches they play. While they beat 00 Nation with relative ease, they will now have to do the same against 9z Team and, finally, face one of their Group Stage defeaters, The Union, in the final of the Lower Bracket. However, we must wait for the M80 and 9z Team match, as anything can happen.

Let’s see what happened on the previous day of the VCT 2023 Ascension Americas.

The Guard apply a reverse sweep against The Union to seal their ticket to the Grand Final

Undoubtedly, one of the most anticipated matches in this tournament was between The Guard and The Union, the two teams that showed the best level of play throughout the Group Stage and so far in the playoffs. Moreover, the match did not disappoint, as The Union started winning the first map very strongly. But, The Guard responded immediately to win maps 2 and 3 to complete an excellent reverse sweep.

It all started in Fracture, the map pick of the Brazilian squad, where they demonstrated a spectacular level of play from start to finish. However, The Guard did not keep their arms crossed and also played a very nice battle. After the first and second parts of the map ended with scores of 7-5 and 7-5, the first map of the Upper Bracket final had to be defined through Overtime. Finally, after six rounds in OT, The Union took the victory by 16-14.

Then, in the second map, Ascent, we observed absolute supremacy on the part of The Guard. After a crushing 10-2 partial at the end of the first half, the North American squad crushed the Brazilians with a spectacular 13-2 to tie the series 1-1. Finally, in Pearl, we saw a match similar to the second, as The Guard always dominated the game. As a result, the North American squad completed the reverse sweep with a 13-7 victory over The Union to qualify for the VCT 2023 Ascension Americas Grand Final.

A near flawless performance from @TheGuard today lands them a spot at the Grand Finals as they overrun the Brazilian Team @theuniongg 2-1!#VCTAscension pic.twitter.com/Va8qUyFCVh

— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesports_na) July 6, 2023

M80 and 9z Team advance to the Lower Bracket semifinals

In the Lower Bracket, we had two very interesting matches to define the two teams that would continue alive in the tournament. As a result, M80 and 9z Team took care of two real beatings to keep their hopes of fighting for that slot for the VCT Americas League in the 2024/25 seasons.

M80 started their match against 00 Nation with an excellent 13-10 victory in Split. It is worth noting that the Team suffered in some moments of the map, but GianFranco “koalanoob” Potestio led them to victory. Then, in Lotus, history repeated itself, as M80 reaffirmed their high level of play to take the victory by 13-7.

A convincing 2-0 win for @M80gg as they defeat @ZeroZeroBRASIL on Split and Lotus in São Paulo, eliminating them from Ascension!#VCTAscension pic.twitter.com/zP7IdWSEi9

— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesports_na) July 5, 2023

Finally, the 9z Team sent home their South American rivals, FUSION, after a relentless 2-0 victory. It’s not just the match’s final result, but both maps were extremely easy for the 9z Team.

It all started in Split, where 9z showed they have hopes of fighting for that VCT Americas League slot after an extraordinary 13-4 victory. Then, in the second map, Haven, the Chilean Giulliano “Tuli” Massone was in charge of repeating the dose to FUSION to lead 9z Team to a comfortable 13-9 victory.

A well fought 2-0 victory for @9zTeam as they knock off @fusionfsgg out of Ascension!#VCTAscension pic.twitter.com/wCkOfmB2x0

— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesports_na) July 5, 2023

Now, 9z Team must play against M80 to reach the final of the Lower Bracket, where the Brazilian Team, The Union, awaits its rival.

Header: VCT