It’s been a busy year so far for The Guard’s VALORANT team. The popular North American esports organization just battled through this year’s Ascension tournament to qualify for VCT Americas in 2024 and 2025, but in the meantime, it must focus on retaining two key members on its roster.
Michael “neT” Bernet and Jacob “valyn” Batio are reportedly set to become free agents in October, according to esports journalist George Geddes. If the two rising stars choose to explore the market for next year, they could easily be two of the most sought-after players in the American VALORANT scene.
During The Guard’s run through Ascension, valyn and neT were essential pieces to the team’s success, whether it was the former’s expert shotcalling and fragging potential or the latter’s premier play on agents like Killjoy and Viper.
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Valyn also had the highest average combat score (ACS) on his team during their grand finals series against M80 with nine triple kills to his name, while neT had the highest headshot percentage on his team with impressive kills, assists, survived, and traded (KAST) numbers to boot, according to VLR.gg. They have a ton of potential and are clearly ready for the next steps to the big stage, but the question remains: Will it be with The Guard or with another team in 2024?
As expected, The Guard is also reportedly trying to keep the players for next year as it enters VCT Americas. But if neT and valyn are open to other offers, there will be a pretty sizable hole on the team as they prepare to face off against the best squads the region has to offer. Luckily for The Guard, the org has about two months until neT and valyn’s contracts reportedly expire, which means it has time to try to re-sign the two stars before the season begins.
