The Guard Defeat Cloud9 and Qualify for VCT Masters One Reykjavík
The Guard emerged victorious over Cloud9 in the NA VCT Challengers One Lower Final, earning a spot alongside OpTic Gaming at VCT Masters One Reykjavík.
In the first game of the best-of-five series, Cloud9 and The Guard engaged in a fierce battle on Icebox. The Guard took the lead in the first half with a scoreline of 7-5, despite Cloud9 putting up a tough fight. In round 10, Cloud9 managed to tie the game, but The Guard regained the lead in round 11 thanks to JonahP and neT’s efforts.
Cloud9 showed their resilience by winning the pistol round in the second half without losing a player. They went on to win the next three rounds, including an impressive retake in round 15. The Guard retaliated by winning rounds 17 and 18 to prevent Cloud9 from running away with the victory.
Round 19 came down to a one-vs-one situation between xeppa and valyn, which ultimately favored Cloud9. However, The Guard bounced back and won the next three rounds, bringing the game to match point. Cloud9 managed to tie the game once again in round 21. In round 23, Cloud9 narrowly avoided defeat as Xeppaa defused the spike. Xeppaa once again delivered a clutch performance in round 24, winning a one-vs-one against Trent to keep his team alive on Icebox.
The first map of the lower finals went into quadruple overtime, with The Guard finally emerging as the winners with a score of 17-15. This victory brought them one step closer to qualifying for Iceland.
On Bind, Cloud9 secured the first two rounds, with The Guard’s Sayaplayer unfortunately falling to his death on A site. The Guard retaliated by winning the next four rounds until Cloud9 stopped their momentum in round seven. The Guard only dropped one more round in the first half, and neT’s triple kill in the final round secured their lead.
In the second-half pistol round, Sayaplayer showcased his skills by eliminating four enemies as The Guard easily took C site. The Guard continued their dominance in the next two rounds and secured their win in the bonus round. Cloud9 struggled to hold C site once again in round 16, and The Guard won the round without losing a player, putting them at match point.
In round 17, Cloud9 managed to secure a round win in the second half, but The Guard finished the job in round 18, securing a 2-0 series lead.
The third map on Split started in favor of The Guard, with them winning the first two rounds. Valyn’s impressive four-player kill in the second round helped secure an early lead. However, Cloud9 turned the tables by winning the next seven rounds, with The Guard only taking two more rounds in the first half.
The second half proved to be a better experience for The Guard, as they won the first three rounds to slowly close the gap. Trent’s one-vs-two victory in round 14 highlighted their determination, although Cloud9 prevented them from completing a full comeback in round 16. The Guard then went on to win the next four rounds, with valyn delivering another triple kill to help his team take the lead.
Cloud9 managed to win only one more round before The Guard closed out the map and series with a score of 13-10, securing their spot at VCT Masters One Reykjavík.
The Guard will now face OpTic Gaming in the Challengers One Grand Final tomorrow at 3pm CT.
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