In their statement, Golden Guardians disclosed that they were indebted to the NACL developmental system, which provided a space for multiple players to grow.

“With the recent change in NACL requirements, the Golden Guardians have decided to opt out of maintaining an NACL spot for the Summer Split,” the statement read.

“The Golden Guardians have a long established interest in fostering talent development and creating the best environment for our LCS players to thrive.”

The organization added that they are focused on “long term goals” and intend to continue supporting amateur players through their 2023 AOE sponsorship. In the meantime, the team will continue monitoring the NACL as well as other potential developmental opportunities.

Golden Guardians also stated that they would financially assist players and coaches that would be affected by the change. The organization are yet to announce if any of their NACL players or coaching staff will participate in the upcoming Summer Split on June 1.

Golden Guardians’ announcement aligns with similar moves by a number of North American amateur teams to leave the scene due to the newest changes to developmental requirements.

Following Riot Games’ announcement that LCS organization participation in the NACL would be optional, teams like Immortals and TSM opted out of the scene. Team Liquid also recently announced that they would continue their involvement in the amateur league.

In a video earlier this week, the organization’s CEO, Steve Arhancet, pointed out several issues within the amateur scene that made it difficult for most LCS teams to participate. One is the mix of amateur players and professionals, as well as the complex ways for gamers to get involved.

The LCS Players Association, which is made of players from the 10 squads in the league, also shared its displeasure over the NACL requirements changes. The group pointed out that the changes would significantly impact the job security of several people within a short time span.

Golden Guardians will face off against Cloud9 on June 1 in the first-round match of the 2023 LCS Summer Split. The team previously played against Cloud9 in the MSI and Spring Finals, losing to the North American organization both times.
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At the qualifiers match, the team faced off against OREsports, and despite battling so hard, they went home losing the match with a 2-1 score despite having an initial 9-3 lead. OREsports came back stronger with a 14-12 lead, winning the game in overtime, and emerging as the last team to qualify for the Challengers.

“The sixth and final team to qualify for #NAChallengers is @OREsportteam! Congratulations!” The tournament organizer, Knight Arena, tweeted.”

Soniqs released a statement stating they have terminated the contracts of the entire Valorant roster, and they also bid the players farewell, wishing them all the best in their future endeavors.

“Following the conclusion of Challengers LCQ, we’ve released #SQVAL from their contracts 2-1 loss to OREsports.2-1 loss to OREsports. pursue opportunities elsewhere. We’re thankful for their hard work leading up to and during qualifiers and we wish them the very best in their future endeavors,” Soniqs’ tweet read.

“We went the distance but couldn’t finish it. Thank you for supporting us through qualifiers.”

The players from the disbanded Valorant roster include Dylan “runi” Cade and William “shonk” Kittrell, both of whom joined the team in April of last year; former Gen.G Esports player Bryce “PureR” Lovell; 23-year-old Vietnam player Kevin “mina” Nguyen; and Michael “nerve” Yerr, who recently joined them in November 2022.

Most of the players have taken to their official Twitter handles to share their heartfelt gratitude to the esports outfit for the time spent with them, and they also went further to keep their fans abreast with their next move while declaring themselves free agents, hoping for a Valorant team to take a chance with them.

“Thank you to @SoniqsEsports for everything over the past year.With that being said I will be LFT as a unrestricted player or a coach, my ability to frag and IGL I believe would be beneficial to any roster. Also open to ANY paid coaching gigs,” runi stated.

According to PureR, who joined the team in November of last year and has played for top teams such as XSET and Gen.G Esports, the team spent long hours practicing, trying to make sure they earned a spot in the NA Valorant Challengers League, but to no avail.

“Worked so hard the past few months just to fall short at the last hurdle. Proud of how far we made it but just wasn’t enough. Interested in any opportunities that might be available. With that being said, i’ll be LFT as a player/coach. Interested in any opportunities that might be available, PureR tweeted. DM with any inquiries. RT’s appreciated!

Currently, it is unknown if the esports outfit will field another Valorant roster to meet up to compete in other Valorant tournaments or if their run in the Valorant scene will be on hold for the 2023 season or for a longer run.

As of the time of this writing, no player has been revealed to have joined another new team, which might take a longer time to achieve for the players, as almost all rosters across Valorant and other esports titles have been locked in already. Nevertheless, some lucky players may already be in talks with other teams or will be filling in on other rosters as substitute players.

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As a result of an official statement by the Rainbow Six Esports North America account, it has been confirmed that the company is actively addressing its strategies for the North American Challengers League. This may mean that teams competing in the Challengers League will have an easier time gaining promotion to the North American League the following season.

The organization is now deciding whether the finalists will be given a place in the North American League for the next season or whether they will be awarded another form of remuneration instead. The declaration also reaffirms the importance of developing players from the amateur level all the way up to the professional ranks and offering opportunities for athletes to compete in various stages of the competition.

A publicized note on the update of the North American Challenger League reads:
“As we are currently discussing our plans with partners and participating organizations for our Rainbow Six Esports programs next year, similar to the European Challenger League, we are evaluating how to promote the North American Challenger League winners to the top level of competitive play. As such we are assessing whether this year’s North American Challenger League will grant a spot in the North American League next season, or if the winners’ reward will take another form. ”

The message also addressed the league’s mission to provide players the opportunity to contest in different levels of the competition. The organization also looks to create more interaction among the challenger, amateur and pro teams.

“Continuing to nurture our path to pro and providing opportunities for players to play in different levels of competition remains a priority for us as we move into the upcoming seasons in Rainbow Six Esports. We will be sharing more details on how challenger and amateur teams will interact with the pro levels of competition later on.”

There is no assurance that the top Challengers team will be promoted to the North American League as a result of this, but there is a possibility that they will. Spectators could be allowed to see a team battle their way through the Challengers League and gain a position in the pro league, which would create fantastic narratives and give fans the opportunity to watch talent develop and progress.

There is a widespread sentiment among supporters that less renowned clubs should be given more exposure, and that this modification would make it easier for teams to climb the standings. However, the statement is not specific and does not disclose any precise facts about the award, which has led to some individuals feeling upset due to the absence of details.

Additional info for fans on how challenger and beginner teams will engage with the professional levels of competition will likely become available shortly.
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