'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABeAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYQAAICAwADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECBBEAAwUGByESAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGBxEAAwADAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQFEiH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMf6i7iedw209yGsp2Elv027ZV2ftAg3f00ReSeH6/g9Pi82a5io0qHo3Moi2AdiBqstjGQbpbd+b2OxHUYRnPYkFRVAAB9k4pii01IO49My/Sc//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The North American Valorant Challengers 2023: Split 1 kicked off with its Group Stage earlier today, featuring twelve tier-2 contenders from all over North America. The opening day of the tournament is set to wind up with an enticing matchup between The Guard and Disguised.
Day 1 of the tournament opened with a much-awaited matchup between the new rosters of FaZe and G2. The matchup will be followed up by a best-of-three series between one of North America's leading rosters in 2022, The Guard, and one of the most exciting new teams in the tournament, Disguised.
The Guard vs DSG: Who will win their opening matchup of Valorant North America Challengers League Split 1?
Trending
Predictions
Both The Guard and Disguised are strong contenders for a top spot in the NA Valorant Challengers League.
The Guard enters the matchup with the most experienced roster, having played together as a team for over a year. Although they lost their key Duelist, Sayaplayer, to the Korean organization, T1, the team signed tex from NRG and retained a majority of the roster. Players like trent, valyn, JonahP, and neT remained with the team.
With the addition of a player like tex, who has experience in Valorant's North American circuit, The Guard are ready to take on any opponent standing in their way.
Disguised, on the other hand, is a fairly new team. Players like Genghsta, Exalt, and XXiF played together for Knights for a brief period. With the addition of a veteran in-game leader like steel and a talented Duelist like clear, the team has turned into a promising contender for the NA Challengers.
In comparison to The Guard, Disguised have fairly little experience. The Guard's core roster has won an NA Challengers against tier-1 opponents before. They've also competed in an international LAN event.
Given the experience they have competing in such high-stakes matchups, The Guard have an upper hand over Disguised in their Week 1 encounter.
Head-to-head
The Guard and Disguised are yet to face off in an official VCT matchup. Fans of both teams will be delighted to see them battle for the first time in the opening matchup of the NA Valorant Challengers.
Recent results
The Guard has played only three official matches so far in 2023, winning all of them. Their only tournament appearance was at the Ludwig x Tarik Invitational, where they defeated T1, Sentinels, and TSM to eventually win the event.
Disguised made their first official appearance at the NSG Lockdown - Open 3. The team then took part in the VCL North America Open Qualifiers, where they managed to win their bracket and qualify for the Group Stage by maintaining a 7-0 record.
Potential lineups
The Guard
- Jacob "valyn" Batio (IGL)
- Michael "neT" Bernet
- Jonah "JonahP" Pulice
- Trent "trent" Cairns
- Ian "tex" Botsch
- Josh "JoshRT" Lee (Coach)
Disguised
- Drake "Exalt" Branly
- Joshua "steel" Nissan (IGL)
- Amgalan "Genghsta" Nemekhbayar
- Damion "XXiF" Cook
- Joseph "clear" Allen
- Kyle "OCEAN" O'Brien (Coach)
Where to watch
Readers worldwide can check out the Twitch channels of either VCT North America or Knights Arena to watch the matchups of the Valorant Challengers League: North America live. The Guard will take on Disguised on February 1, 2023, at 4 pm PST / 1 am CET [next day] / 5.30 am IST (next day).
