The question of who the best Valorant team in NA is remains open even after weeks of group stage and playoffs matches in the VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers. While many think that Cloud9 is the strongest contender for the title, Sentinels’ star duelist Tyson “TenZ” Ngo has another candidate in mind.

Upstart North American team The Guard is the best Valorant team in the region, according to TenZ.

Stacked to the brim with young talents, The Guard’s ascendance has been meteoric, going from a team of lesser-known tier two names to one of the most feared rosters in North America in just a few short months.

Headlined by Overwatch phenom Ha “Sayaplayer” Jung-woo and rising star Trent “trent” Cairns, The Guard has taken down juggernauts like Sentinels on their journey toward qualifying for Masters Reykjavík.

TenZ explains why The Guard is the best Valorant team in NA

When asked which teams he thought were the best right now, TenZ didn’t even have to think about his answer. “I actually think The Guard is the best team right now,” he said unequivocally.

“They are the best team in terms of working together really, really well. They are kind of like NA’s version of Gambit Esports,” he added, referring to the current M3C roster, known for their clutch plays and incredible resilience in the face of huge score line deficits.

In fact, when Sentinels scrimmed against them, they would get only three rounds at most, according to TenZ. “It was just really hard, the way they played,” he said.

The 20-year-old pro made these comments despite having also suffered losses to Version1 and OpTic Gaming in the VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers group stage and playoffs.

The Guard are now just one win away from making their international debut in Masters Reykjavík in April. They will face OpTic Gaming in the upper final of the playoffs on March 26.

Catch the livestream on Riot Games’ official Twitch and YouTube channels.

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