Following a historically dominant 2025 that saw Team Vitality capture both Majors alongside several top-tier tournaments, the French organization has shown no signs of slowing down in 2026. With trophies from IEM Krakow and PGL Cluj-Napoca already secured this year, Vitality enters the BLAST Open Rotterdam as the undisputed kings of Counter-Strike.
But heavy is the head that wears the crown. Ahead of the Rotterdam tournament, Vitality’s in-game leader and captain, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, discussed the mental toll of being the perennial favorites, the community’s pushback against their success, and why he is finally stepping back from his role as the team’s designated villain.
Shedding the villain persona
During Vitality’s meteoric rise and subsequent reign, apEX consciously adopted a polarizing, combative persona, most notably during the Major in Austin, to act as a lightning rod for community pressure.
“I tried to be the villain for my team. When you arrive at such an event… imagine you fail to win the Major. It’s tough because you come to an event where you have to win it. If you lose in the final, it’s a fail. So I just tried to release all the pressure from my teammates and take it by myself.”
The strategy worked, but apEX notes a shift in the team’s current dynamic. The famous middle fingers and provocative antics might be taking a backseat, simply because the rest of the roster no longer needs the shield.
“My players are getting used to it now. We know how to win even though we are the favorites, which is one of the toughest things to do.”
He added with a smile that while he still loves a good middle-finger moment, it won’t happen in the same way.
“I have my charm in CS now. I have my little video in the game. It’s perfect. It’s enough.”
Navigating community envy and frustrating practices
Winning everything naturally breeds a level of community fatigue. apEX acknowledged that there is a vocal segment of the fanbase, and even some broadcast talent, who openly cheer for Vitality’s downfall simply to introduce variety back into the scene.
“We receive a lot of hate. Whoever thinks that is a bit [silly] because you always want the best team to win. And if it gets boring, it means we are doing our job. We are hungry to win more. We just want to make our names in history.”
This dominance has also negatively impacted their practice regimens. Returning from a recent restorative break, apEX expressed deep frustration with the current quality of scrims. Instead of using practice to genuinely improve and test tactics, opposing teams often play with chaotic, unstructured aggression simply to claim a practice victory over the world’s best team.
“They don’t play well. They just practice to practice.”
“Most of them are young players, and they have no idea. There is no structure. They just play Vitality, they’re happy, and they just want to beat us in practice, which is something we don’t care about.”
The importance of rest and the hunt for the Grand Slam
A massive component of Vitality’s sustained era of success is their strict adherence to scheduled breaks. apEX has been a long-time advocate for prioritizing quality over quantity, a philosophy he had to push for even during the tenure of former coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen.
“We are probably the team that takes the most breaks in the scene, but I really like it. It’s not because you practice one more day that you’re going to be better. It’s just about the balance.”
Looking ahead, while BLAST Rotterdam serves as a crucial measuring stick to regain their form, Vitality’s eyes are locked on a much larger prize: the Intel Grand Slam. The team hopes to close out the Grand Slam as soon as possible, either in Rio or Atlanta, to alleviate the pressure before turning their full attention to securing their next Major.
At BLAST, Vitality face 9z in their first match of the tournament tonight at 18.30 CET.
