flameZ on recent results: "It's not the Vitality standard"
Despite starting the year looking like they’d go another season without missing out on a big trophy, Vitality eventually fell to NAVI at IEM Atlanta and to Falcons at the IEM Cologne Major before the Summer break.
Their start to the second season of 2026 hasn’t inspired much confidence, with losses at both BLAST Bounty and EWC, as well as an opening round loss to Inner Circle here at BLAST Open Porto.
However, the team bounced back as they usually do, and now await a quarter-final clash with FalleN and FURIA in Portugal. Ahead of the match, we sat down with flameZ to discuss the mental load of losses and playing with a stand-in, his own form, and whether the Vitality era is over or not.
“We'll always have the opportunity to have a dominant period “
Last season didn't end the way you would've wanted it to, and this season hasn't started great, either. How are you feeling about the last two or three months?
Obviously, we're disappointed because we want to do better, but to some extent, these are the moments where you get stronger together and better as a team.
I think the one thing that maybe is holding us back now is that we have to play with a stand-in, but on the other hand, it could be really beneficial because it could open room to improve individually, have a tournament without pressure, and with a fresh mindset, and of course, it's good for mezii because he can also take care of himself and his family.
Since we made this roster, the main goal has always been trophies, and we've succeeded in that. We want to keep that going, so we just have to improve now.
Do you think that the loss in Cologne has hit you guys harder than you might've thought before this season began?
I wouldn't say so. We lost at Bounty and at EWC to Spirit, who went on to win the event. So, I wouldn't say it hit us because Falcons played really well in Cologne, but even then we knew it could've gone both ways, and if it was replayed ten times, it would be way more balanced. That's Counter-Strike.
Bounty is tough; we played online, and Liquid played well. We also played badly, and we could've made playoffs, but when you consider that and also that we made quarter-finals in the other event, it's not the Vitality standard, but overall, it's not bad. We lost to teams that won events and fucked up at another.
Maybe we lost some confidence, maybe we lost some form, but that's something we found our way back to last year, so I'm not too worried. I know what the roster is capable of and what the staff provides, and I'm fine with it.
When you knew you had the stand-in tournaments coming up, did that become its own mental battle?
For sure, and one of the hardest things will be for the players that are going away. mezii found his form at EWC, and now he has to take time off from CS, and of course, there's a good reason, but I think that's tough on him.
As a team, we want the best for all the players, but of course, there's an effect. Everyone is in their own space, taking it differently, but there are two tournaments this season now that mean less, and we're just fortunate to have a really good stand-in that we can improve with, rather than having to improve him first and get him to align with us. That's really beneficial.
jL is also such a character out of the server; how is it to have someone like him around?
In practice and when we're chilling, he's super chill and fun to be around, he knows a lot of random stuff and general knowledge, he knows a lot of shit, and he's very open to just talking. A lot of people notice from his days in NAVI and his socials, he's very outgoing and open, and you can't go wrong with those kinds of people.
It's tough joining a team that has so much in the playbook, but he's still finding his input and how to bring his game into it, he knows when to speak and when to let others have their space.
He's just a very experienced, very nice guy, and that fits with mezii because he's exactly the same. They both bring good energy and a good mood to the team.
People are now saying "the Vitality era is over", but for you, if it's over or not, when was the point it ended or what would be the marker for it to end? I was discussing this on my podcast and said that the defining factor of your era is resiliency, so for me, it won't until we know whether you win Singapore or not.
You say back in 2025, we won seven tournaments in a row and then had a slow start after the Summer. It was decent form, we still made semis, but bad by our standards and what we had done before. People said then that the roster was done and had ran out, but we came back.
When we won Budapest, everyone changed their tune and said we never stopped, so I think the key thing is winning trophies. If we have multiple bad tournaments then win trophies again, people will just say it was a little blip.
For me, though, when it comes to the era, I think it's if we were to change roster. That would obviously come from a sequence of bad events, because we wouldn't do it when things are going good. But with these five players and the staff we have, we'll always have the opportunity to have a dominant period because we have such good relationships, and that's something that is key.
Back when we last spoke at BLAST Bounty Season 1, you'd just been named the seventh-best player of 2025 and you told me you wanted to get it again so you could have 777. You've had a pretty stellar year, though, so how are you feeling about that?
I still want seven, but I think I might be disappointed if I do now because it means I dropped in form. I don't care, though, really; wherever I get, if I know that we're winning and I'm giving my best in that moment, then I'm fine with wherever. But, if I lose form, and I don't do these things, and I just do fuck knows what, that's when I'll be disappointed.
I never cared about the number, it's just cool I got seventh twice and if I do it a third time, I hit the jackpot. But if I get ten and we win, and if I get five and we win, I'm fine with it. The seven is a fun number, though, so thank you for reminding me.
