ZywOO: "We handle pressure better than anyone else"
Vitality made history at IEM Rio by winning their second ESL Grand Slam, and now they’re on the charge to try to become the second team to win three Majors in a row at IEM Cologne.
With the next stop on their incredible trophy-winning run being here at BLAST Rivals Forth Worth, we sat down with their star man ZywOo to discuss how the level of pressure has changed over time, why Falcons have the drop on them, and the impressive displays of their opening opponents, FUT.
“If they want it more, they will beat you”
What's it like to just keep winning?
Who doesn't like winning? We like it, and when we lost against Falcons the feeling was so weird because we're not used to it. Of course, we want to keep winning. It's such a beautiful feeling and thing to do, so it's such a grand and rare moment to have what we have. We want to keep it inside us.
The last win was particularly special; no team has ever won two ESL Grand Slams before. What's it like to say you're the first team to do that and potentially could be the only team to ever do it?
It's true, but to be honest, we're not really thinking about being the only team to ever do it. It all goes so fast. We finished Rio, and now we're already here for this tournament.
I don't have time to think about what we've done yet, the process of thinking about it will be during the Summer or even at the end of the year when we're done with tournaments and can be proud about what we've done.
Right now, we have no time to think. We just have to focus on what we need to do next and what we need to improve.
But it's amazing to just think about it. We grabbed two Grand Slams in a year. It feels impossible.
What's it like when you do get to think about it? Is it overwhelming?
It makes your holiday great, looking back on last year after Austin, we'd won seven tournaments, and it felt great, but we knew we could do even better. We can win any tournament, grab any win. We're such a good team that we're thinking about it even on holiday, because we don't want to end up with any regrets.
There was a big difference between the first half of last year and the second, but now you've come into this year like the start of 2025. Are you feeling the pressure more this time? Or have you gotten used to it?
We're used to it. For this Grand Slam, there was less pressure than the last one. Maybe it was because it was the second one and we already knew what it was like.
This season, though, there's less pressure because we know we're the best team. We know we have the capacity for anything, and if we're working hard and together, we know we will lift trophies again.
That's not to say we have no pressure; we're not monsters, but we know how to manage it now because of the amount of experience we have. We've all won multiple Majors, Grand Slams, all the trophies, so all of that helps us, and we know that when someone is feeling pressure, we can still count on them.
In terms of yourself, you've always been a humble guy. Do you feel like that's changed now, and you feel like more of a superstar? You certainly play like it.
I'm still the same, I'm still humble. Maybe I've changed a little bit with time, but in this team, I don't feel like I'm the superstar. It's the same when I'm playing FACEIT, too; I'm always trying to put the team first.
When you achieve what you have with this team, or even what I have individually, of course, you can be more selfish in a way or find a better way to put yourself in games, but I'm not like that. I try to put the team first, and that's why we're so good; all of us do that and don't try to bait or anything like that.
What is it that you think is contributing to your own individual performances, then? Is it that mentality within the team, or is it the way you all deal with pressure?
I would say both. As I said before, we handle pressure way better than anyone else, but our mentality is really good. We went down 0-6 against FURIA on Overpass, and at no point did we feel like we lost trust or someone was going down; we all tried our best to get a round, and we know from there we will fight for every round and get them. It was the same against Spirit in the final, so that's why we can make good comebacks.
Of course, we're really good individually. Without a doubt. Maybe we're one step ahead with tactics, too, but it's that mentality that allows us to find these small details that other teams aren't.
When it comes to the other teams, it's no longer Spirit, MOUZ, or FURIA that are closest to you, but perhaps NAVI instead. Elmapuddy put out a video recently highlighting their reads against you, at least. Do you feel like there is a team closest to you? Or do you feel like you're that much further ahead still?
To be honest, we're confident we're still ahead of everyone else. The only team we have really struggled with is Falcons, they're the only team we haven't beaten this year, but the rest of the teams, we're pretty comfortable playing against them.
We know that with our anti-strat, and the way we change our own, individually, we're so far ahead of anybody else that we just need to keep this going.
Is it the way Falcons play themselves that helps them against you?
I think it was also not a bad day, but even the game before against G2, we should have lost it. If they had chosen the good bombsite, we would have been on retake, and they could have won it.
We had two or three bad days in Rio, really struggled to play with each other, and at some points, we have those days. We're all human, we're not robots who play well every day.
Falcons are always changing stuff against us; they're always doing stuff they don't normally do, so we're a bit surprised when they do it against us and no one else. We just want to see it when they play other teams.
Playing them is different, too. They have zonic and he was our old coach, so maybe he has an idea of how to counter us and play against us. But it's always hard to play them; they have good players who shoot hard, so they just need to find a way to play as a team better, and they can be really good.
How do you feel about karrigan joining them?
It's too soon to say. They need a really good IGL who is going to put them in a really good spot to play as a team and less individually, but it can also be a trap, because the way FaZe were playing was very individual. They just need to find that balance.
You play against FUT today. How do you feel about what they've achieved this year, despite being rookies in tier one?
It's very impressive. They grabbed their first trophy at PGL, and it was really fantastic to see them playing that way.
They're a young team who want a lot. They want to win a lot. They want to win trophies. They want to grab any match that comes their way. That's a dangerous team to play; if you face them on a good day, and you're not playing your best, they will win. They know how to shoot and play the game, and these kinds of teams are dangerous, because if they want it more they will beat you.
