flameZ: We believe we can return to the top; winning the Major is more important than winning any number of championships

After Vitality picked up their first win at StarSeries i-League (Fall), beating magic to advance to the upper bracket semifinals, where they will face the winner of FURIA vs. MIBR, we spoke to flameZ.

The Israeli rifler spoke about how Vitality are dealing with a season full of uncertainty after their huge success, how they are fighting to secure a spot in Major Stage 3, and how they have made the Major their biggest goal of the season.

flameZ: The situation we're in is definitely tough right now, but if we can win our matches and make it to Major Stage 3, we know we'll be fully prepared for the Major. We'll have a chance to put in a strong showing there, and that's the main goal.

Q: Let's talk about Vitality trying to get back on track. You just played an event with jL, and you'll continue playing with him in the upcoming events. Can you talk about what kind of difficulties that has brought?

flameZ: It's pretty tough, because VRS points are very important, but you know that for some events we don't have our full lineup, so our level takes a hit. Practice is difficult as well, because mezii took time off for Porto, and then with the situation around his child, he couldn't practice for a while. Then apEX's child is probably going to be born around PGL, so before that we definitely won't be able to practice with him. After that, we might practice with jL, but it feels completely different.

You have to adapt to a new voice in the calling and to a teammate playing in different positions. Even though we know jL and he can play a lot of different spots, the practice and adjustment process has still felt awkward, because swapping one player out and bringing another one in is just really strange. At least we know jL, and that's the positive side of it.

Q: So what's the goal? Is it to go as deep as possible, stay competitive, and then make a push once the full lineup is back together before the Major?

flameZ: Right now, what we want is to get back into form and raise our level. In some of the matches we lost this season, we didn't even play our own game. If we're not playing well, whether we win or lose doesn't really matter that much to us. We want to play good CS.

Of course we care about winning and losing, but if we lose because we played badly, that feels a lot worse than losing after playing well and getting beaten by a team that simply performed better on the day. That’s been the story of our season, so right now we just want to get back into form — that’s the main goal. If we do that, the trophies will come naturally, and we know everything we’re capable of winning will be there for us.

Q: You mentioned jL's situation. It's interesting, because you know him, but he's standing in for another player, so the lineup changes a bit. Since you first started playing together, has he brought anything to the team, or made you think about anything differently? Has there been any chemistry?

flameZ: That forces you to focus more on the fundamentals and on how you work together, rather than just staring at the playbook, and that has definitely happened. We’ve spent a lot of time on trading and doing the basic things, and we’re trying to do them well. The biggest thing with him is that he’s like a source of energy. In matches, he can create a different atmosphere, make everything feel more alive, with a lot of jokes and a lot of weird stuff... We’re having a lot more fun on the server. On the other hand, he moves around a lot. He’s a player who wants to create opportunities through movement, so he brings his own style. We have to adapt to him, and he has to adapt to us.

But I think the situation would be very different, because we don't have apEX. It would be very different for him, because mezii's calling style is different. We might also have very different role setups and positions, things like that.

So I think it’s going to feel a bit unusual for him and for the whole lineup, but at least we have more time to practice. With jL this time, we only had about two days of practice — one was media day, and the other was taken up by flying from EWC to Copenhagen — so now we’ll have more time to train and more time to get everyone on the same page with the style we want to play.

Q: Looking at the bigger picture, you built an era and set the bar incredibly high, winning a lot of titles. Now that you're dealing with so many changes, how do you see the challenge of getting back to the top? Are the best days already behind you, or can you get back there?

flameZ: We believe we can get back there, because in 2025 we also had a very rough start to the season — or the second season — but we still came back, won the Major, and picked up five more trophies at the start of the year. So we believe in everyone and in this roster. I don't think anyone would say there is another five-man lineup better than our team.

The key is to put our heads down, work hard, and find our form again. Sometimes you need to go through moments like this to become the strongest team again. We accept them. It might be tough, but it has been a tough season and the points situation is tight. If we can win our matches and make it to Major Stage 3, we know we’ll be fully prepared for the Major and have a chance to put up a good performance there. That’s the main goal.

Even if we don't win a single title this season, as long as we win the Major, I think that would still feel incredible. Of course, we're fighting for everything, but the goal isn't the trophy itself — the trophy is just the result of playing good CS.

Q: This event is a bit different too. It’s a studio event with eight teams, so it’s not quite like the big stage events you’re used to, right? How does it feel for you guys to be back in a relatively relaxed environment?

flameZ: It is a bit different. To be honest, we don’t really like it this way. We like playing on stage, in front of a crowd. Sometimes we miss that feeling. But this event is a good chance to pick up VRS points. We haven’t played StarLadder in a while; the last time was at the Major, and that was a great event, so we’re looking forward to it. We just want to play good CS and get back into form, because including this one, we probably only have two or three more events this season where we can play with the full lineup. So we want to use these chances to show our best level, that’s all.

Q: Like I said before, you were once at the top, and it can be hard to maintain that same hunger. Now that you're not in your best form, has that reignited your drive?

flameZ: Of course, definitely. If you aren't playing that well, titles... I wouldn't say winning titles before was taken for granted, but it feels much harder now than it used to. So winning one now, even the smallest one, would mean a lot. But I do feel our style hasn't changed. We're trying to put our energy into the game, build our plans, and play the CS we know.

So in that sense, it’s not really different. It’s more about preparation before the match, coming into the event with a certain mindset, and not wanting to lose even the smallest round. In the past, we might sometimes get careless, lose a round, then somehow win the match and never look back at that round. But now we’re trying to put work into a lot of things, stay on the same page, and play together as much as possible. That’s it.