ZywOo: Whether apEX is there or not at PGL events doesn't matter; I will still do my best to win matches when playing with jL.

The French superstar posted an average Rating of 2.03 on Cache on his way to yet another MVP.

Vitality swept MOUZ in the ESL Pro League Season 24 Finals to claim their second straight trophy, bouncing back in emphatic fashion after a slow start to the fall season and securing an important title before apEX temporarily steps away for PGL Bucharest following the birth of his child. ZywOo's dominant display at the event was enough to earn him the 34th MVP medal of his career. After the match, the French superstar arrived at the HLTV microphone with a broad smile, discussing his performance, including his excellent showing on Cache.

“Even back in 2017, it was probably one of my favourite maps,” ZywOo said. “So to be able to play it again and perform at this level, honestly, I’m really happy. I’ve always loved this map. It’s great. I know where to peek, I know how to swing, and I know how to help my teammates on this map.”

ZywOo also spoke about apEX's upcoming absence and how it could affect the discussion around Vitality's era. He said that, regardless of the situation, the team is focused on winning trophies.

“Whether he’s there or not doesn’t really matter,” he said. “We’ll try to win the event. We’ll do our best because we need confidence; we need to build something around that, so we’ll keep giving it everything.”

Q: Alright, ZywOo, congratulations on your 34th MVP. What does it feel like to be back in the arena and winning again?

A: It feels amazing. Of course, after winning at StarLadder Studio, it really... wasn’t difficult, but we wanted to play well on stage, and I think we managed to do that at this event. So, of course, being back on stage, back on the EPL stage, feels great too, and I’m really happy. I think the team played very well. I played well too, so it feels great.

Q: The Katowice Curse has definitely been broken now, right?

A: Yeah, yeah. We didn’t really think about it much, but of course, after six years of semifinals, it feels great to win at Spodek Arena and in Krakow. So yeah, the curse has definitely been broken.

Q: Tell me more about how you built up for the playoffs. All four of you had a Rating of around 1.30 in the group stage, but you still ended up winning comfortably.

A: I don’t know what to say. Of course, when ropz and flameZ are playing well, it helps everyone play well, including me. It works the other way around too: when I’m playing well, it helps them play well. So I think it’s a team thing: when everyone is in sync, whatever we do, when the communication is smooth, everyone is in good form, and we know what each other is going to do on the server, I think that helps everyone play well. I think that’s why we had three players with a Rating above 1.25 or 1.30. So I think everyone deserved the MVP for the playoffs.

Q: Tell me more about Cache. You posted a 2.03 Rating on Cache at this event. Even though it was only over three maps, with Overpass removed, it really helped you build a great map pool again—especially with you being so strong on Cache.

A: Yeah, I've always liked this map. Even back in 2017, it was probably one of my favourite maps. So being able to play it again and perform at this level, honestly, I'm really happy. I've always loved this map. It's great. I know where to peek, I know how to swing, and I know how to help my teammates on this map. I'm an A-site player on Cache—it sounds a bit weird to say that, but yeah, I love this map.

Q: So, do you like the current map pool? Do you like how balanced the differences between the maps are?

A: We were a little disappointed when Overpass was removed, because it was one of our best maps as well. But I think the map pool is pretty stable overall. Maybe I'd say Anubis could definitely be better in that respect, but I think the rest of the map pool is great, so it's fine.

Q: Alright. One last question: with apEX now set to miss Bucharest, does that really matter for your era? Do you feel the results you've had with the full lineup at the last two events have been enough to put that discussion to rest?

A: It doesn't matter whether he's there or not. For us, a win is a win, even if we have to play with jL. It was the same at BLAST Open Porto 2026: even with jL there, we were trying to win the tournament, so it will be the same with jL in Bucharest. We'll try to win the tournament. We'll do our best, because we need confidence; we need to build something around that, so we'll keep giving everything for it. As for mezii, he might try to take on the in-game calling, and when apEX isn't there, we also need to take on more responsibility. We'll try to communicate more and make sure our IGL is in place, so we'll work on that.