After Vitality’s victory in the grand final of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, ZywOo and apEX gave an extensive interview on the French broadcast. The conversation quickly went beyond a standard post-match interview and turned into a public statement about the team’s status, confidence, and place in Counter-Strike history.
Losing the first map did not break Vitality
Despite losing the opening map of the series, Vitality players did not feel panic or pressure. ZywOo directly noted that the situation felt familiar from previous finals:
It was the same thing in Austin, where we got rolled on the first map.
According to him, the issue was not psychological, but rather about in-game details and decisions on Nuke:
We made some bad decisions, we took the match the wrong way.
At the same time, the team stayed calm internally and quickly adjusted their play:
We talked a bit after the first map and then it really started.
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Map pool depth and confidence in BO5
Vitality clearly understood where their advantage lay. ZywOo emphasized that Nuke was the only map where the opponent felt more comfortable:
We already knew they had the edge over us on Nuke, but on the other four maps we were way above.
The BO5 format only reinforced this confidence and reduced pressure on the team:
BO5 allows you one or two ‘error’ maps, so it helps with the pressure.
People may lie, but numbers don’t…
The climax of the interview was apEX’s statement, in which he directly compared Vitality’s season to Astralis’ legendary 2018 run. The captain pointed to raw statistics and delivered a clear conclusion:
If the biggest year in CS history was 2018 Astralis, now it’s 2025 Vitality. Men lie, but numbers don’t.
These words instantly became the quote of the night and spread rapidly across social media.
Internal slump and response to criticism
apEX also openly admitted that the road to this title was not perfect, especially for him personally:
I was thinking too much about the game and not focusing on my crosshair.
He emphasized that the team endured both external pressure and internal struggles, and that criticism of individual players only highlights the scale of Vitality’s transformation during the playoffs.
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A declaration of ambition
The interview with ZywOo and apEX became more than just a recap of the final; it was a clear declaration of ambition. Vitality are no longer limiting themselves to the status of a strong roster or a temporary dominant force — the team is openly claiming a historic season.
Two Majors in one year, consistency in BO5 series, and confidence in their own identity make 2025 for Vitality not just another peak, but a new reference point for the entire Counter-Strike scene.
