Vitality reached the BLAST Open Porto 2026 playoffs after recovering from an opening loss to Inner Circle, and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire believes his improved individual form has made the roster much more dangerous. Speaking to HLTV after the 2:0 victory over FUT, the captain also discussed playing with Justinas “jL” Lekavicius as a stand-in and what Vitality are missing without William “mezii” Merriman.
Vitality had to go through the entire lower bracket after the 0:2 defeat to Inner Circle, beating 9z, Legacy and FUT to secure a playoff spot. apEX averaged a 1.07 Rating 3.0 during the group stage and produced some of his strongest individual maps late in the run.
apEX believes his individual level makes Vitality more dangerous
apEX said he has been putting significant time into his individual game after struggling to show the same level at Esports World Cup. The work began to translate into results in Porto, particularly during the victories over Legacy and FUT.
Against FUT, apEX finished with 34 kills and 110 ADR across Anubis and Dust2 as Vitality won the series 2:0. Only Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut matched his 34 kills, while Vitality secured both maps 13:7 and 13:8.
When I play like that, I think we are such a dangerous team.
The 33-year-old explained that confidence gives him more freedom in his entry and rotation roles, allowing him to take more initiative around the map.
Vitality lose more than roles without mezii
William “mezii” Merriman is missing BLAST Open Porto while on paternity leave, with jL filling his place for the tournament. apEX said the absence affects Vitality beyond the positions mezii normally plays.
According to the captain, Vitality lose a calm voice and one of their strongest support players. He described jL as a strong stand-in but admitted his personality adds another energetic voice to a roster that already has several of them.
apEX also said he felt disappointed for mezii because the 27-year-old had started returning to better individual form at Esports World Cup before having to miss Porto.
He is the best teammate I ever had.
apEX would have mixed feelings about winning Porto
Despite playing with a stand-in, apEX said his expectations for Vitality have not changed. The captain still wants to win the tournament, although doing so without mezii would create mixed emotions for him.
He also sees the event as an opportunity for jL. The former NAVI player has been given another chance to compete at the highest level, and apEX believes performing well with Vitality could help him create new opportunities.
Vitality now move from the Copenhagen group stage to the playoffs in Porto after surviving three consecutive elimination matches.
Vitality will face FURIA in the quarter-finals
Vitality will face FURIA in the BLAST Open Porto 2026 quarter-finals on September 4. The winner will advance to a semi-final against MOUZ, while the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.
The match gives Vitality another chance to continue the recovery that began after their surprise opening defeat to Inner Circle, this time in front of the Porto crowd.
