StarLadder Budapest Major Champion, Vitality’s ropz reflected on the team’s road to the title, the pressure of facing his former team FaZe Clan in the Grand Final, and the key moments that defined the series. Speaking after Vitality’s championship win in Budapest, the Major winner explained why FaZe once again caused problems on Nuke, how the team managed to reset mentally and take control of the series, and why the Overpass pick was a calculated decision rather than a surprise.
Ropz also compared Vitality’s Major runs, shared his view on best-of-five finals, and outlined the team’s ambitions heading into 2026, where another Major title remains the clear goal.
Q: Earlier in Stage Three, you already played FaZe on Nuke, but today you lost again. What’s going on? Did you change anything since March 1st?
A: Not much changed, to be honest. We lost again. I think they just played the aggression really well. FaZe is a team that uses a lot of fakes and is very good at abusing defensive movement and rotations.
read more
That makes them hard to play against. They played a good Nuke, their shots were landing, and overall, they played very well. So there’s not much else to say — they were simply better on that map.
Q: After losing on Nuke, you reset very quickly and dominated them. What helped you reset so fast?
A: Specifically, we told each other that we needed to step up and do the same thing they were doing to us. They came out flying on Nuke, and we wanted to match that energy.
We had to find our groove, bring more aggression, make some bold plays, and play with confidence. I think we were lacking a bit of confidence at first, and fixing that made the biggest difference.
Q: What was the key moment on Inferno?
A: I think the key moment was winning the retakes on the CT side. We had a couple of disadvantaged B retakes — I think we won a 2v4 and maybe a 2v3. I don’t remember the exact rounds anymore. It was a tough CT half, but making it 8–4 on CT was very important and gave us a strong foundation.
Q: When you picked Overpass, it was a big surprise. Was that a prepared game plan for the final?
A: We knew pretty clearly how the veto was going to look. FaZe would pick Nuke and Inferno. For us, Dust2 was always an option, but the choice came down to Overpass or Mirage. We felt FaZe was a bit weaker on Overpass, which is why we decided to go there.
We also had confidence in the map because we had beaten one of the best teams on Overpass shortly before, I believe at BLAST Rivals or one of those tournaments.
read more
Q: With back-to-back Major wins, can we already call Vitality a dynasty?
A: That’s up to the people to decide. As a player, I’m not going to say that myself — feel free to judge. If the community wants to call it that, then that’s fine. For us, we’re just happy with what we’ve achieved.
Q: What is the biggest difference between Vitality at the Austin Major and at the Budapest Major?
A: Honestly, it’s hard to say. I don’t see many differences. The runs were very similar — in Austin, we lost the first best-of-one against FaZe, and here it happened again. In both Grand Finals, we lost the first map as well.
There aren’t many obvious differences. Both times, the team chemistry was good, everyone was playing well, decisions were solid, and things were clicking. So it isn’t easy to point out a clear difference.
Q: How do you rate your playoff bracket?
A: I think we had a very tough bracket. The MongolZ match was a great performance from us, but the Spirit game was extremely difficult. Spirit were definitely one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Then, in the final, we faced FaZe, who had already upset several favourites on the other side of the bracket. Considering all of that, it was a very challenging road.
Q: FaZe had an incredible run to the final. Do you think that gave them less pressure — almost a Major aura where they could just play freely?
A: Maybe. For sure, we felt a lot of pressure. Personally, I probably felt it the most because I played for FaZe for three years. It was a very special day for me. I have a lot of emotions tied to FaZe Clan and the players because of everything we went through together, and now I’m playing against them on the biggest stage.
read more
It was a tough day mentally, but I’m just happy we managed to get through it.
Q: After playing a best-of-five Major final, what’s your opinion on the format?
A: I think best-of-five is a great addition. Almost every tournament now uses a best-of-five final. With MR12, the rounds are shorter, but having a best-of-five still gives us a lot of Counter-Strike to play.
In esports in general — not just CS — best-of-five finals are very common. So it’s nice to see that consistency.
Q: Finally, what can we expect from Vitality in 2026?
A: Winning another Major is definitely the main goal — especially the next one. We want to keep the streak going. Beyond that, we’ll see. We’ll discuss the goals for next year as a team, but winning a Major will always be at the top.
