Vitality reached the BLAST Open Porto 2026 playoffs after recovering from an opening defeat to Inner Circle, but Shahar “flameZ” Shushan admits the roster may have lost some of the confidence and form that defined its strongest periods. Speaking to BLAST ahead of the playoffs, flameZ discussed recent results, playing with Justinas “jL” Lekavicius as a stand-in and whether the dominant Vitality period should be considered over.
Vitality entered Porto after losses at BLAST Bounty and Esports World Cup before starting the event with a 0:2 defeat to Inner Circle. They recovered with three consecutive elimination victories over 9z, Legacy and FUT to secure a quarter-final against FURIA.
Vitality have fallen below their own standard
flameZ admitted the recent stretch has been disappointing for a roster built around competing for trophies. At the same time, he does not see the results as a serious long-term problem.
It’s not the Vitality standard, but overall, it’s not bad. We lost to teams that won events and fucked up at another.
He also acknowledged that Vitality may have lost some of the confidence and individual form that helped them dominate earlier periods.
Maybe we lost some confidence, maybe we lost some form, but that’s something we found our way back to last year, so I’m not too worried.
flameZ remains confident in what the current roster and staff can produce, pointing to previous periods where Vitality managed to recover after weaker tournament runs.
Playing with a stand-in has changed the pressure
Vitality are competing in Porto without William “mezii” Merriman, with jL standing in. flameZ admitted the situation created another mental challenge, especially after mezii started finding better form at Esports World Cup.
At the same time, he believes having an experienced replacement gives Vitality an opportunity to work on other areas without the usual pressure.
We’re just fortunate to have a really good stand-in that we can improve with, rather than having to improve him first and get him to align with us.
flameZ also said tournaments with a stand-in can create more room for individual improvement and allow the roster to approach matches with a fresher mindset.
jL has quickly fitted into Vitality
The experience and personality of jL have made the temporary change easier. flameZ praised him for the energy he brings outside the server and for how he has handled joining a roster with an extensive playbook.
He’s super chill and fun to be around. He’s very outgoing and open, and you can’t go wrong with those kinds of people.
Inside the game, jL is still finding the right balance between introducing his own ideas and fitting into the existing Vitality system.
It’s tough joining a team that has so much in the playbook, but he’s still finding his input and how to bring his game into it.
flameZ added that jL knows when to speak and when to give his teammates space, while his experience allows Vitality to focus on improving together rather than teaching him how to compete at the highest level.
A roster change would mark the end of the Vitality era
The recent results have again raised questions about whether the dominant Vitality period has ended. flameZ pointed to 2025, when similar doubts appeared before the roster returned to winning trophies.
If we have multiple bad tournaments then win trophies again, people will just say it was a little blip.
For flameZ, the real end of the era would come with a change to the lineup rather than a few disappointing events.
For me, when it comes to the era, I think it’s if we were to change roster.
He remains confident that the current five-player core and staff can produce another dominant period because of the relationships inside the roster.
Vitality will face FURIA in the BLAST Open Porto 2026 quarter-finals. The winner will advance to a semi-final against MOUZ.
