Justinas “jL” Lekavicius has once again helped Vitality reach the playoffs of a tournament as a stand-in, this time at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026. After defeating his former team NAVI, the Lithuanian discussed the challenges of playing without the regular IGL, the strength of Vitality’s system, and his own future on the professional scene.
Vitality continue to perform even without their full roster
For jL, the match against NAVI carried special significance, as the team had been his home until recently. However, the player admitted that he had expected the emotional side of the encounter to be much more difficult and ultimately tried to approach the match as calmly as possible.
To be honest, I thought it was going to be a little bit tougher. I just went into the game thinking that I wanted to have fun, do my best, help my teammates as much as possible, and see where that would take us.
Ultimately, that approach worked: Vitality once again managed to make a deep tournament run despite using a temporary player. For jL, this is further confirmation of how well the team can adapt to unusual circumstances.
That’s why Vitality are the best team in the world
jL identified the significantly greater need for communication as one of the main differences in Vitality’s current lineup. Without Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, the team has lost its regular IGL, forcing mezii to take on some of the responsibilities normally handled by the French captain.
This version of Vitality requires a lot more communication. That’s obvious because Dan isn’t here. mezii can’t organize everything as well as Dan, but that’s fine — mezii isn’t an IGL. We have to help him, and that’s what we’re here for.
According to jL, Vitality’s greatest strength is precisely the ability of the other players to compensate for the absence of an important member. The team does not simply replace one player with another but adjusts its communication and distributes additional responsibilities across the entire roster.
Vitality have the ability to cover for players
jL emphasized that Vitality’s system allows the team to remain competitive even when the lineup is far from ideal. According to him, the players can take on more communication responsibilities, organize situations on the server themselves, and support one another in areas that would normally be controlled by the IGL.
That’s why Vitality are one of the… no, the best team in the world. They have the ability to cover for players. They can communicate more, organize things themselves, and that’s exactly what we’re doing so well right now.
At the same time, jL feels more confident in the current version of the team than during his previous stand-in appearance at BLAST Open Porto. He is already more familiar with the system, understands his teammates’ expectations, and finds his place within rounds much more quickly.
They could bring in an academy player and still reach the final
Despite his successful performances, jL does not view his appearances for Vitality as an opportunity to showcase himself to potential employers. He emphasized that he accepted the stand-in role to help the team cope with the temporary absence of regular players, rather than to promote himself personally.
Even if you reach the final with this roster, I don’t think people will give me much credit personally. It’s just Vitality. They could bring in an academy player and still reach the final.
That is why jL is trying not to make the tournament about his individual statistics. For him, fulfilling his commitment to Vitality and helping the team achieve the best possible result is more important while apEX and mezii deal with personal family matters.
jL’s future after the Singapore Major remains uncertain
The most unexpected part of the conversation came when jL discussed his future career. The Lithuanian wants to return to a permanent roster capable of competing for trophies, but he is not willing to sign a contract simply to remain an active professional player.
Ideally, I’ll find a team and be able to compete for trophies again. But if that doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. To be honest, if I don’t find a team after Singapore, I might just retire.
In that case, jL is prepared to switch to content creation and spend more time with his family. He also revealed that he will soon become a father, so he sees no point in staying in professional CS simply for the sake of participating in tournaments.
jL only wants to return for the right project
For the player himself, trophies are not his only motivation. jL explained that what he values most is the process of building a team: practicing together, making gradual progress, developing mutual trust, and feeling that five individuals are becoming a single unit.
The ideal scenario is that I join a good team. We play, practice, and learn together. I love that process. I don’t just love trophies — I enjoy the journey toward them, working with each other, playing for each other, and creating a kind of second family.
Therefore, the coming months could be decisive for jL’s future. For now, he is once again demonstrating that he can integrate into one of the strongest systems in the world without extensive preparation. However, after the Singapore Major, the Lithuanian wants an offer from a project he genuinely believes in, rather than simply continuing his career at any cost.
