After several unstable months, Vitality are gaining momentum again ahead of the ESL Pro League playoffs. The team reached the decisive stage on a five-match winning streak, and ropz is convinced: the current roster is far from having exhausted its potential and is ready to fight to return to the level at which it previously dominated.
Vitality are regaining form again
ropz himself has also returned to the numbers usually expected from him. After an EVP at StarSeries Fall, the Estonian finished the ESL Pro League group stage with a 1.39 rating. Overall, after three matches at the tournament, four Vitality players had a rating of at least 1.29.
This is especially important in a season where the team constantly has to adapt to changes. mezii has already missed a tournament due to the birth of his child, and apEX is expected to take a similar break soon. At PGL Bucharest, he is set to be replaced by jL, so it is still difficult for Vitality to fully establish a stable lineup.
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ropz does not consider Vitality’s era over
Vitality’s situation can already be compared to the final stage of Astralis’ dominance, when player breaks, missed tournaments, and fatigue began to affect results. ropz acknowledged a certain similarity, but emphasized that inside Vitality there is no feeling that the cycle is ending.
When speaking about us as individual players, we feel that we still have a lot more to give, and nothing is over for us. We have said many times that we are lucky to have this five, and we will do everything to become strong again.
Recent results only strengthen this confidence. Vitality have already managed to reach a semifinal with jL as a stand-in, and now they once again look convincing at ESL Pro League. For ropz, this is a signal that even under difficult circumstances, the team is gradually returning to the necessary form.
Opponents prepare especially hard for Vitality
ropz also explained why Vitality often get extremely difficult matches even when they are in strong form. According to him, the status of one of the most successful teams of recent times makes opponents approach these meetings with extra motivation.
When teams play against Vitality, they understand that they are facing one of the best teams in history, so everyone tries to show their maximum.
This is exactly what he noted after the victory over Falcons. Vitality had long struggled in this matchup, but this time they managed to end the unsuccessful streak and extend their own winstreak ahead of the playoffs.
Stand-ins affect motivation
ropz named tournaments where the team knows in advance that it will not play with its main five as a separate problem. According to him, it is psychologically harder to prepare for a competition when it is already clear before it begins that the roster will be incomplete and expectations for the result are lower.
At the same time, the players have accepted the situation and support apEX and mezii. ropz emphasized that the birth of a child is much more important than one individual tournament, so the rest of the roster is ready to temporarily sacrifice sporting comfort for their teammates.
In practice, it is now almost impossible to hide anything
Another topic was the availability of practice demos in CS2. ropz noted that new strategies, unusual grenades, or other setups can spread very quickly between teams after they are shown once in practice.
Nothing can be hidden now. If you show a new strategy, an unusual grenade, or something non-standard once in practice, it can spread very quickly between teams.
Because of this, Vitality have to be much more careful about what exactly the team shows in practice. According to ropz, modern CS2 requires not only quality preparation, but also a constant search for ways to remain unpredictable.
Vitality still have more to give
Despite the unstable period, ropz sees no reason to put a full stop on the story of the current five. The team has started to regain form again, individual numbers are returning to a high level, and the main task remains restoring the stability that previously allowed Vitality to dominate.
The upcoming tournaments will show how far the team can go in this process. But ropz’s position is clear: Vitality do not see their previous success as a finished chapter and still believe the current roster is capable of fighting for the biggest trophies again.
