Vitality coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam has spoken about the difficulties of integrating Justinas “jL” Lekavicius into the roster at BLAST Open Porto 2026. In an interview with HLTV after the 2:1 victory over FURIA, XTQZZZ explained how Vitality are helping jL with the T-side structure and utility, while also trying to make it easier for him to recover mentally after mistakes.
jL is currently filling the role normally occupied by William “mezii” Merriman. Vitality started the event with a 0:2 defeat to Inner Circle but recovered through the lower bracket and have now reached the semi-finals.
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Vitality are helping jL with the T side
XTQZZZ said Vitality initially wanted jL to contribute his own ideas and play positions he was comfortable with, particularly on the CT side. The T side has required significantly more work.
The mezii role includes a large amount of utility and responsibility within the Vitality system, so the coaching staff have been helping jL remember strategies and checking whether he has the correct grenades for different situations. XTQZZZ also admitted that the way jL naturally approaches some rounds is different from mezii, making the adaptation more complicated.
The mental side has also become part of that process. According to XTQZZZ, jL can be very hard on himself after making an error.
Sometimes he is really frustrated because he did one mistake.
XTQZZZ explained that these situations can make it difficult for jL to immediately reset for the next round, so the rest of Vitality are actively trying to help him move on faster.
jL brought something different during a difficult period
Vitality entered Porto after failing to reach the top four at four consecutive events. Despite the timing, XTQZZZ said he viewed the temporary roster change positively rather than as another problem for a team already searching for form.
jL brought experience and a different personality into the roster, while the BLAST schedule also gave Vitality enough time to practice with him between matches.
We were really happy to have something new.
For XTQZZZ, the change gave Vitality a different dynamic while the roster was trying to improve its mindset and find solutions after its recent results.
XTQZZZ is still not satisfied with the result
Reaching the semi-finals already ended the run of four tournaments without a top-four finish for Vitality. XTQZZZ, however, does not consider simply reaching this stage with a stand-in a major achievement.
Right now, it’s not an achievement.
His focus remains on improving the way Vitality play together rather than judging the tournament only by the placement. XTQZZZ suggested that reaching the Grand Final would make the run with jL more meaningful.
Vitality still need to improve their T sides
XTQZZZ also discussed the difficult start against FURIA. Vitality were beaten 13:6 on Nuke, and the coach felt their T side developed too quickly, leaving almost no opportunity to reach proper mid-round situations.
He was not overly concerned about the problem because Vitality have experienced similar stretches before and were able to fix them after reviewing the mistakes. The response already came later in the series, with Vitality winning Cache 13:11 before dominating Dust2 13:4.
Vitality will face MOUZ in the BLAST Open Porto 2026 semi-final on September 5 at 19:30 CET. The winner will advance to the Grand Final.
