Since the beginning of 2021, when discussing the performance of the Vitality members, we can only use one word: “disappointing.” With a quality roster and the world’s best player for two consecutive years, ZywOo, Vitality has failed to advance past the group stage in three consecutive tournaments after losing to lower-ranked opponents.
These poor results led them to make a change: at the beginning of March, Vitality decided to return to a 5-member lineup and placed Nivera on the bench. Not stopping there, earlier this week, the French team successfully recruited 22-year-old Vietnamese origin player Jayson “Kyojin” Nguyen Van and announced that veteran RpK would move to the bench after the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown.
Competing in the Showdown as one of the strong contenders for a spot in the Finals, Vitality faced 9z, a relatively unknown team from Brazil, in their first match. However, this small team, currently ranked #88 on the HLTV leaderboard, pulled off the biggest upset in CS:GO history by defeating the giant Vitality 2-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. With their elimination from the tournament, Vitality has officially lost the chance to participate in the Spring Final scheduled for June.
The match opened on Nuke, the pick map of the 9z members, where they had been on a 6-match winning streak. However, the Vitality members quickly showcased their prowess with 12 rounds won on the CT side and wrapped up the map with a score of 16-9. Cornered, the 9z players performed explosively on map 2, Overpass, leveling the score to 1-1. We cannot overlook the outstanding performances of players try and max, as this duo continuously shone at bombsite A, completely dismantling the Vitality lineup.
After losing on their own pick map, the French team truly fell apart on map 3, Inferno, trailing 2-13 after the first half. The efforts of RpK and shoxie in the second half were not enough as 9z closed out the map with a score of 16-12, securing an overall victory of 2-1.
This defeat means that RpK’s journey in the yellow and black jersey has come to an end. A part of Vitality since its founding in late 2018, this 31-year-old veteran has consistently shown a high level of performance and has always been a solid support for his teammates to shine. Reflecting on being 31 this year and one of the oldest players in the professional CS:GO scene, ‘Le Tank’ shared: “My goal is to continue competing professionally for as long as possible. As long as I still have the motivation and no health issues, I will give my all for the team.”
Although he has not announced whether he will continue to compete or retire, RpK’s illustrious career of over a decade in professional CS with numerous prestigious titles will serve as a shining example for younger players to follow. We wish him continued success in both his career and life!
The upcoming Vitality lineup will be:
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.
Richard “shox” Papillon.
Kévin “misutaaa” Rabier.
Jayson “Kyojin” Nguyen Van.
Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Coach).