FlameZ: "We Wanted to Peak for the Cologne Major, but Things Have Probably Changed because of the Grand Slam"
•February 16, 2026
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Why It Matters
Vitality’s performance and scheduling choices directly affect their Grand Slam chase and set the competitive tone for the upcoming Cologne Major, influencing the CS:GO elite hierarchy.
Key Takeaways
- •Vitality qualified playoffs after 3‑0 run.
- •Ropz and ZywOo missed games due to illness.
- •Team prioritizes Cologne Major and Grand Slam over PGL.
- •FlameZ cites travel disruptions and prep issues.
- •MOUZ rivalry remains key playoff factor.
Pulse Analysis
Vitality entered PGL Cluj‑Napoca riding the momentum of an IEM Krakow triumph, yet the roster grappled with a series of setbacks. Both ropz and ZywOo suffered health issues that limited their practice time, while flameZ endured a cancelled flight, forcing the team to start the tournament with minimal preparation. Despite these obstacles, Vitality’s disciplined play and strategic adjustments enabled a dominant 3‑0 sweep, reinforcing their reputation as a resilient contender in the CS:GO circuit.
The organization’s strategic lens now centers on the Cologne Major and the coveted ESL Grand Slam. By opting out of the ESL Pro League and treating PGL Cluj‑Napoca as a low‑priority yet valuable warm‑up, Vitality aims to preserve player stamina for the Grand Slam‑critical events. FlameZ highlighted that the Grand Slam stakes have reshaped their tournament hierarchy, prompting a focus on peak performance at majors while using smaller events to fine‑tune tactics and secure rest for key players.
This approach reverberates across the broader CS:GO landscape, where roster health, schedule management, and rivalry dynamics shape the race for the Grand Slam. Vitality’s renewed vigor against long‑time adversary MOUZ underscores the importance of map‑specific preparation and psychological edges in playoff scenarios. As the Cologne Major approaches, other top teams will watch Vitality’s pacing, aware that strategic tournament selection could be the differentiator between securing the Grand Slam and falling behind in the ever‑tightening elite tier.
flameZ: "We wanted to peak for the Cologne Major, but things have probably changed because of the Grand Slam"
Fresh off their IEM Krakow victory, Vitality are back in action at PGL Cluj‑Napoca and have already secured their berth in the playoffs after a 3‑0 run.
It wasn't the cleanest of campaigns from the start, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan admits, and it was marred by Robin “ropz” Kool's and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut's illnesses, but the team ended the group on a high note with a stomping of MOUZ.
“We didn't play the best, but we improved with every game. Today I think everybody's getting slightly better, and it was really important for us to win this so that ropz and ZywOo have more time to rest,” the Israeli told HLTV after Vitality's qualification for the playoffs.
The 22‑year‑old spoke about how Vitality is approaching PGL Cluj‑Napoca, which comes just days after their crucial win in Krakow, which meant they are just one win away from the ESL Grand Slam.
flameZ conceded the Romanian event, which marks their first attendance at a non‑Major PGL tournament, is not their biggest priority, but stressed that it won't stop them from putting in the effort to win.
“I wouldn't say it's a big priority, but every time we come to a tournament, even though we talk about 'it's not gonna be a priority', everybody is screaming, hyping, prepping, the same shit, so it's not like anything is different,” he said.
“The only difference is that we wanted to peak for the Cologne Major, but some of the things have probably changed because of the Grand Slam on the line.”
You can watch the full interview on YouTube or read the transcript below:
flameZ, congratulations on making it through to the Cluj playoffs. I'd like to go back to your previous matches. You opened it up with a win over G2, which ended a little dramatically with that last‑round crash, what was your view of that whole situation?
Since the beginning of the tournament, it has been a mess for us. We came and I had my flight cancelled because Lufthansa decided to go on strike, and then mr. ropz got a sickness. He has fever all week and he's not coming out of his room, he cannot pracc or do anything.
We didn't pracc or anything, so we just came to the first game with basic prep, and it was tough, because it was a bit of a mess. We didn't play the best, but we improved with every game we played. I think the second game against MongolZ was a bit harsher, because the same day ZywOo woke up with stomach poisoning‑ish. If it's mezii or me with food poisoning, it's fine, but ropz and ZywOo, you gotta prepare yourself. So I'm pretty happy we won this game, and today I think everybody's getting slightly better, even ropz, and it was really important for us to win this so that they have more time to rest.
But the Anubis game against G2, it's tough to talk about it because, for them, they obviously wanted to fight for it because it was an opportunity, and you never know what can happen in CS. It was a bit messy, PGL didn't handle it the best because they told the two teams different things, and it caused some issues, but in the end, we are professionals and we compete for every round, and that was completely fine from both teams to react the way they did, even though there was nothing crazy.
Nevertheless, I'm happy we made it to the playoffs, because now we have some time to rest and chill, because it's been intense.
You know The MongolZ well from the previous couple of seasons. Did this team feel any different with their new player?
I think they're still playing similar CS, but they're missing Senzu, because Senzu's skill... he was a very good player to play against. When mzinho is playing good, Senzu is playing good, and 910 is chiming and does good, it's really tough to play against them, because they are really solid.
With cobra, it will take a bit more time because he also needs to get on board with their game, even though their game is not that hard to understand, I feel like. They're just playing and that's the team I wanna finish my career with, full enjoy CS.
I think they're still gonna be competitive, and they can still beat any team in the scene, but it feels a bit worse than what they had, because the old roster they had, not only that they were good individually, they were really good friends, really close, it seemed like, and they were very resilient and united. They didn't care if they were losing 12‑4 because they might just come back at you, and right now it feels a bit different. But we haven't played them in playoffs in a while, I think, and I think that is where it always changes. In playoffs you feel how teams really play and how they play differently.
There was a point in the second half of the season last year, where MOUZ took the fight to you and even took a couple of wins off of you. This time, this year has started out pretty convincingly for you against them, both in Krakow and here. Have you just figured them out again?
I don't know if we figured them out. We have more fire when we come to play them because they kinda feel like a rival to us. We keep facing them and we keep facing them, and they know us and we know them.
The change with -Train affected them against us, because Dust2 is a strong map for us, and we'll always have a really strong pick against them, unless they're willing to play Anubis. You never know with surprises, but I don't think so. It feels a bit different because we have a good map pool against them right now.
There were rumors that MOUZ looked to switch players, some players wanted to leave; if internally they have these things in mind, I think it makes you weaker as a team inside.
In the end, even though we beat them here, it always depends on playoffs. If we meet them in playoffs and we beat them there, then it gets the convincing win. Last season, they beat us in Cologne semis and they made a statement there, but then they beat us in Hong Kong or Chengdu groups, and then we beat them in the playoffs, so for us the playoffs are always important. We just wanna make it to playoffs, we don't care if it's gonna be 3‑2, we don't give a fuck, and once we make it to playoffs, we wanna give teams a big fight. That's always the case against them.
I'm not sure, because there were many rumors that they looked to switch players, some players wanted to leave, so, if internally they have these things in mind, I think it makes you weaker as a team inside. When the game gets tougher, it's a bit harder to get back into the game. MOUZ last season, they were really good at coming back even against different teams. You never count them out, and maybe it could affect them, but we haven't seen much of them this year.
I wanted to ask you about this tournament and how Vitality is approaching it. This first half of the season, you have chosen a different strategy. It's your first non‑Major PGL event and you're skipping ESL Pro League instead of that, even though the Grand Slam is up for grabs for you. Can you tell me about what this tournament means to you with that mind?
Well, I have no idea about these things, because it's the staff, and I trust them. I think the main thought was that, obviously we could get a point that, if we win Krakow, it was more important to win the Grand Slam than playing some of the other tournaments. On the other hand, I think the staff prioritized that we peak towards certain tournaments.
We always have this chat about which tournaments we wanna peak at. Every tournament we come to, we wanna win, but some tournaments we have better prep and more rest coming up to it. With having the second part of this season, also stacked with back‑to‑back tournaments, it's gonna be something that we wanna have a bit of time off. I don't know when EPL is, but we wanted to try PGL because we've only been at the Majors, to see how it is. I think it was kind of okay because we played Bounty, we had two days and then Krakow, and then four days and then we came here.
This tournament, I wouldn't say it's a big priority, but every time we come to a tournament, even though we talk about 'it's not gonna be a priority', everybody is screaming, hyping, prepping, the same shit, so it's not like anything is different. The only difference is that we wanted to peak for the Cologne Major, but some of the things have probably changed because of the Grand Slam on the line. Maybe we win it in Cologne, which is gonna be a fancy one, a Major and Grand Slam, but obviously we're gonna try to finish in Rio, and Atlanta is also an opportunity.
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