Vitality captain Dan "apEX" Madesclaire gave a candid interview at BLAST Open Porto 2026 after the French squad secured their playoff spot with wins over 9z, Legacy, and FUT — a recovery run from their opening 0-2 loss to Inner Circle.
apEX's recent stats
0.91 HLTV Rating 3.0 over the past 3 months across 36 maps. KPR: 0.60, DPR: 0.69. The 33-year-old veteran captain's fragging numbers remain below top-20 average but his in-game leadership continues to anchor the team.
On team form
"When I play like that, I think we're such a dangerous team." — apEX.
Vitality secured approximately 150 VRS points across three group-stage wins — critical for their PGL Major Singapore direct-invite Legends push before the November 2 cutoff.
On mezii's absence and jL's stand-in
apEX praised Justinas "jL" Lekavicius as a "phenomenal stand-in" for mezii, who is on parental leave. jL's 1.96 rating vs 9z (38-18 across two maps) has been the team's biggest positive surprise. However, apEX acknowledged emotional complexity: "I want to win, but I will be sad for mezii if we win" — because mezii "will feel bad a bit" missing a potential trophy.
apEX noted Vitality loses "a voice" and "a person that is really calm" without mezii — plus "one of also the best supports in his roles."
What's next
Vitality enter the BLAST Open Porto playoffs as the #4 seed and face G2 (or Falcons/FURIA-loser) in the quarterfinal on September 4-5.
Source: HLTV.org — /news/45432/apex-when-i-play-like-that-i-think-were-such-a-dangerous-team
