apEX: "Props to NAVI for this one; they made us sweat a lot"

After an extremely competitive first two maps, Vitality blew NAVI out of the water on Dust2 to take the finals of BLAST Rivals Spring 3-0. This is their fifth trophy in a row as they look to replicate their seemingly untouchable success from the first season of 2025.

Following their victory in the final, apEX chatted with Dust2.us about the back-and-forth on the first two maps, the dominant Dust2, and the team's plan going into IEM Atlanta.

Find the video interview below with a full transcription underneath. All questions and answers have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

How are you feeling coming off that trophy over NAVI?

I'm speechless. I don't know what this team is made of. You know when it was 11-0 on one map? You don't expect to win it. We came back again. 11-9 on Anubis, and we came back. Dust2 was just... it's our best map so far. We just played not the best CS sometimes, but sometimes really good CS.

It was a mix this tournament. The whole tournament was a mess. But, overall, we won again, and it's crazy. Five trophies in a row again.

What was the secret to the comeback after you were down 11-0?

I don't know. It was 11-0, we tried not to lose 12-0 or 13-0. That could have been a disaster. We just tried to stay composed because we knew we have a really strong CT-side. We had a good plan as well. It was just focusing on that while we played a really bad T-side overall. That was just a mess.

I think we are really strong mentally, and that helps.

How did you feel going into your best map, Dust2, after winning the first two maps of the final?

Yeah, it's our best map. It's a crazy map, but we didn't know we won yet. You don't expect to win before a game. You just focus on Dust2 and try to give your best, and we played really well.

We won good rounds and good clutches, that helps. We played really well, and Dust2 is just home. Props to NAVI for this one; they made us sweat a lot.

Do you think ropz's play on Dust2 was key to the win?

Yeah, he's a key. But also, the guy getting the MVP played very well on Dust2 overall. That's for sure that those guys are amazing and probably the two best players I have in the team. When they're on, it's tough for anyone to kill them.

Do you think it sets a bad precedent for you guys that you can come in without practice on your B-game and still win a trophy?

We need to make sure that it won't. We are a team that practices a lot, in general. We do a lot of work. Sometimes you need to prioritize things. For us, the major is important and arriving fresh. We have a lot of tournaments, still one more until the major. That was the plan, and according to the plan, we did well. That's what I will remember. Even though we didn't practice, we gave our best here.

We need to take care as well, the way we play, because I think it's a moment we should play even more as a team. Sometimes we lack a bit of that. Overall, I don't think we will be complacent because I will move the guys' hearts if they do that.

Are we gonna see you guys rested and restored at IEM Atlanta, your next event?

Yeah, but without CS. We'll probably be fresh, but we will miss a bit of CS hours. We'll do our best there to play the best possible. Won't have practice, but I think it's fine. We just need to have a lot of talks, and we already have good plans.

We play great CS, we just need to play as a team, and I think that it's gonna be fine.

Vitality's next match will be their IEM Atlanta opener against BC.Game at 11:30AM on May 11th.